Defending High-Risk Drivers

when they need it most.

High risk auto insurance rates you can afford from your Ontario Broker.

High risk auto insurance rates you
can afford from your Ontario Broker.

So you have a few driving infractions?
It doesn’t make you a criminal.

What is high risk car insurance?

So you have a few driving infractions? It doesn’t make you a criminal.

What is high risk car insurance?

Auto insurance protects you against financial loss if you have an accident. It is a contract between you and the insurance company. You agree to pay the premium and the insurance company agrees to pay your losses as defined in your policy.

With High-Risk Auto insurance the insurance company determines there is a greater probability you are likely to be involved in an accident requiring a claim. Typically, this is based on previous driving records or claims.

Our Excalibur defenders will comb through the fine print of various insurance rates to find you the best coverage for your unique situation. Ensuring you continue to protect yourself and others.

Liked your quote? Here’s what happens next.

step 1 insurance quote
complete your insurance quote

By using our Rate Reducer or by filling out a form on our website.

step 2 insurance quote
we pick up the phone and call you

An Excalibur Defender will review the quote and your unique needs, to ensure you have the right coverage.

step 3 insurance quote
finalize your policy and get your pink slip

Liked your coverage and your quote? Your Defender will send you the documents – you can even sign right from your phone. After signing, we email you your pink slip. Welcome to the Excalibur Family!

Understanding more about Auto Insurance.

An auto insurance policy consists of three different kinds of coverage: Collision, Comprehensive, and Liability.

Collision
Collision coverage is one type of coverage on your insurance policy. Let's say your car came into contact with another vehicle, or object (e.g., an underground parking post, garage door, street sign), and was damaged somehow. If you had collision coverage, the cost to repair or replace your vehicle would likely be taken care of.

Comprehensive
Comprehensive coverage is another type of coverage. It helps pays for damage to your vehicle caused by covered events such as theft, vandalism, or hail, which are not collision-related.

Liability
Liability coverage pays for your legal responsibility to others for bodily injury or property damage. Liability insurance includes Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Direct Compensation for Property Damage and Accident Benefits.

Medical coverage pays for the cost of treating injuries, rehabilitation and sometimes lost wages and funeral expenses.

In Ontario you are required to buy some, but not all, of these coverages. If you’re financing a car, your lender may also have requirements. Most auto policies are for six months or a year. Your insurance company should notify you by mail when it’s time to renew the policy and to pay your premium.

Free Protection Checkup

with every quote & renewal

We look for potential blind spots. We know, everyone wants cheap insurance, but our job is to protect you from assumptions, unknowns and industry change with our free comprehensive review of your needs.

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Why do you need auto insurance?

It’s really all about protecting yourself financially.

If you’re in an accident or your car is stolen, it costs money, often a lot of money, to fix or replace it.

If you or any passengers are injured in an accident, medical costs can be extremely expensive.

If you or your car is responsible for damage or injury to others, you may be sued for much more than you’re worth.

Not only is having insurance a prudent financial decision, but many provinces also require you to have at least some coverage.

We work with Canada’s Top High-Risk Insurers to guarantee you have options.

Questions to Ask

An Excalibur broker is your partner in finding auto insurance that meets your specific needs. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the discussion:

  • How much can you afford to pay if you get in an accident?
    (To keep premiums low you may want to have a higher deductible and be willing to pay more for repairs.)
  • What is the procedure for filing and settling a claim?
    (Ask who to call and what happens after you file a claim.)
  • What is the insurance company’s level of service and ability to pay claims?
  • What discounts are available?
    (Ask about good driver, multiple policy and student discounts.)

Customer Tool Chest

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Make a Claim

Hassle free ways to report your claim.

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Self-Serve Options

Submit a form, request or make changes instantly by logging into your customer account.

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Download our Mobile App

Monitor & Make Changes to your Account Anywhere.

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  • Instantly access your pink liability cards.
  • View policies via your mobile device.
  • Request changes, check claims & more.
  • Get your policy renewal digitally.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve got Auto Insurance questions - we’re here to answer them. Our team of defenders is always happy to help clarify your insurance knowledge and here are a few Tips and Frequently Asked Questions to get you started.

What is high-risk or non-standard auto insurance?

In insurance, high-risk means that your risk appetite is higher than that of the average driver’s. This may be because you are a young driver with a poor driving record or little driving experience, because you have been involved in too many at-fault accidents, you have a history of being cancelled due to non-payment, you have had a DUI charge, or other risk-related characteristics. High-risk drivers do not qualify for standard auto insurance and so, in order to remain insured, must acquire “non-standard auto insurance” (or high-risk auto insurance) which may differentiate from your standard policy in a number of ways.

High-risk insurance functions similarly to standard auto insurance, in that it covers your vehicle and supplies the necessary coverage to render your vehicle “road-legal” but three criteria may differentiate it from your typical policy. One, your insurance will likely cost more. Two, your payment options will be reduced (because many drivers are high-risk due to cancellations for non-payment), and three: insurance coverage will be limited. Your liability limits may be capped, and you may be required to pay higher deductibles in the event of a claim. You will be stuck with having to carry high-risk auto insurance until your high-risk label comes down. This, unfortunately, is only done with time.

To remain insured. Few standard auto insurance providers will insure high-risk drivers, meaning you’ll need to place your policy with a non standard insurance company through an experienced high risk  insurance broker. High-risk insurance does typically cost more, but the high-risk label isn’t permanent.

You will no longer be considered a high-risk driver once some of your tickets fall off your record. Most traffic tickets, suspensions, or policy cancellations, etc. will be removed from your record after three years. At-fault incidents and criminal convictions, however, can remain on your record and keep you labelled a high-risk driver for up to six years.

Unfortunately, high-risk insurance in Ontario tends to be more expensive than your average auto insurance policy. There’s really no way around it. Depending on your risk profile, you might be paying anywhere between 25% to 250% more than your average driver.

When insurance companies calculate your premiums, they’re virtually calculating your likelihood of being involved in an accident or making a claim. If you are statistically more likely to make a claim, your insurance rates will reflect that. High-risk drivers are perceived as more likely to make a claim – riskier (i.e., “high risk”) – and therefore will be charged higher rates. Car insurance can be much more expensive for those who have had numerous recent claims and/or driving violations, like at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, and DUIs.

Not every auto insurance company offers high-risk insurance, but Excalibur works with a few of the best high-risk auto insurance providers around.

Jevco Insurance Company provides high-risk insurance for drivers who are finding it difficult to acquire insurance in Ontario through standard companies. They offer customizable policies that recognize the different experiences, driving habits, and characteristics of each driver.

Echelon provides non-standard automobile insurance in numerous provinces throughout Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI, and Nova Scotia, for those who are unable to obtain insurance from standard carriers due to license suspensions, driving infractions, and more.

Coachman Insurance Company’s insurance programs are specially designed to provide auto insurance to rehabilitating drivers. They recognize the need to drive and repair a driving record by building up a consistent history again. They offer a second chance at affordable insurance.

Whether partially or fully, there is always fault assigned – even in provinces that follow the no-fault rules. Insurance companies gauge fault to determine an individual’s premium percentage increase, if any. The more at-fault incidents or partially at fault accidents you’re involved in, the more likely you are to be labelled a high-risk driver.

Insurance companies use what is known as Fault Determination Rules, which adhere to regulations laid out by the province’s Insurance Act. Drivers can be assigned fault on a percentage basis, so anywhere from 0% at-fault to 100% at-fault.

You can find Ontario’s Fault Determination Rules here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/900668

If you believe your insurance provider’s assessment of fault is dissatisfactory and doesn’t reflect what happened, you can call up the claims adjuster who was handling your case. See which rule within the Fault Determination Rules was applied in your case.

If you can, offer any new information to your insurance company’s attention. They may revise or reconsider their decision only if relevant information to the case is provided.

If your insurance company refuses to revise the decision or if you still disagree, you can reach out to your insurance company’s complaint officer and be guided through the company’s complaint-handling protocol.