Best cheap car insurance in Ontario for 2024

The best car insurance companies in Ontario

The best California car insurance companies may look different for every Ontario driver, depending on rating factors like age and driving record — but Bankrate’s insurance editorial team identified a few companies with competitive offerings for Ontario residents.

To pick the best insurance carriers for Ontario, California, our team analyzed the latest premium data available from Quadrant Information Services along with expert third-party customer satisfaction scores and financial strength ratings from J.D. Power and AM Best. We also looked at available discounts, coverage options and digital policy management tools. Based on all of these factors and additional metrics, each carrier was assigned a Bankrate Score on a five-point scale to give a quick snapshot of how well it meets customer needs.

The cheapest car insurance companies in Ontario

According to our research, Geico, Progressive and Kemper are some of the best cheap car insurance companies in Ontario for drivers seeking state minimum coverage. If price is the primary factor in your insurance search, you may want to request quotes from these carriers, as well as other cheap California insurers found in the table below.

How much is car insurance in Ontario, California?

The average cost of car insurance in Ontario, California is $2,849 per year for full coverage and $669. For drivers seeking full coverage, that’s 1 percent more than the state average of $670 and 18 percent more than the national average.

Keep in mind, however, that your own premium can vary from these average rates. Insurers price coverage based on risk, so factors in your individual risk profile, from your age to your location, can impact the exact cost of coverage.

Ontario rates for teens

Teen drivers in Ontario regularly pay some of the highest premiums for car insurance, especially if they’re not on a parent’s policy, because of their lack of driving experience and high accident rate. An 18-year-old Ontario driver with a standalone full coverage policy pays an average of $7,149 per year, while their parents would pay an average of $5,720 per year to keep them on their policy.

Ontario rates for young drivers

Drivers aged 20 to 25 in Ontario typically pay lower car insurance premiums than teens, but more than older adults with a greater degree of experience behind the wheel. While staying on a family policy at this age can help to keep costs low, many young adults will have their own address and need a standalone policy — which costs from $3,531 on average for 25-year-olds to $5,024 for 20-year-old drivers. Sticking to state minimum coverage could lower rates, but at the expense of financial protection in the event of accidents.

Ontario rates for adults

Car insurance premiums tend to stabilize in adulthood, with Ontario drivers paying an average of $2,954 per year for full coverage at age 30 and $2,655 per year at age 50.

Ontario rates for senior drivers

Rates for senior drivers can vary significantly based on your age, your circumstances and the carrier you work with. While many drivers in their late 50s and 60s pay the lowest premiums of their lifetime thanks to decades of driving experience, older drivers may see rates begin to climb again in the 70s due to their increased risk of accidents. On average, a 60-year-old drivers in Ontario pays $2,614 per year for full coverage, while a 70-year-old pays $2,788 per year.

The cheapest car insurance in Ontario by driving record

Insurance companies base Ontario car insurance rates on risk factors, including the individual risk factors in a driver’s motor vehicle record. If a prospective insurer sees tickets or accidents on your driving record, they’ll price your coverage higher to account for the added risk of claims.

Car insurance with a speeding ticket in Ontario

A California speeding ticket conviction could raise your full coverage rate in Ontario to an average of $3,899 per year. That’s 38 percent more than the average for drivers with clean records.

Car insurance after an accident in Ontario

Like a speeding ticket, an at-fault accident on your driving record signals to insurers that you are more likely to have an at-fault accident in the future — and thus more likely to file a claim. On average, Ontario drivers with a single at-fault accident pay 66 percent more for full coverage than drivers with clean records at an annual average of $4,734.

Car insurance after a DUI in Ontario

California law imposes serious penalties on DUI convictions, including immediate revocation of driving privileges, SR-22 filing requirements and potential fines, fees, vehicle impoundment and jail time. In addition, your DUI conviction may make it difficult to find affordable auto coverage.  The average annual cost of full coverage after a DUI conviction is $6,975 for drivers in Ontario, and $1,636 just for state minimum coverage. That’s 150 percent more than the state average for minimum coverage and 147 percent more for full coverage.

It’s important to note that securing coverage after a DUI can also be more challenging, as not all standard carriers are willing to write policies following the high-risk incident. Some insurers could cancel your policy mid-term following a DUI conviction while others will wait until the end of the policy term.

Frequently asked questions

Methodology

Bankrate utilizes Quadrant Information Services to analyze November 2024 rates for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates are weighted based on the population density in each geographic region. Quoted rates are based on a single, 40-year-old male and female driver with a clean driving record, good credit and the following full coverage limits:

• $100,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $300,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $50,000 property damage liability per accident
• $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per person
• $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury per accident
• $500 collision deductible
• $500 comprehensive deductible

To determine minimum coverage limits, Bankrate used minimum coverage that meets each state’s requirements. Our base profile drivers own a 2022 Toyota Camry, commute five days a week and drive 12,000 miles annually.

These are sample rates and should only be used for comparative purposes.

Incidents: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the following incidents applied: clean record (base), at-fault accident, single speeding ticket and single DUI conviction.

Age: Rates were calculated by evaluating our base profile with the ages 20-70 (base: 40 years) applied. Depending on age, drivers may be a renter or homeowner. Age is not a contributing rating factor in Hawaii and Massachusetts due to state regulations.

Teens: Rates were determined by adding a 16- or 18-year-old teen to their 40-year-old married parents' policy. The rates displayed reflect the total cost of a driver this age added to their parents’ policy.

Bankrate Score

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

• Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
• Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
• Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways an auto insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.