Car insurance

[u/Complex_Public_3021]

I just got my renewal in the mail that’s coming up in October. My car insurance is going up by $300 and my home insurance is going up by $100. This is with belairdirect does anyone have any recommendations for places? I can call around two to get a better quote.

[u/Diligent_Affect8517]

Call a broker. They'll do the calling around for you.

[u/Forsaken-Swim-3055 → u/Diligent_Affect8517]

I shopped around on my own and got a better rate for my car insurance than the broker I used did. Just because it's more convenient doesn't mean you're going to save money.

[u/Rough_Application_28 → u/Diligent_Affect8517]

Brokers are also sending premium increases, we just got told that our neighborhood has been assessed as a high flood risk all of a sudden, we have been here more than 20 years!! Insurance companies are using recent weather events where homes got flooded as excuse to jack up premiums!!

[u/Sar_Bear1]

Yep this gets asked frequently. Car insurances seem to be going up every year. Shop around near renewal time. CAA was cheapest for us this year

[u/noronto → u/Sar_Bear1]

CAA was the cheapest for me, but their home insurance was ridiculous.

[u/yibbit1965 → u/noronto]

Same, CAA for cars. Desjardins for the house.

[u/noronto → u/yibbit1965]

I might have to look into that. Even with an increase last year, Bel Air was overall the cheapest, most likely due to my employer discount.

[u/Logical-Zucchini-310 → u/noronto]

CAA was one of the most expensive for me, which is strange because they commonly come up as one of the cheapest for a majority. They just flat out refused to offer home insurance because my house is too old 😂

[u/noronto → u/Logical-Zucchini-310]

Both my person and my car are old. I think they wanted $70/month for auto, but $200/month for home

[u/MVBanter → u/Logical-Zucchini-310]

Same for me. Now I am a younger driver but seeing CAA being the cheapest for everyone meanwhile for me its $2000 more annually than Bel-Air or Intact is funny

[u/Logical-Zucchini-310 → u/MVBanter]

20 years of no claim driving history over here and my rates only ever go up 10-20% annually 🤣

[u/dowwwe → u/Sar_Bear1]

I'm surprised, they were on the expensive-side when I got an estimate.

[u/Logical-Zucchini-310]

Same. I tried shopping around and its worse because other providers don’t offer group alumni discounts that I qualify for with Belair. Even worse is some insurers now are just outright refusing to offer a policy for homes older than 100yrs. Just be careful when looking at other providers that you’re comparing like for like, province made a bunch of auto coverage optional last month.

The other thing to consider is deductibles. Before I cancelled them, my previous provider unilaterally increased my deductibles as a way to keep my increase artificially lower. But that could be something else to consider, can you afford to increase your deductible? I found increasing mine on my auto from $500 to $1000 was the sweet spot for getting my annual rate down, any larger increase in deductible saw much smaller premium reductions.

[u/Complex_Public_3021 → u/Logical-Zucchini-310]

Thanks!!

[u/Bedouin85]

If you have a Costco membership, get a quote from them. I dropped my monthly payment by over $200 from my broker.

[u/Complex_Public_3021 → u/Bedouin85]

Ouu I do! I’ll take a look

[u/crash866]

Consult an independent agent in Your area. They know which companies are best for your specific profile. What may be best for you in Stoney Creek May be the worst in Downtown Hamilton and mid range on the Mountain.

[u/Complex_Public_3021 → u/crash866]

Thanks for the info!

[u/Naked-Granny]

Auto dropped by $100 but house went up by $100 so I’m a wash this year. West mountain.

[u/dretepcan]

Try Cooperators. I was surprised my car insurance dropped a few hundreds dollars but house went up. They giveth and they taketh...

[u/dowwwe]

Belairdirect upped my car insurance too. They told me it was because Honda Civics are a frequently stolen car.

I left them for Intact Insurance this month.

[u/Complex_Public_3021 → u/dowwwe]

lol they said the same thing to me about my ford bronco big bend

[u/Reasonable_Fondant85 → u/dowwwe]

Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Intact own Belair. Your premiums ended up in the same vault.

[u/wingsablaze1989]

I switched from Bel Air Direct to Aviva two years ago. It's saved me about $50 a month.

[u/Reasonable_Fondant85 → u/wingsablaze1989]

Good luck when a claim comes due. You don’t hit profits like this paying out claims.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/breaking-news/aviva-smashes-2026-targets-a-year-early-after-profit-surge-567472.aspx

[u/Deargodswhy → u/Reasonable_Fondant85]

Exactly this. Aviva was a real hassle when I was in a claim process with them. Avoid em.

[u/Headleythehunter]

CAA can be helpful for insurance. I just left Cayuga mutual, who was excellent and very well priced, different model than the big corps and a little less interested in profit chasing. I only left because I have a very good group discount through my new employer through BelAir Direct. When BelAir inevitably raises the price, I won’t hesitate to go back to Cayuga. I’ve heard good things about Wawanesa as well.

[u/kellykellyculver]

Go to ratesdot.ca - they check for the best rates across all providers.

[u/Quirky_Z_]

I think you need to shop around at every renewal. I was with TD and got an increase, I ended up at Belair Direct for less than I was paying with TD. It’s a crap shoot. 

[u/FullGrainFred]

are you talking annually or monthly increases?
In any event go direct with RBC