Car insurance Brantford, ON
Part of a series on car insurance rates in Ontario.
Fast facts about auto insurance in Brantford
Average annual car insurance rate
Regular drivers in the city
Collisions per year (approximately)
%
Collision rate for the city
Average age
Average household income
%
Unemployment rate
Population
Understanding car insurance in Brantford, Ontario
What puts Brantford’s average car insurance rate in the upper-middle range for Ontario? While the city is pretty far west of the Greater Toronto Area and a moderate commute away from Hamilton, it has an uncommonly high collision rate compared to most other cities.
Most cities have collision rates between 1.5%-3%, but Brantford’s sits at approximately 4.3%. That has a significant impact on the city’s average insurance rates.
The city’s transit is serviceable, and most residents find employment in and around the city itself. That means if you’re really looking to avoid high car insurance rates, you can try using the bus for weekday commutes to reduce your exposure to roadside risk.
Other than that, you can protect yourself by avoiding the city’s most dangerous intersections and exploring coverage options for overland water damage—all covered below.
Get your bundle on & save!
Want even cheaper insurance? Save up to 50% on home and up to 18% on car insurance when you bundle them.
Get your bundle on & save!
Want even cheaper insurance? Save up to 50% on home and up to 18% on car insurance when you bundle them.
Busting myths about driving and insurance in Brantford
Myth: Brantford is a commuting hub for Hamilton and London.
Not true. According to Statistics Canada, 61% of Brantford’s workforce works within the city limits. Only 39% of residents work outside of the city. This means you can keep your car insurance rate relatively low with short commutes to work instead of exposing yourself to more dangers on the road.
Myth: Brantford is dangerous.
This entirely depends on the area of the city in which you live, but Brantford does have an unusually high crime severity index compared to the average for Ontario, sitting at 86.8 in the 2016 census. Peterborough scored at 55.1, London scored 68.4, and Windsor scored 65.1. You can get around that by choosing a home outside of neighbourhoods with the highest criminal occurences.
Myth: Brantford’s bus system is unreliable.
Every public transit system has quirks, but the bus system here actually works pretty reliably. Busses meet back at the downtown station every half hour to let people transfer between lines. When it works, it works well. Beware of delays in evenings and on Sundays, though.
Myth: Brantford is isolated.
It’s certainly not part of the GTA, but it’s still becoming a lucrative place to invest in real estate. Maclean’s named it the top place to buy property in 2018 because of its future projected gains.
With more real estate investment and popularity will come infrastructure, transit, and commercial ventures.
How Brantford’s rates compare to other cities in Ontario
- North York: $4,261
- Etobicoke: $4,199
- Brampton: $4,071
- Scarborough: $3,825
- East York: $3,605
- Woodbridge: $3,603
- Richmond Hill: $3,579
- Mississauga: $3,473
- Markham: $3,389
- Niagara Falls: $3,321
- Bowmanville: $3,308
- Peterborough: $3,259
- Pickering: $ 3,245
- Newmarket: $ 3,216
- Hamilton: $3,201
- Brantford: $ 3,158
- Maple: $3,150
- Whitby: $3,087
- Ajax: $3,053
- York: $2,999
- Toronto: $2,983
- Barrie: $2,924
- Thornhill: $2,871
- Waterloo: $2,867
- Caledon: $2,780
- London: $2,765
- Fort Erie: $2,720
- Oakville: $2,720
- Sault Ste Marie: $ 2,713
- Kitchener: $2,705
- Milton: $2,680
- St Catharines: $ 2,550
- Windsor: $2,536
- Woodstock: $2,513
- Innisfil: $2,505
- Burlington: $2,476
- Kingston: $ 2,360
- Cambridge: $2,297
- Oshawa: $2,295
- Guelph: $2,268
- Gloucester: $2,256
- Stoney Creek: $2,222
- Nepean: $2,196
- Ottawa: $2,195
- Sudbury: $2,005
- Kanata: $2,002
- Thunder Bay: $1,973
- Wasaga Beach: $1,958
Quick tips on insurance and driving in Brantford
Don’t worry too much about highway access if you work locally.
People living in cities in the GTA need to worry about highway access to make their commute as short as possible. Sometimes they also need to worry about access to a GO station if they don’t have a car. Fortunately, you can ignore that factor altogether with a car and simply focus on finding a safe, affordable home.
Seriously consider overland water coverage.
in early 2018, the Grand River flooded parts of Brantford. It was serious enough for the city to declare a state of emergency, even closing some bridges. Inquire with your broker or provider about adding overland water coverage to your home policy, and see if you can get any kind of related coverage for your car. It’s not included in most average insurance policies, so it always pays to ask!
Avoid Brantford’s most dangerous intersections.
Considering Brantford’s high collision rate, this advice really counts. Avoid these intersections if possible, and stay extra vigilant if you can’t:
- Dalhousie Street and Clarence Street
- Henry Street and Wayne Gretzky Parkway
- King George Road and Wood Street
- Edmonson Street and Wayne Gretzky Parkway
Circumvent the crime severity index by living in calm neighbourhoods.
Every city has areas that have higher and lower crime severity indices. Try landing a home in one of these favourable areas:
- Holmedale
- Echo Place
- Old West Brant
- North End
- Eagle Place
Brantford Insurance FAQs
Which auto insurance is the best for young drivers in Brantford?
For young people learning to drive, the best insurance option is to be added as a secondary driver to the auto policy of a fully-licensed driver, such as a parent. Adding a G1 driver won’t increase the cost of an auto insurance policy because they need to be driving with the supervision of a fully-licensed driver at all times. However, once a young driver receives their G2 license, the cost of insurance will increase.
It’s always a good idea to shop around for the best auto insurance for the best price, but young drivers will always be more expensive to insure than their more experienced counterparts. The most affordable way to stay insured as a young driver is to remain covered under a parent’s car insurance while gaining the necessary driving experience to qualify for safe driver discounts.
What auto insurance is required by law in Ontario?
In Ontario, all drivers must have four types of auto insurance coverage.
Third-party liability coverage: You need a minimum of $200,000 to pay for legal defence and compensation if someone were to sue you for damages after an auto accident.
Statutory accident benefits coverage: This section of a mandatory auto policy provides compensation for medical care and lost income if you or someone protected under your policy suffers an injury in a car accident.
Uninsured automobile coverage: Provides insurance compensation if you or a family member is involved in an accident with an unidentified or uninsured driver. This coverage includes both medical benefits and vehicle damage compensation.
Direct compensation for property damage: Allows drivers to receive coverage for their vehicle’s damage and any damaged contents after an accident directly from their insurance company.
The accident must have occurred in Ontario to qualify for direct compensation coverage, and another driver must be at fault. In addition, the accident must involve another vehicle covered by an Ontario insurance policy or have a coverage agreement from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario.
Collision coverage is optional, but it can also pay for accident-related damage if you don’t qualify for direct compensation for property damage.
Optional coverage options: While the coverage provided by auto insurance required by law in Ontario is crucial for protecting drivers, it has limitations that you can supplement with additional benefits, including:
- Accident forgiveness
- Collision coverage
- Comprehensive coverage
- Higher liability limits: you can increase your Third-party liability coverage to up to $2 million for a relatively small premium increase.
- Additional benefits include income replacement, medical care, rehabilitation and attendant services, caregiver and housekeeping expenses and benefits for death and related expenses.
Who has the cheapest auto insurance in Brantford?
The company with the most affordable car insurance for your neighbours might not be the same company for you. In addition to your address, insurers need to learn about you, other drivers in your household, how and what you drive so that they can calculate your insurance rates.
Insurance companies use different formulas to calculate rates and specialize in insuring different types of drivers. That’s why it’s essential to shop around for the best auto insurance for your unique circumstances, no matter where you live in Ontario.
As a brokerage, aha insurance works with multiple insurance providers to find you the best coverage option. So, if you get a quote with us, our system can (almost) instantly find that option. It just takes a few minutes to give us that key info like your address and driver’s license number.
Are auto insurance quotes free in Brantford?
You can get free auto insurance quotes no matter where you live in Ontario. Most insurance companies and brokerages offer free quotes over the phone.
We are one of the first brokerages to offer Canadians a 100% online quoting process at aha insurance. You can receive a quote online in 3 minutes or give us a call and speak with one of our extraordinary insurance brokers!
Sources for fast facts about Brantford:
- Statistics Canada, Brantford 2016 Census Profile
- Ministry of Transportation, 2016 Road Safety Report
- CTV News Kitchener, “Red light cameras considered for Brantford’s most crash-prone intersection”
- Crime Severity Index, 2016 Census
- Maclean’s, “Canada’s Most Dangerous Places 2018”
- Maclean’s, “Why everyone should buy real estate in…Brantford?”
- Kimbailey.ca, “Where is the Best Place to Live in Brantford?”
- Jared Houliston via YouTube, “Aerial Drone Footage of Major Flooding Brantford Ontario 02/21/18”
Source for average insurance rates by city:
- Survey of 2,800 auto insurance policy holders in Ontario
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