High-risk auto insurance in Ontario

1. What “high-risk” actually means

Ontario’s standard auto market is the set of carriers (Intact, Aviva, Travelers, Economical/Definity, Wawanesa, Gore Mutual, and a handful of others) that price most drivers using their filed rate tables. When your file falls outside their filed appetite, you move into the non-standard(high-risk) market. The most common triggers:

• Multiple tickets in the last 3 years (especially major convictions — stunt driving, racing, careless driving).
• Two or more at-fault claims in the last 5 years.
• A licence suspension within the last 3 years.
• A lapse in insurance (any uninsured days while you owned a vehicle).
• An insurer cancelling or non-renewing you in the recent past.

The Facility Association is the residual market — the last stop, available through specially-appointed brokers when no carrier will write you voluntarily. It is not your only option, and it is not where most high-risk files end up.

2. What you should expect on price

Non-standard premiums are usually 1.5×–3× a clean standard rate for the same vehicle. The exact number depends on which trigger applies and how recent it is. A single at-fault claim from two years ago is a different conversation than a stunt-driving conviction six months ago.

You will see a deductible structure that’s less flexible (often $1,000 minimum on collision), and some carriers require monthly pre-authorized payment rather than annual.

3. What lowers the rate over time

• Time. Tickets and at-fault claims drop off the rating window after 3 years (most tickets) and 5–10 years (claims, depending on the carrier). Each anniversary of a clean record is worth real money.
• Continuous insurance. Even a high-risk policy, kept active without lapse, builds the “continuous coverage” credit standard carriers want before they take you back.
• Telematics. Programs that record your actual driving give standard carriers a fresh data point to override the historical signal.
• A driver-improvement course. Not magic, but on some carriers it’s a measurable discount.

4. The brokers who handle high-risk well

The right broker matters more on a high-risk file than on a clean one — they know which carrier is the cheapest fit for yourspecific trigger and can structure the deductibles to keep the premium reasonable. When you submit on Maplebind, our routing checks each broker’s declared appetite for high-risk before sending them your request. If the file is auto, we route to brokers who write it; we do not screen the customer out.