Just like you, all insurance policies are unique. Although this information can help you navigate your insurance questions, this is not insurance advice and some details may not pertain to your specific risk. If you have a question about your insurance policy or coverage, never hesitate to give us a call.
Car Insurance
Shopping around for auto insurance can be overwhelming. Our Brokers at Cassidy & Young Insurance will ease your mind by helping you navigate this constantly changing industry. With quick quotes and meaningful connections, our team will happily assist you and answer any questions you may have.
What types of coverage are available for auto insurance?
Mandatory Coverages
Liability Coverage
With a recommended coverage of at least $1-$2 million, liability coverage covers you for things like legal fees and the cost of settling a claim if you are responsible for causing damage and/or injury.
Direct Compensation Property Damage
While no longer considered mandatory by the government, our brokerage considers this coverage essential. This coverage applies if your vehicle and/or contents are damaged in an accident that is the fault of another driver. In other words, this is the coverage that you would use if you were not at fault in an accident and your vehicle sustained damage which required repair. Although not common to have a deductible on this coverage, it is an option and can save you money on your premium.
Accident Benefits
As of July 1, 2026, Ontario auto insurance moves to a more flexible, choice-driven system. While some foundational medical and rehab support remain strictly mandatory, many vital income and lifestyle protections are now optional—meaning you must actively choose and pay for them to be covered. Good news! If you already have these coverages, they’ll remain on your policy automatically—you don’t need to do anything unless you’d like to make changes.
We always advise the broadest available Accident Benefits protection, but understand that circumstances dictate that you may require something other than that recommendation.
We generally recommend purchasing the broadest Accident Benefits protection available to help ensure you and your family are adequately protected following a serious injury. However, we understand that coverage needs and budgets vary, and we are happy to help you select an option that best suits your individual circumstances.
Please explore this drop-down menu to understand what will be changing:
Financial Protection Benefits
Income Replacement
Helps replace lost wages that you or another covered person may lose if you are unable to work due to an auto accident.
Caregiver Benefits
Helps cover caregiving expenses if you or another covered person is injured in an auto accident and can no longer provide care for a household member who needs care, sush as a child or aged parent.
Non-Earner Benefits
Provides financial support if you or another covered person is a student or unemployed and an auto accident keeps you or them from leading a normal life.
Peace of Mind Benefits
Housekeeping and Home Maintenance
This benefit may provide compensation if you and other covered persons suffer a substantial inability to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance services that you or they normally performed before the accident.
Death Benefit
Provides financial compensation to the spouse and/or dependents of a covered personal in the even of their death due to an auto accident.
Funeral Benefits
Helps cover some funeral costs if you or another covered personal passes away due to an auto accident.
Lost Educational Expenses
Can help cover the costs you have incurred if an automobile accident keeps you or another covered person from completing school or an education program.
Expense of Visitors
Helps cover reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors, such as a sibling or parents, if you or another covered person is injured in an auto accident.
Damage to Personal Items
Helps cover the reasonable expenses to repair or replace personal items worn by you or another covered person that were damaged due to an auto accident.
Uninsured Motorist
There are those who are driving without insurance coverage on their vehicles. While we cannot control what others do, this coverage ensures you are not left exposed due to someone else’s negligence. Uninsured Motorist covers you for damage and injuries caused if you are in an accident with a driver who is uninsured or are involved in a hit-and-run accident where the other driver was at fault.
Elective Coverages
Family Protection (OPCF 44)
While we always recommend our clients have a liability limit of at least $1 million, and ideally more, some drivers have opted for lower liability limits on their policies. Family protection is here to cover the difference between the at fault drivers’ liability limit and your own. If someone with a lower liability limit injures you in an accident, you of course do not want to be penalized for that, as such your own coverages make up the difference.
Collision
Collision coverage is the one that kicks in when you are at fault in an accident. This coverage is subject to your policies deductible, most often ranging from $500-$2000 and covers you for the cost of repairs/ replacement of your vehicle.
Comprehensive
This coverage complements your collision coverage by stepping in for events that can occur while you are operating your vehicle, while it isn’t in use or for theft. Specifically, comprehensive coverage covers you for fire, theft, lightning, vandalism, glass repair and flying objects. This coverage is also subject to your policies deductible.
All Perils
All Perils is an umbrella physical damage coverage that combines collision and comprehensive coverages but also covers you for the theft of your vehicle by someone who lives in your household or is your employee. This coverage is subject to your policies deductible.
Loss of Use (OPCF 20)
When you are involved in an accident and your vehicle is deemed undrivable, is stolen or written off, your life cannot simply pause. Loss of Use coverage means that in the event you have temporarily lost access to a personal vehicle, you have access to compensation to cover the cost of alternative transportation. Loss of Use covers, subject to the policy limit, the cost of a rental vehicle, public transit or other alternative modes of transportation.
Liability for Damage to Unowned Vehicles (OPCF 27)
Accidents happen. We know this and need to be prepared for the unexpected. Liability for Damage to Unowned Vehicles covers you for damage caused to a car you don’t own while it was in your care or control. This can apply to a friend or family members vehicle as well as a rental vehicle.
Depreciation Waiver (OPCF 43)
Nothing depreciates quite like a new car off the lot—which is why we have a Deprecation Waiver. This coverage comes in to play to protect you for the loss of value or the deprecation of your new vehicle if it is damaged beyond repair. The duration of this coverage varies from insurance company to insurance company, so be sure to make note of when this coverage will be removed from your policy.
Accident Waiver
As we said before, accidents happen. Accident Waiver ensures that while you remain at the same insurance company your first at fault accident will be forgiven. In other words, you will not be charged additional premium for this at fault accident.
Conviction Protection
Similar to Accident Waiver, some companies offer Conviction Protection. This coverage means that while you remain at the same insurance company, your first ticket will not be rated for. Certain conditions apply.