Congratulations on your big move! You’ve rented a moving truck and packed up all your belongings — now what? Well, if you’ve moved to a new province, you’re going to need car insurance. It’s illegal to drive without it in any Canadian province. The process is fairly straightforward, but there are a few aspects you can’t miss, including updating your address and getting a new licence plate for your new province.
Worrying about all of this on top of moving to another province can be overwhelming — we understand that! That’s why we have prepared a list of tips to follow to make getting a car insurance policy in your new home easy. Here are our tips for getting car insurance in a new province.
Tips for getting a car insurance policy in a new province
When you move to a new province, your car insurance coverage has to move as well. The laws and regulations around auto insurance may vary depending on where you live, including how long you have to renew your car insurance. This is important to know because you may have to opt into different types of coverage that weren’t mandatory in your home province. It can be quite an adjustment in some cases. To ease your mind, we have compiled a list of tips to follow when getting auto insurance in a new province. Keep reading to learn more:
Get claims experience letter(s) to show your insurance history
When you first move to a new province, you should get a claims experience letter from your insurance company. What is it? It’s a letter that provides an overview of your insurance history. You will need to give your insurance broker in your new province this letter because you likely don’t have a history of auto insurance in your new province.
Generally, a claims experience letter takes a week to receive. Your insurance broker can request one on your behalf, or you can contact your car insurance provider directly if you work with an insurance agent rather than a broker.
Keep your auto insurance active until you have moved to your new province
It doesn’t matter what type of auto insurance you have. Your car insurance coverage should remain active until you have finalized a policy in your new home province. Cancelling insurance coverage before opening a new policy will stop any damages from being covered. For example, if you get into a car accident and need to replace your bumper before moving and you cancel your auto insurance policy, you would have to pay for the damages out of pocket. You can get in trouble for driving without insurance or having an expired car insurance renewal.
Once you have planted your roots in your province, you can reach out to your insurance broker or previous insurance company about cancelling your policy. A broker can update your policy accordingly if they work with the insurance provider in your new province. There’s no need for multiple auto insurance policies.
Know that your insurance premiums can change
Most of the time, you can stay with the same insurance provider when you move. However, this doesn’t prevent your insurance rates from changing. For example, if you are moving from a low-population town to a bustling city in your new province, you can expect your insurance premiums to increase. This is because you will be using a different address for car insurance. However, it’s important to know that some provinces have higher rates than others.
Before you make the move, speak with your insurance provider to see if they operate in your new province. If they don’t, you will have to find a new insurance company that can help with tasks such as calculating mileage. A broker can help you with obtaining car insurance that suits your budget and needs.
Insurance regulations differ from province to province. When purchasing an auto insurance policy when moving to another province, you have to comply with local laws. However, even if you do, your insurance rates can change. With this in mind, we will explore ways to lower your insurance rates in your new province next.
Ways to keep insurance rates lower in your new province
To get lower car insurance rates, you will have to understand car insurance regulations in your new province. After all, insurance laws do vary. What doesn’t change is safe driving keeping your premiums lower. Below are some ways to keep your insurance premiums lower in a new province:
Get an insurance broker (if you don’t have one already)
There’s nothing wrong with shopping around to find the best rate, but calling around and speaking with different insurance providers takes time. That’s why you need an insurance broker if you don’t have one already. Your broker will reach out to insurance companies on your behalf to find you a great policy at an affordable price.
Find out if you’re eligible for discounts
Even when moving to a new province, you may be eligible for discounts. It doesn’t matter if you stay with your current insurer or not. Having a clean driver’s abstract and bundling your home and auto insurance are great ways to lower your rates. Ask your provider if you can get any discounts — the worst they can say is no.
Increase your deductible
Your deductible is the amount of money that you are responsible to pay in the event of a claim, your insurer will pay everything over and above this amount. Increasing your deductible can lower your rates because your insurance company will not have to pay out as much if you file a claim. However, you should keep in mind that if you frequently get into accidents, this can cost you more in the long run.
Driving in a different province is a completely new experience. For a quick and easy transition, you need to find an insurance company that will advocate for you. Otherwise, you put yourself at risk of paying higher rates. This goes for regular and commercial drivers. After all, you don’t want to worry about any added expenses after you make this big of a move.
Need help obtaining car insurance? Reach out to BrokerLink!
Moving to another province is both exciting and stressful. You shouldn’t add finding a new car insurance broker or policy to your list of worries. In fact, by being prepared, it should be one of the last things on your mind.
Although car insurance regulations differ from province to province, the same types of coverage are available across the country, but sometimes with different names. You should be on the lookout for the following:
To update your policy, you will need to provide details about your driving and insurance history to your insurance provider. If you’ve recently moved to a new province, you’ll need help from a reliable insurance broker. BrokerLink has you covered—contact us today.
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