What Is A Car Insurance Discount?
An auto insurance discount is an opportunity to save on your car insurance. Canadian insurance companies provide potential saving opportunities by reducing insurance premiums when certain criteria are met by customers. Dozens of special discounts are available through your insurance agent.
How Can I Save On My Car Insurance?
One of the major ways to save on your car insurance is with auto insurance discounts. Your insurance broker can help you save on auto insurance costs by applying as many discounts as you are qualified to receive. Do you have a private space to park your car? There is a private parking insurance discount for this. Do you insure several vehicles insured with the same insurance provider? You may qualify for a multi-policy discount. Keep in mind that discounts vary among insurance companies. Talk to your insurance broker who will let you know which company will provide you with the greatest amount of discounts and the best insurance coverage options at an affordable car insurance premium.
What Are The Most Common Car Insurance Discounts?
If you own a vehicle in Ontario, there are a variety of discounts available to you. Some of the most common auto insurance discounts include, driver training discounts, short-distance commute discounts, winter tire discounts, autonomous emergency braking discount and hybrid car discounts, in addition to many others. Below are additional details for car insurance discounts that you may be eligible to qualify for.
Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) Car Insurance Discount
This discount applies to you if your vehicle is equipped with technology to automatically apply the brakes when necessary. If you are unsure of whether or not your vehicle has AEB, you can check the ownership manual for you vehicle or you can check with your dealership. Having this safety feature can help by lowering the overall premium of a vehicle. The autonomous emergency braking discount is up to 15% savings on Ontario auto insurance.
Bundled Home And Auto Insurance Discount
Bundling your home and auto insurance is the best way to save on your insurance. By having your home and auto coverage with one insurance provider, you can save up to 15% on both of your policies. Please note that savings vary among insurance companies. Since insurance brokers work with many different insurance companies, they can compare multiple quotes and ensure you receive all the discounts you are entitled to. For details on criteria and savings, contact an insurance broker.
Conviction-Free Car Insurance Discount
Insurance companies provide a discount when you have a clean driving record, which means you have had no tickets in the past 3 years. The conviction-free discount varies among insurance companies and is usually built into the overall premium. It is often a saving up to 15%. Some companies offer Minor Conviction Protection to help protect your insurance rates from rising in the event of your first ticket.
Claims-Free Car Insurance Discount
Are you a safe driver with no insurance claims in the past three years? Good for you! This can help you save on your auto insurance premium. Most insurance companies offer a savings up to 10% on your insurance if you are claims-free.
Driver Training Car Insurance Discount
If you are a fairly new driver and are looking for ways to lower your insurance rates, take a driver-training course, for example drivers education. This can help you save on your auto insurance because as a new driver you do not have any driver history, and a driver training course provides proof that you have been properly shown how to drive. Please note that the driver training discount on auto insurance is only valid within the first 3 years of having taken a recognized driver training course.
Dual Car Insurance Policy Discount
A dual policy discount is offered by many insurance companies. If you live in the same house, some insurance companies will give you savings for having multiple vehicles. An example of this is if you have a licensed son, daughter or parent living in the same house as you. Usually, the dual auto policy discount is up to 10% savings on your auto insurance.
Good Driver Car Insurance Discount Programs
Are you a good driver? Do you drive safely? Good drivers can be rewarded for their excellent driving with auto insurance savings up to 30% on their auto insurance. This can mean substantial savings. Some insurance companies offer discount programs such as usage-based insurance in which a customers’ annual premium is calculated based on their safe driving habits. Contact your insurance agent who can explain the details of these programs to you, and get you enrolled. A discount will be immediately provided to the insured – usually around 10% in savings - for enrolling in the program. Additional savings are applied over time.
Some factors that determine a driver’s discount include distance driven, speeding, driving at more risky hours, distracted driving, acceleration rates, and hard braking. Driving habits are tracked and calculated using a telematics device. You can monitor your driving habits and savings on an app. Remember, the more safely you drive, the more you can save, to a maximum amount stipulated.
Graduated License Car Insurance Discount
The graduated license discount is offered to drivers as they progress from G1 to G2, and then again from G2 to G. The auto insurance saving from the graduated license discount is up to 10%. This discount only lasts for one year, so it is best to get your full G as soon as possible.
Hybrid Car Insurance Discount
Our insurance companies would like to thank you for driving a green vehicle and looking after the environment. If you drive a hybrid car, this is an included discount from the insurance company that insures your vehicle. You can usually receive up to 5% in auto insurance savings. This means by driving a hybrid car you are not only helping the environment and reducing your gasoline costs, you will save on your insurance rates as well. Triple win!
Loyalty Car Insurance Discount
Insurance companies appreciate when customers are loyal to them. Customer loyalty insurance discounts are a way to say thank you for your continued business. Auto insurance savings for being a long-standing customer are up to 10%. In some cases, loyalty discounts increase - to a limit - the longer you have been a customer with the insurance company.
It's also important to know that if you are currently receiving a loyalty discount and change insurance companies, you will not get the discount at the new company.
Mature Driver Car Insurance Discount
Some insurance companies offer a discount to mature drivers. If you have a good driving record, and are over the age of 50, you may be eligible to apply for this discount and could get savings up to 15% on your Ontario auto policy.
Multi-Vehicle Car Insurance Discount
To qualify for the multi-vehicle insurance discount, you need to have more than one vehicle on your auto insurance policy. The multi-vehicle insurance discount is on average up to 15% but this may vary depending on the insurance company.
New Business Car Insurance Discount
While our insurance companies value loyal customers, they also understand that you may want to insure with a different insurance company. If you are a new customer to an insurance company, you may qualify for the new business insurance discount. Some companies offer up to 5% savings on auto insurance to new customers.
Renewal Car Insurance Discount
An insurance renewal discount is another way for companies to say thank you for staying loyal. The renewal insurance discount tends to be up to 15%. The discount depends on the insurance company and how many years you have been insured with the company.
Retiree Car Insurance Discount
The retiree insurance discount is available to you once you have been retired for at least 6 months, with no additional income, other than your pension. The retiree insurance discount is usually a savings up to 5% on your insurance coverage premium.
Short-Distance Commute Car Insurance Discount
If your commute to work is less than 5km one way, many insurance companies offer savings on your premium. When accidents occur, they are mostly between home and work, so if you have a short-distance commute it can be beneficial to you.
Student Car Insurance Discount
Being a student has its up and downs. One of the good things to being a student is that some insurance companies offer discounts to students who can show that they are doing well in school. If you are below the age of 25 and are in either high school, or are a full-time college or university student, you are eligible. Get in touch with your Morison Insurance broker for more information.
Student-Away-At-School Car Insurance Discount
When your child moves away to school, at least 100km from home, some insurance companies will give you a student drivers insurance discount for that driver as they do not have access to the vehicle(s). If the student has had an insurance claim, these savings do not apply. If they take a vehicle with them, let your insurance broker know to update the garaging address of that vehicle.
Winter Tire Car Insurance Discount
To qualify for the winter tire insurance discount, you need to have a vehicle with winter tires, not all-season tires. Winter tires usually have a mountain or triangle symbol with a snowflake on them.
Most insurance providers require that winter tires be on your vehicle from November through April. The winter tire discount varies up to 5%, depending on the insurance company. Keep your receipts from the purchase of the tires and installation of the winter tires. These may be required by the insurance company.
How Can I Get A Discount On My Car Insurance?
The key to savings is to speak to a Morison Insurance representative to get all of the auto insurance discounts that you qualify for. We have helped many customers save hundreds of dollars on their car insurance with a variety of different discounts. Let us help you save too!
Our brokers work with Canada's best insurance companies and will get you several competitive auto insurance quotes and the best insurance coverage. We will always apply as many auto insurance discounts as possible to help you lower your insurance premium.
Some Things To Keep In Mind
Most insurance discounts are built into the base insurance premiums, meaning customers may not necessarily see these discounts outlined on their automobile insurance policy. Many auto insurance companies also cap the discount amount that an insured can receive.
There are also circumstances where a customer may qualify for a particular discount and later does not qualify. An example of this would be when a customer receives a multi-vehicle discount and gets a ticket. The customer may not only lose their conviction-free discount, but they may also lose the multi-vehicle discount due to having a conviction. The result may be the loss of multiple discounts and can add up to increases in insurance rates.
Companies set specific criteria for auto insurance discounts. Standards differ among companies and can be complicated. We advise that you speak with an insurance broker about these discounts and the criteria set by the insurance company you are insured with. We are happy to answer any questions you may have, explain details, and help with your insurance in any way we can.
This content is written by our Morison Insurance team. It is provided for general information only. Insurance needs differ from person to person, and this article is therefore not a substitute for professional advice about your individual insurance needs which can be obtained by speaking to one of our brokers.
