Car Insurance After a Criminal Driving Conviction in Ontario

These are offences under the Criminal Code of Canada, not the Highway Traffic Act. The common ones insurers ask about are:

• Impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, including being over the legal blood alcohol limit
• Refusing or failing to provide a breath, blood or drug sample
• Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
• Flight from police
• Failing to stop at the scene of an accident (the Criminal Code offence)
• Driving while prohibited under a Criminal Code order

Insurers treat these as the most serious category of driving record, more serious than major Highway Traffic Act convictions.

You need a valid licence to be rated as a driver. While you're suspended or prohibited, you can't drive, but you may need to keep the vehicle insured if someone else in your household drives it, or keep coverage in place for a parked vehicle. Talk to us before you cancel anything, because letting insurance lapse creates a second problem (a gap in coverage) on top of the conviction.

Reinstatement in Ontario usually involves completing the required suspension or prohibition, the province's remedial program, and in many cases an ignition interlock condition. Insurers will want to know about any interlock condition when you apply. If you're in Ontario's reduced suspension program with an interlock, tell your broker so the application is accurate.

Insurers price based on the likelihood of future claims, and their data shows drivers with serious convictions are statistically higher risk. Many standard insurers won't quote at all for a period after a criminal conviction, so you're placed with insurers that specialize in higher-risk drivers. Fewer competing insurers plus higher risk equals higher premiums, at least for now.

It depends on the insurer. Insurers look back over a set number of years of driving history, and criminal convictions are commonly considered for longer than regular tickets. The key point is that the impact decreases with time. Every clean year you build, with no new tickets, no at-fault claims and continuous insurance, improves your options. We review your file at renewal so you move to better markets as soon as you qualify.

• Date of the offence and date of conviction
• The exact charge you were convicted of (not what you were charged with)
• Suspension and prohibition dates, and your reinstatement date
• Whether you have an ignition interlock condition, and its end date
• Your full driving and insurance history, including any gaps
• Who else drives your vehicles

Be completely accurate. Insurers verify driving records, and a misstated conviction can void a policy when you need it most.

• Keep continuous insurance with no gaps
• Drive clean: no new tickets, no at-fault claims
• Choose a sensible vehicle; high-value or high-performance cars add cost
• Consider a higher deductible or adjusting optional coverages where it makes sense
• Ask about telematics programs where an insurer offers them
• Pay on time; cancellation for non-payment makes the next placement harder
• Review at every renewal with a broker who works with multiple markets