Not every claim you make affects your auto insurance premium (the amount you pay for insurance). The insurance rates used to calculate your premium are based on statistics of risk. If you cause an accident, you are statistically a higher risk. You could, therefore, see an increase in your premium at your policy renewal date if you cause an accident.

However, many claims do not affect your rates. Comprehensive claims such as theft, cracked windshields, vandalism and fire, as well as accidents that you are not responsible for do not affect your premium.

A comprehensive claim may not affect your insurance rates, but it may affect your statistic of risk and your deductible (the amount you must pay out of pocket before your insurer will pay a claim). If you frequently make comprehensive claims or claims for accidents for which you weren’t responsible, your rate of risk and your deductible will increase. For example, if you put in three claims for a broken windshield in three years, your deductible for future claims will increase. There’s usually a trade-off between premiums and deductibles: the higher your deductible, the lower your overall premium.

OTIP’s No-Strings-Attached Claims Counselling
Life’s full of surprising incidents that can affect your premium. Ever backed into your garage door or slid into the ditch while driving? When you’re not sure whether it’s in your best interest to file a claim or pay out of your own pocket, OTIP’s claims counselling service is there to help.