Car insurance in Ontario cities, 2026

Car insurance by city: the short answer

No official source publishes an average car insurance premium for Ottawa, Mississauga, Brampton or any other Ontario city. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), the province's insurance regulator, posts averages for three broad regions and does not say which municipalities fall in each.¹ The table below sticks to what can be checked city by city: whether FSRA names the area in its Greater Toronto Area territory test, and how often cars were stolen there in 2025, according to Statistics Canada.^2,3

Theft rates are police-reported thefts of motor vehicles per 100,000 people, from Statistics Canada's table of crime by police service. Regional forces cover several cities, so Mississauga and Brampton share one figure, as do Markham and Vaughan. "In FSRA's GTA test area" means FSRA's description of the territories in its test names the city or region. FSRA describes them only in broad terms ("parts of", "nearby areas", "etc.") and points insurers to an industry statistical manual for the exact lines. The change since 2023 is our calculation from the rates.^3,2

Car thefts per 100,000 people, 2025

Police-reported thefts of motor vehicles, by police service. Green bar: Ontario as a whole. Source: Statistics Canada, table 35-10-0180-01.

• PeelMississauga, Brampton346
• Hamilton289
• Toronto240
• Windsor188
• Ontarioall police187
• London172
• HaltonOakville, Burlington168
• YorkMarkham, Vaughan162
• WaterlooKitchener-Waterloo156
• DurhamOshawa, Whitby, Ajax149
• Barrie139
• Ottawa133

0100200300400

Police counts show where thefts happen. They are not a rate table: insurers set territory prices from claims costs in each area,⁴ and theft is one part of those costs. Thefts fell across Ontario from 44,570 in 2023 to 30,354 in 2025.³

Average car insurance cost by region

FSRA's latest averages, as of October 2025, are $2,810 a year in the GTA, $2,076 in other urban areas and $1,740 in rural Ontario, against $2,164 for the province.¹ FSRA doesn't define those regions on the page, and we found no FSRA list of which cities count as GTA or other urban. Its territory test uses its own definition of the GTA: three statistical territories covering Toronto, Hamilton, Oshawa, Aurora, Newmarket, Orangeville and parts of Peel, York and Durham.² FSRA doesn't say whether the average premium page uses the same boundaries.

Averages cover all private passenger vehicles insured in Ontario in the 12 months before each date. FSRA says your own premium may differ based on things like your car, driving record and how often you drive. The monthly column is our calculation.¹

The best city-by-city comparison on public record is older. In 2022 the Auditor General's office got 10 quotes for one driver from different insurers and changed only the address. The prices ran from $1,200 a year in London to $3,350 in Brampton.⁴ The same audit reported 2021 averages for two territories: $2,231 a year for one covering most of the GTA and $1,360 for Ottawa's.⁴

Mississauga and Brampton car insurance

Peel Regional Police, which polices both cities, recorded 5,338 car thefts in 2025, or 346 per 100,000 people. That was the highest rate among the 11 police services in our table, against 187 for Ontario as a whole. It is down from 8,444 thefts, 560 per 100,000, in 2023.³

Brampton has a long record as one of Ontario's priciest addresses. It produced the highest price in the Auditor General's quote test, $3,350 a year for a driver who would have paid $1,200 in London. The audit said residents of municipalities such as Brampton and Vaughan have historically paid more on average than the rest of the GTA and Ontario, even with accident-free records, because claims costs there are higher overall.⁴

No official source gives a separate figure for Mississauga. In FSRA's territory test, part of Peel sits in territory 717 with the City of Toronto, and other parts of Peel in territory 710.² Since July 2, 2024, insurers in the test have been able to redraw and reprice their territories inside the GTA, so each one can now draw its own lines through Peel.^5,6

Brampton drivers in the Reddit threads behind our Ontario guide describe the address effect and what they pay. These are anecdotes, not a survey, and none of the posters gave a full driving history.

Ottawa car insurance

Ottawa sits outside FSRA's GTA test area, and the records point to lower prices than in the GTA. The Auditor General reported that the Ottawa territory averaged $1,360 a year in 2021, against $2,231 for a territory covering most of the GTA.⁴ FSRA's own analysis, cited in the same audit, found that if insurers could not price by territory at all, drivers in Ottawa-Carleton would pay $503 a year more on average and GTA drivers $543 less.⁴ By that analysis, territory pricing works in Ottawa drivers' favour.

FSRA doesn't say whether Ottawa is counted in its "other urban" average of $2,076 a year, so treat that figure as a rough benchmark, not Ottawa's own average.¹ Outside the GTA, FSRA says it will look at territory rating changes case by case.²

Ottawa Police recorded 1,584 car thefts in 2025, 133 per 100,000 people, the lowest rate among the 11 services in our table. Of the six years we pulled, 2020 to 2025, thefts were highest in 2023, at 2,257.³ None of the Reddit threads behind our Ontario guide included an Ottawa driver's car insurance price.

Markham and Vaughan car insurance

York Regional Police recorded 2,106 car thefts in 2025, or 162 per 100,000 people, down from 4,763 thefts (380 per 100,000) in 2023. By our calculation that is a 57% drop in the rate, the largest of any service in our table, and York now sits below the Ontario rate.³

Vaughan is the other city the Auditor General named, with Brampton, as a place where premiums have historically run above the rest of the GTA because of higher claims costs.⁴ FSRA's territory test covers parts of York Region in territory 710, with Aurora and Newmarket named.² No official source publishes a separate average for Markham or Vaughan. Two Markham posts in the Ontario threads give a sense of the range.

Oakville and Burlington car insurance

Halton Regional Police recorded 1,121 car thefts in 2025, or 168 per 100,000 people, below the Ontario rate of 187 and down from 264 per 100,000 in 2023.³

FSRA's territory test descriptions don't mention Halton. FSRA lists territory 710 as Oshawa, Aurora, Newmarket, Orangeville and "parts of" Durham, York and Peel, ending with "etc.", and refers insurers to an industry statistical manual for the exact lines.² From FSRA's public documents we can't tell whether Oakville or Burlington sit inside the test area, or in which of FSRA's average premium regions. The one Halton price in the Ontario threads came from Burlington.

Hamilton car insurance

Hamilton counts as part of the GTA for at least one regulatory purpose. FSRA's territory test defines the GTA as three statistical territories, and one of them, 704, is the City of Hamilton and nearby areas.² Insurers in the test have been able to redraw and reprice their Hamilton territories since July 2, 2024.⁵

Hamilton Police recorded 1,851 car thefts in 2025, 289 per 100,000 people, the second-highest rate in our table after Peel. Hamilton's thefts were highest in 2024, at 2,096, while most services in the table saw their highest count of 2020 to 2025 in 2023. By our calculation, its 2025 rate was only 3% below 2023's, while Ontario's fell 35%.³

London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Windsor, Barrie and Oshawa

• London. The cheapest address in the Auditor General's quote test, at $1,200 a year for the same driver who was quoted $3,350 in Brampton.⁴ London Police recorded 852 car thefts in 2025 (172 per 100,000), down from 1,383 in 2022.³
• Kitchener-Waterloo. Waterloo Regional Police recorded 1,108 thefts in 2025 (156 per 100,000).³ The Auditor General used the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo area to show how dated Ontario's territory rules are: its population grew more than 30% between 2005 and 2022, while FSRA had not updated the territory guidance insurers use since 2005.⁴
• Windsor. Windsor Police recorded 558 thefts in 2025 (188 per 100,000), the fewest in the six years we pulled, 2020 to 2025.³
• Barrie. Barrie Police recorded 242 thefts in 2025 (139 per 100,000), close to its 2023 rate.³
• Oshawa. Durham Regional Police, which covers Oshawa, Whitby and Ajax, recorded 1,208 thefts in 2025 (149 per 100,000).³ Oshawa is named in territory 710, so it falls inside FSRA's GTA test area.²

Why car insurance prices differ by postal code

Ontario lets insurers set prices by territory, up to 55 of them across the province, using territory definitions last reviewed in 2005 by FSRA's predecessor.⁴ Each insurer weighs territory its own way. When the Auditor General's office reviewed rate filings, the effect of where someone lives ranged from about 67% to about 300%, depending on the company.⁴

Insurers price territories to reflect claims costs there. The audit warned that the gaps tempt some drivers to give an address in a cheaper territory where they don't live, which it called a source of fraud, and it found that fraud, though hard to measure, has been identified as a contributor to Ontario's high premiums.⁴

The lines are moving inside the GTA. By our count, FSRA's list of insurers approved for its territory test runs to 26 companies, among them Intact, Aviva, TD, Desjardins, Co-operators, Allstate, Definity, Wawanesa and CAA, and FSRA says the participants cover more than 90% of Ontario's private auto market.⁶ FSRA says insurers have proposed new ways to group territories, including ways to "equalize rates in neighbouring areas", and are using outside data such as weather, traffic and road conditions.⁶ FSRA asks them to aim for "rate level neutrality", so the goal is fairer prices across the GTA, not a lower average.²

A Kitchener driver's post from September 2026 shows how sharp a line can be. The post doesn't say why the quote changed, and a quote is not a final price.

The car can matter as much as the street. Équité Association, the insurance industry's crime and fraud prevention body, says newer SUVs with keyless-entry weaknesses are prime targets in Ontario and Quebec.⁷ It counted 19,319 private passenger vehicles stolen in Ontario in 2025, down 22% from 2024, and only 51% were recovered.⁸ FSRA says some insurers now add surcharges for vehicles at high risk of theft.⁹

How to pay less for car insurance in any Ontario city

• Quote the exact car before you buy it. Price the make, model and year with two or three insurers before you sign. Newer SUVs and pickups are theft targets, and some insurers add surcharges for them.^7,9
• Ask about anti-theft device discounts. TD Insurance offers a discount for an approved, professionally installed after-market device.¹⁰ Aviva Direct offers one in Ontario for an approved theft recovery device (Tag or KYCS) for 3 years from installation.¹¹ belairdirect adds a High Theft Risk premium to vehicles it flags unless a TAG system goes in before renewal.¹² None of the three states the size of the discount, so ask for the price with and without the device.
• Compare a broker with direct insurers. FSRA's advice is blunt: "Do not assume companies charge the same price for the same benefits."¹³ Some companies sell only through their own websites and call centres, so one broker won't see every price.
• Ask for every discount you qualify for. All Ontario insurers must offer a winter tire discount. FSRA lists typical ranges of 5 to 15% for multi-policy, 5 to 15% for multi-vehicle and 5 to 20% for renewal discounts, and 10% for graduated licence holders who move to G2 or G with no convictions or at-fault claims.¹³ Renters and owners can bundle; see our Ontario home insurance guide.
• Your credit score is not a factor. Ontario bans insurers from using credit history or credit ratings to price car insurance.⁹
• Consider a driving app, with care. belairdirect advertises savings of up to 25% for safe driving through its automerit app.¹⁴ Ask what your price becomes if you leave the program.
• Review your accident benefits. Since July 1, 2026, only medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits are mandatory. Income replacement and other benefits are optional, and dropping them lowers your premium, though FSRA has not said by how much.^15,16 Check your workplace disability coverage first.
• Insure the car where it lives. The Auditor General flagged giving an address in a cheaper territory where you do not live as a source of fraud.⁴

Best car insurance in Ontario cities: our picks

No insurer is best or cheapest in every city, and none of the records we use is broken out by city. FSRA approves rate changes for the whole province, and the only recent customer survey that names insurers covers all of Ontario. These picks are Ontario-wide, from our guide to the best car insurance in Ontario, which compares nine insurer groups in full. Use them as a shortlist, then get at least three quotes for your own postal code and car.

1. Best overall

   Intact Insurance

   Intact is the only insurer that placed in the top three for both overall satisfaction and claims in each of the last two Rates.ca studies of Ontario drivers.^17,18 AM Best rates its financial strength A+,¹⁹ and FSRA approved a small cut, 0.15%, on its Ontario renewals from June 15, 2026.²⁰ You buy Intact through a broker. Its direct, buy-online brand is belairdirect.

   A+AM Best rating, affirmed May 2026
2. Highest rated by its customers

   CAA Insurance

   CAA came first overall in the Rates.ca study for the third year in a row, and first for trust, value and clear communication.¹⁷ You don't need a membership to buy, but members can save up to 20% (5% on the basic Everyday plan).²¹ Its two 2026 filings barely moved prices.²⁰ Quote the exact car first: a Pickering driver posted on Reddit that a high-theft charge took her CAA premium from $115 to $325 a month when she switched to a pickup truck.

   #1Rates.ca best overall, 3 years running
3. Best claims experience

   Zenith (Northbridge)

   Customers ranked Northbridge's personal insurer, Zenith, first for claims in both the 2025 and 2026 Rates.ca studies.^17,18 It is small, with under 1% of Ontario's market, and sells only through independent brokers.^20,22 Ask a broker for a Zenith quote by name.

   #1Rates.ca claims, 2025 and 2026
4. Biggest 2026 rate cut

   The Personal (Desjardins)

   FSRA approved a 5.3% cut for The Personal on renewals from Nov. 28, 2026, the largest cut granted to any big Ontario insurer this year.²⁰ The Personal sells through group plans for employers, unions, alumni and professional associations,²³ so check whether your workplace or association has one.

   −5.30%FSRA-approved, renewals from Nov. 28
5. Big cut, with an agent

   Co-operators

   Co-operators won approval for a 3.73% cut on renewals from Sept. 11, 2026.²⁰ It holds an A rating from AM Best.²⁴ By our count its 2025 filings added up to about 11.9%, so the cut gives back only part of last year's increases.²⁰

   −3.73%FSRA-approved, renewals from Sept. 11

Be careful with "best car insurance in Ottawa" or "cheapest in Mississauga" lists. A ranking built on someone else's car, age and postal code tells you little about yours, and the Auditor General's test shows how far the address alone moves a price.⁴ Some comparison sites still cite J.D. Power, whose last Canadian auto insurance satisfaction study came out in February 2019; its current insurance studies cover the U.S. only.^25,26 The Rates.ca study we cite is current, but Rates.ca sells insurance quotes and surveyed customers of five brokerages only.¹⁷

Common questions

How we did this

We started from the records behind our Ontario guide and Toronto guide: FSRA's average premium page (checked Oct. 7, 2026), all private passenger auto rate approvals in FSRA's database from Jan. 1, 2025 to Oct. 6, 2026, insurer ratings, the 2025 and 2026 Rates.ca/Pollara customer studies, the Auditor General's 2022 audit of FSRA, and FSRA's territory test documents.²⁰ We found no FSRA document that lists which cities fall in its GTA, other urban and rural averages, so we don't assign cities to them.

For city context we pulled Statistics Canada table 35-10-0180-01 on Oct. 7, 2026: police-reported thefts of motor vehicles and rates per 100,000 people for 2020 to 2025, for the 11 police services that cover the cities in this guide, plus Ontario.³ Regional services (Peel, York, Halton, Waterloo and Durham) cover several cities, and the table does not split them. StatCan's 2025 count for Toronto (7,846) is higher than our count of Toronto police open data in the Toronto guide (6,421). The two sources count differently and we have not reconciled them, so compare cities using this table only. The monthly figures and percentage changes are our calculations.

We did not collect new Reddit posts for this page. The quotes come from the 33 threads and 1,449 comments gathered for the Ontario guide, posted between May 2025 and October 2026, and we used only posts that name a city. None gave a car insurance price for Ottawa, Mississauga, Oakville, Vaughan, Hamilton, London, Windsor, Barrie or Oshawa. We link each quote, do not publish usernames, and treat them as anecdotes, not data. No insurer paid for a placement on this page, and it has no affiliate links. We will update it when FSRA posts a newer average premium or Statistics Canada releases 2026 crime data.

The 4 Reddit threads we quote or cite

• TD Insurance is Scam r/PersonalFinanceCanada, Sept. 2, 2026
• I’m a 27 year old male in Ontario and my auto insurance is $400/month, how can I get this lowered? r/PersonalFinanceCanada, July 24, 2026
• I am being screwed over by my insurance company with repeated raises. TD home and auto. r/PersonalFinanceCanada, July 29, 2026
• High Theft Vehicle Surcharge by CAA r/PersonalFinanceCanada, Feb. 4, 2026

Sources

Show all 26 sourcesHide sources

1. FSRA. "Your average premium." Data as of October 2025; checked Oct. 7, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/consumers/auto-insurance/understanding-auto-insurance-rates/your-average-premium
2. FSRA. "Territory Filing Specifications (Territories Test and Learn Environment)." Retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/media/24271/download
3. Statistics Canada. "Table 35-10-0180-01, Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations, police services in Ontario (total theft of motor vehicle, actual incidents and rate per 100,000 population, 2020 to 2025)." Released July 22, 2026; retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510018001
4. Office of the Auditor General of Ontario. "Value-for-Money Audit: Financial Services Regulatory Authority: Regulation of Private Passenger Automobile Insurance, Credit Unions and Pension Plans (pages 28 and 38 to 41)." November 2022. www.auditor.on.ca/en/content/annualreports/arreports/en22/AR_FSRA_en22.pdf
5. FSRA. "Shaping the future of territory rating in auto insurance through innovation." Dec. 15, 2023. www.fsrao.ca/announcements/shaping-future-territory-rating-auto-insurance-through-innovation
6. FSRA. "Territories Test and Learn Environment (TLE): approved applicants." Last updated June 30, 2026; retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/industry/innovation-office/territories-test-and-learn-environment-tle
7. Équité Association. "Toyota RAV4 Tops Équité Association's Annual Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles List." Nov. 18, 2025. www.equiteassociation.com/press-releases/toyota-rav4-tops-equite-associations-annual-top-10-most-stolen-vehicles-list-organized-crimes-shifting-tactics-continue-to-impact-canadians-with-over-1-billion-in-claims-last-year
8. Équité Association. "2025 Auto Theft Trend Report." February 2026. cdn.prod.website-files.com/673f22d617fe90219dc4cba4/698b4df182fea37ba9ea4dca_%C3%89quit%C3%A9%20Association%27s%202025%20Auto%20Theft%20Trend%20Report%20-%20FINAL.pdf
9. FSRA. "Helping consumers get access to auto insurance rates that are fair and reasonable." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/announcements/helping-consumers-get-access-auto-insurance-rates-are-fair-and-reasonable
10. TD Insurance. "Explore our full range of exclusive benefits (anti-theft device discounts)." Retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.tdinsurance.com/products-services/exclusive-insurance-benefits
11. Aviva Canada. "Aviva Direct: car and home insurance online (theft recovery device discount, footnote 2)." Retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.aviva.ca/en/direct
12. belairdirect. "TAG theft prevention and tracking system." Retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.belairdirect.com/en/car-insurance/tag.html
13. FSRA. "How to save on auto insurance." Retrieved Oct. 7, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/consumers/auto-insurance/purchasing-your-policy/how-save-auto-insurance
14. belairdirect. "automerit." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.belairdirect.com/en/app/automerit.html
15. FSRA. "Changes in Statutory Accident Benefits coverage in Ontario on July 1, 2026." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.fsrao.ca/industry/auto-insurance/changes-statutory-accident-benefits-coverage-ontario-july-1-2026
16. FSRA. "Auto reform, accident benefits optionality: customer Q&A." January 2026. www.fsrao.ca/sites/default/files/2026-01/Auto%20Reform%20SABS%20Opt%20-%20Customer%20Q&A%20EN.docx
17. Rates.ca / Pollara Strategic Insights. "Rates.ca Annual Best Auto Insurance Study 2026 (n=14,676 Ontario customers of five brokerages, fielded Aug. 25 to Sept. 23, 2025)." Jan. 27, 2026. insurance-canada.ca/2026/02/09/rates-auto-study-customers-satisfied-claims-service
18. RATESDOTCA / Pollara. "Annual Best Auto Insurance Study (Ontario and Alberta, fielded fall 2024)." Jan. 22, 2025. www.newswire.ca/news-releases/despite-increasing-auto-insurance-premiums-and-industry-challenges-consumers-still-trust-their-insurers-ratesdotca-annual-best-auto-insurance-study-875182444.html
19. AM Best. "AM Best affirms credit ratings of Intact Financial Corporation and its core subsidiaries." May 21, 2026. news.ambest.com/NewsContent.aspx?refnum=274613&altsrc=23
20. FSRA. "Private Passenger Automobile Insurance Rate Approvals database: all approvals Jan. 1, 2025 to Oct. 6, 2026, and 2024 market share by insurer." Data retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. autorateapprovals.fsrao.ca
21. CAA South Central Ontario. "Auto insurance FAQs (membership and member discount)." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.caasco.com/insurance/resource-centre/faqs/auto
22. Northbridge Insurance. "Legal (personal insurance sold through independent brokers, insured by Zenith Insurance Company)." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.northbridgeinsurance.ca/legal
23. The Personal. "Insurance plans for organizations." Retrieved Oct. 6, 2026. www.thepersonal.com/groupinsurance.html
24. Co-operators. "Investor relations: credit ratings." As of June 30, 2026. www.cooperators.ca/en/about-us/corporate-overview/investor-relations
25. J.D. Power. "2019 Canada Auto Insurance Satisfaction Study." Feb. 14, 2019. www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-canada-auto-insurance-satisfaction-study
26. J.D. Power. "Insurance industry studies." Viewed Oct. 6, 2026. www.jdpower.com/business/insurance

Update log

• Oct. 7, 2026, 4:21 a.m. ETFirst published. FSRA averages as of October 2025; Statistics Canada police-reported thefts for 2025.

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