Most Ontarians renew on autopilot. Three or four years later their premium is up 40%, their coverage has gaps, and nobody has flagged it. A short, honest checklist.
Premiums creep. Coverage erodes. Discounts expire. Most drivers never notice because the renewal mailer says "$XXX" and they pay it.
I see this every week: a client hands over a renewal that's 35% higher than three years ago. Same car, same address, same driving record. They assumed it was "the market." Sometimes it is. Usually it isn't.
Carriers don't reward loyalty. The longer you stay on the same policy without re-shopping, the more they assume you'll keep paying. The fix isn't dramatic — it's a 20-minute conversation once a year before your renewal hits.
Accident Waiver. Without it, one at-fault claim raises your rate 25–40% for six years. With it, your first one is forgiven. Costs $20–60/year. Almost always worth it.
Minor Conviction Protection. One speeding ticket can bump your premium 5–15% for three years. This endorsement keeps your first minor conviction off your rates. Pennies per month.
Loss of Use. If your car is in the shop for four weeks after a claim — and current Ontario body-shop backlogs are running well over that — without Loss of Use you're paying for a rental out of pocket. The endorsement adds a few dollars a month.
Family Protection (OPCF 44R). Protects you if you're hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver. Typical cost under $30/year. Coverage runs into seven figures.
If any of those four sound unfamiliar, that's the conversation we should have.
Ontario's auto reform comes into force in just over a month. Nine accident benefits move from mandatory to optional. The default of declining everything will be cheaper — and a bad idea for almost everyone.
If your current broker hasn't reached out about the reforms by now, that's a flag. Every Ontario driver should be modelling their post-July-1 renewal before it lands, not in the 30 seconds before they click "renew."
Full breakdown of what's changing here. Or skip the reading and let me run your post-reform quote side-by-side with your current policy. There's no obligation; I'll tell you straight if you're already in great shape.
Re-shop your auto policy when any of these are true:
Most clients save 10–25% just from putting their info through a fresh round of carriers. A few save more. A few save nothing and stay where they are. All of them know what their policy actually says now — which is the real point.
One of three things, in order of effort:
Three years of overpaying compounds. Two minutes to find out doesn't.
It's free, it's not a sales pitch, and the worst case is you find out you're already in great shape. The best case is a five-figure correction before something goes wrong.
Get a full quote → Run the 2-minute coverage check →
Amit Sharda · RIBO-licensed Ontario broker · 647-971-3240 · amitsharda400@gmail.com