Every Ontario accident and claim question, answered

Check for injuries first — call 911 if anyone is hurt or a vehicle can't be moved safely. If it's safe, move vehicles to the shoulder and turn on hazards. Exchange names, licence numbers, plates, and insurance details with every driver, get witness contact info, and photograph everything: vehicles, positions, licence plates, the road, signs, and any skid marks. Don't discuss who caused it.

Only in specific situations. Since January 1, 2025, police must be involved when total damage across all vehicles and property exceeds $5,000, or — regardless of damage — when anyone is injured, a pedestrian or cyclist is involved, public property is damaged, a driver is uninsured or uncooperative, or a criminal act like impaired driving is suspected. Below $5,000 with none of those factors, you don't need police or a reporting centre.

A police-run facility where you self-report a crash instead of waiting for officers at the scene. When your accident meets the reporting threshold and police don't attend, you generally must bring your vehicle to a CRC within 24 hours. They photograph damage, take your statement, and notify insurers electronically. Bring your licence, ownership, and insurance card.

No — and not because of etiquette. Fault in Ontario is assigned by adjusters using the Fault Determination Rules, not by what's said at the scene, but statements like "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you" end up in the other driver's version of events. Stick to facts, check on people, exchange information.

If it's drivable and nobody is seriously hurt, yes — Ontario police encourage clearing live lanes for safety. Photograph the vehicles' positions first if you can do it safely. If the car can't move, hazards on and stay out of traffic.

Within 7 days, or as soon as reasonably possible — it's a condition of every Ontario auto policy. This applies even if you were not at fault and even if you don't plan to claim. Reporting is not claiming: you can report an accident and still choose to pay for the damage yourself.

Late reporting gives your insurer grounds to question or deny the claim, and an accident that surfaces later (the other driver claims against you, for example) with no report on file can put your coverage itself at risk. If you're already late, report now — late is recoverable, hidden usually isn't.

It's $5,000 now — both of them. Ontario raised the police / Collision Reporting Centre threshold from $2,000 to $5,000 on January 1, 2025, and the insurance minor-accident protection was aligned to the same figure. Plenty of articles still say $2,000; they're out of date. The two rules are still separate things: one decides whether you must report to police, the other decides whether the accident can be used to raise your premium. For the premium protection you still need no injuries, damage under $5,000, nothing paid by any insurer, and it applies to one accident every three years.

Not always. If your accident was below the reporting threshold with no injuries, your insurer can process a claim from your report, photos, and the other driver's information. Where police or CRC reporting was required, though, the report becomes important evidence — and skipping a required report creates problems of its own.

Your own policy protects you: every Ontario policy includes uninsured automobile coverage for injuries and, in defined situations, vehicle damage caused by an uninsured or unidentified driver. Report it like any accident and tell your insurer the other driver was uninsured. Driving without insurance is also an offence with heavy fines for them.

You're not obligated to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, and it's usually wise to speak with your own insurer first. Your duty to cooperate is to your own company. Be factual, don't speculate about fault or downplay injuries — early throwaway lines get quoted back later.

Yes, in defined situations: misrepresentation on your application, an excluded driver behind the wheel, using the vehicle in ways not covered (like undisclosed delivery driving), impaired driving, or failing policy conditions like prompt reporting. If you're denied, ask for the specific policy condition in writing, then escalate through the insurer's complaint officer and the General Insurance OmbudService if needed.

There's no single legal deadline, but the usual shape is: an adjuster contacts you within a few business days, an appraisal follows within about a week, and a straightforward vehicle-damage claim settles in two to four weeks. Total losses take longer — often three to six weeks — because the valuation has to be built and, if the vehicle is financed, the lienholder has to be paid first. Injury claims run on their own much longer timeline. If your file goes quiet for more than a week, a short written follow-up asking for a status and a timeline is the single most effective thing you can do.

Escalate in writing, one level at a time. First, email your adjuster asking for a status update and a specific date by which you'll hear back — email rather than phone, so there's a record. If that goes unanswered for about a week, ask for their supervisor or team manager. Still nothing? Every Ontario insurer is required to have a complaints officer; ask for the complaint process in writing. After that, the General Insurance OmbudService (GIO) reviews disputes free of charge, and FSRA takes complaints about insurer conduct. Most stalled files move at the supervisor stage simply because someone new reads them.

If there's genuinely no damage to anyone or anything and no injuries, there may be nothing to report. But 'no damage' is a judgement people get wrong often — bumper covers hide structural damage, and soreness can appear days later. The safer approach with another party involved: exchange information and report it to your insurer as an incident. Reporting is not claiming, it costs you nothing, and it protects you if the other driver files a claim three weeks later saying their neck hurts.

It happens, and evidence beats argument every time. Send your insurer whatever you have: dashcam footage, photos of the vehicle positions and damage, independent witness contacts, and the police or Collision Reporting Centre report. Damage location often settles it on its own — impact points tell a physical story that a false account can't match. Ask your adjuster which Fault Determination Rule they applied and on what basis, and provide your evidence in writing. If fault has already been assigned wrongly, the same dispute path applies: adjuster, supervisor, complaints officer, then GIO.

For a first at-fault accident without forgiveness, typically 20–50% at renewal, heaviest for the first three years, gone from rating at six years. Not-at-fault accidents can't be surcharged. Run your exact situation through the calculator — fault percentage, forgiveness, and prior claims change the answer completely.

Usually nobody — repairs for a not-at-fault accident run through Direct Compensation–Property Damage (DCPD) with your own insurer, and standard DCPD has no deductible. Exceptions: you opted out of DCPD (OPCF 49), you chose a DCPD deductible to save premium, or the at-fault driver is unidentified (hit-and-run), where your collision deductible may apply.

If you're not at fault, loss-of-use coverage under DCPD generally provides a replacement vehicle while yours is repaired. If you're at fault, you only get a rental if you bought the loss-of-use endorsement (OPCF 20) — a cheap add-on most people don't know they have or lack. Check your policy before booking anything.

Yes. Insurers may suggest preferred shops — which can be convenient, with guaranteed work — but the choice of repairer in Ontario is yours. If you have a shop you trust, say so. The insurer's obligation is to pay the reasonable cost of proper repairs either way.

You're owed the vehicle's actual cash value (ACV) — what it was worth the moment before the crash, not what you paid or what's left on your loan. The first offer is based on comparable listings; you can negotiate it with evidence: better comparables, recent maintenance records, low mileage. If you owe more than the car's worth, only gap-style coverage bridges the difference.

Comprehensive claims aren't at-fault accidents and don't trigger a surcharge on their own. A pattern of them within a few years can affect discounts, deductibles, or renewal terms at some insurers, but a single glass or deer claim is routine.

Sometimes — for small, injury-free, single-party damage it can genuinely be cheaper, especially under the $5,000 minor-accident rule. But you must still report the accident. The claim-or-pay tool runs your actual numbers against roughly three years of surcharge plus your deductible.

No. Insurers maintain preferred shop networks and will often recommend one — those come with conveniences like a guarantee on the work and direct billing — but in Ontario the choice of repairer is yours. If you have a shop you trust, say so. Your insurer's obligation is to pay the reasonable cost of proper repairs either way. If your shop and the insurer's appraiser disagree on the repair estimate, ask them to speak directly; that resolves most disputes without you in the middle.

If you're not at fault, loss-of-use coverage under DCPD generally provides a replacement vehicle while yours is repaired. If you're at fault, you only get a rental if you purchased the loss-of-use endorsement (OPCF 20) — an inexpensive add-on many drivers don't realize they lack until they need it. Check your declarations page before booking anything, because a rental you arrange yourself without confirming coverage is a bill you may end up owning. Rental coverage also usually has daily and total limits.

Usually nobody — not-at-fault repairs run through Direct Compensation – Property Damage with your own insurer, and standard DCPD carries no deductible. Three exceptions catch people out: you opted out of DCPD entirely (the OPCF 49 form), you chose a DCPD deductible to lower your premium, or the at-fault driver was never identified, as in a hit-and-run, where your collision deductible may apply instead. If a deductible is being applied to a 0% fault claim, ask your adjuster which of those three applies.

Denied claim playbook → Ask for the denial in writing, citing the specific policy wording or condition relied on — you're entitled to that, and a surprising number of denials soften once someone has to write down the reason. Common grounds are misrepresentation on the application, an excluded driver, undisclosed vehicle use such as delivery driving, impaired driving, or a breached condition like late reporting. Once you have the written reason, escalate to the insurer's complaints officer, then the General Insurance OmbudService. For denials involving large sums or injuries, talk to a lawyer — there are limitation periods, generally two years, and they don't pause while you appeal.

Yes, and it's often worth doing — but timing matters. Every insurer sees your claim through the Autoplus report, so switching never hides it; what changes is how much each company charges for the same claim, and that spread is frequently larger than the surcharge itself. The one situation to be careful about: if you have accident forgiveness and your current insurer has waived the surcharge, that protection does not transfer. A new insurer rates the claim in full. In that case staying put is usually cheaper for a few years.

Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) come from your own insurer regardless of fault — that's Ontario's no-fault system. Medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care are automatic on every policy. Since July 1, 2026, other benefits — income replacement, caregiver, non-earner — are optional add-ons you must have selected. Check your policy to see what you actually carry.

Common soft-tissue injuries like whiplash are initially treated under the Minor Injury Guideline, which caps medical and rehab benefits at $3,500. If your medical records show something more serious, you can access far more — which is exactly why seeing a doctor promptly and documenting every symptom from day one matters so much.

See a doctor as soon as possible — gaps between the crash and treatment invite the argument your injury came from something else. Procedurally: notify your insurer you may need benefits within about 7 days, and submit the application forms they send within about 30 days of receiving them.

Yes, for losses accident benefits don't cover — but Ontario limits it. Pain-and-suffering claims must clear a legal threshold (permanent, serious impairment) and a significant deductible applies below a set amount, both adjusted over time. The general limitation period is two years from the accident. For anything beyond minor injuries, a consultation with a personal injury lawyer is usually free.

Passengers claim accident benefits too — generally through their own auto policy if they have one, otherwise through the policy of the vehicle they were in, and there's a chain of payors after that. Being a passenger never leaves you without access to benefits.

Your adjuster, using the Fault Determination Rules — a fixed list of crash scenarios rated 0/25/50/75/100%, applied without regard to weather or road conditions. Ask which rule number they applied (they must tell you), submit dashcam footage or witness statements if the scenario is wrong, then escalate to the complaint officer and the General Insurance OmbudService. Check your scenario's standard rating here.

No — accidents themselves carry no demerit points and don't touch your licence. Points come only from convictions (tickets you're found guilty of). The accident affects your insurance record; a ticket from the same crash affects both. Look up any ticket's points and insurance class here.

At-fault accidents: six years from the accident date for insurance rating. Convictions: three years from the conviction date. Every insurer sees both through your Autoplus claims report and driver's abstract, so switching companies never hides a claim.

Yes. Every insurer pulls your Autoplus report when quoting, and failing to disclose a claim is misrepresentation — grounds to void a policy. What varies is how much each company charges for the same claim, which is why shopping after an accident still often saves money.

Ontario insurers can't surcharge a 0% fault accident — but renewals also rise from market-wide approved increases and lost discounts (claims-free discounts sometimes reset even on not-at-fault claims, which is worth challenging). Ask for an itemized breakdown. The renewal checker tells you if your increase is normal.

It depends on the conviction class, not the demerit points. A first minor speeding conviction (16–49 km/h over) is forgiven entirely by many insurers, and where it isn't, expect roughly 5–15%. A second minor conviction inside three years is where premiums really move. Speeding 50 km/h or more over is stunt driving — a serious conviction carrying licence suspension, vehicle impoundment, and an insurance impact that can double a premium or lead to non-renewal. All convictions are rated for three years from the conviction date, not the offence date.

Yes. The claim and the charge are entirely separate systems. Fault for insurance is assigned by your adjuster under the Fault Determination Rules, and it doesn't require a police charge at all — you can be 100% at fault with no ticket ever issued. That at-fault claim stays on your insurance record for six years and is rated in full. The reverse is also true: you can receive a ticket and still be found 0% at fault for the collision.

It's the single most useful document you own, and it's worth five minutes. Look for: your coverages (collision, comprehensive or All Perils, and whether DCPD is intact), your deductibles for each, and your endorsements — the OPCF numbers. The ones that matter most after an accident are OPCF 39 (accident forgiveness), OPCF 20 (rental / loss of use), OPCF 43 (waiver of depreciation, which changes a total loss settlement completely) and OPCF 49 (the DCPD opt-out). Also check the listed drivers and the stated annual mileage, because errors there can cause coverage problems at claim time. Can't find the page? Your broker can resend it the same day.