Brampton no longer has highest car insurance premiums in Ontario

Here is something to honk your horn about — auto insurance is still expensive in Brampton, but it is no longer the most expensive in Ontario.

As a matter of fact, the city has seen the steepest reduction in premiums across the province, with an estimated 26.8-per-cent year-over-year decrease. Rates.ca says it cost $1,976 last year for the average driver in Brampton to insure their vehicle. That is fourth-highest in Ontario, but well down from 2020’s list-topping $2,392. (The dollars are not adjusted for inflation, which is at a 30-year high in Canada.)

It is believed that the COVID-19 pandemic has factored into the decline in premiums, thanks to an increase in remote work and a commensurate drop in collisions and insurance claims.

When it comes to the highest average premiums, Vaughan is now No. 1 in Ontario at $2,179, followed by Ajax ($2,104) and Richmond Hill ($2,025). Following Brampton, Mississauga slots in at No. 5 at $1,971. It also had a steep 16.8-per-cent decline in premiums.

The second-steepest decline was 21.5 per cent in Markham.

That said, the estimates in both Peel Region cities are about 27 per cent higher than in the rest of the province. The average in Ontario is $1,555.

Rates.ca bases these city-by-city, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood rates on the insurance premium for a 35-year-old driver with a clean record who drives a 2018 Honda Civic.

The top 10 Ontario cities for expensive auto insurance premiums, according to rates.ca.

Typically, the lowest rates in Ontario are in the southeastern region. Smaller cities such as Kingston, Cornwall and Brockville, along with smaller communities such as Amherstview, Elizabethtown, and Gananoque, boast an average premium of $1,132. That is about 27 per cent lower than the provincial average.

The entire report is available at rates.ca.