Car insurance in Quebec, 2026

Key numbers

Quebec splits car insurance in two. The Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), the provincial agency, covers injuries. Private insurers, regulated by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), cover damage to cars and property.¹ These five numbers explain most of what you pay.

1. Average private premium, 2025

   $1,067 a year across Quebec

   That is the average for a passenger car in 2025, about $89 a month by our calculation. It pays for damage to cars and property only: $473 for civil liability, $429 for collision and $262 for comprehensive cover.²

   $1,067GAA average, property damage only
2. Public plan, 2026

   $87.55 to the SAAQ for injuries

   Your injury cover comes from the SAAQ, paid through your licence and registration. In 2026 that is $66.01 per passenger vehicle plus $21.54 for a licence with no demerit points, after a 75% rebate.³ The total is our calculation, before the 9% tax.

   $87.55SAAQ contributions, one car, clean licence
3. Montreal

   $1,326 in central and east Montreal

   The island's centre and east had the second-highest average of the GAA's 21 regions in 2025, after Northern Quebec, and the most claims. That is $259 above the provincial figure, by our calculation.⁴

   +24%above the Quebec average
4. Who sells it

   Three groups write 71% of the market

   Intact (with belairdirect), Desjardins (with La Personnelle) and Beneva (with L'Unique) wrote 71.0% of Quebec's passenger-car premiums in 2025, by our calculation from AMF data.⁵

   71%of 2025 premiums, three groups
5. Legal minimum

   $50,000 in civil liability

   The Automobile Insurance Act sets the minimum at $50,000.⁶ The GAA says most drivers carry $1 million or $2 million.⁷

   $50,000minimum; most carry $1M to $2M

How car insurance works in Quebec

The SAAQ's public plan covers every Quebec resident for injury or death in a traffic accident, in Quebec or anywhere else in the world. It is a no-fault plan: you are covered whether or not you caused the accident, and in return nobody can sue the driver responsible for injuries.⁸ The Automobile Insurance Act says SAAQ compensation stands in place of all other remedies for bodily injury.⁶ Visitors to Quebec are covered too, based on their share of responsibility for the accident.⁸

You pay for the public plan through your driver's licence and vehicle registration, not through your insurer.⁹ The money goes into the Fonds d'assurance automobile du Québec, which the SAAQ manages as trustee.¹⁰

Everything else is private. Every owner of a car on Quebec roads must hold civil liability insurance for property damage, at a legal minimum of $50,000.⁶ The AMF calls this Section A of your policy. Section B covers damage to or theft of your own car, and the law doesn't require it, though a car loan or lease will likely require it.¹¹ Insurers also sell add-ons called Quebec Endorsement Forms (Q.E.F.), such as No. 20 for a rental car after a covered loss and No. 43 for replacement cost.¹¹

Average car insurance cost in Quebec

The Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA), a body of Quebec's car insurers, compiles their premiums in its Automobile Statistical Plan. Its 2025 average for a passenger car is $1,067, up 5.5% from $1,011 in 2024 by our calculation. The average has doubled since 2015, when it was $532.² These premiums cover property damage only.

Average premium for a passenger car in Quebec, 2015 to 2025

Private insurance for property damage only, all coverages combined. The axis stops at $1,200. Source: GAA, Automobile Statistical Plan, 2025.

• 2015$532
• 2016$541
• 2017$560
• 2018$599
• 2019$672
• 2020$733
• 2021$775
• 2022$796
• 2023$898
• 2024$1,011
• 2025$1,067

0$400$800$1,200

Of the 2025 average, $473 went to civil liability, $429 to collision and $262 to comprehensive cover. The GAA says collision rose the most.² If you drop collision on an older car you own outright, you pay less: the AMF notes that liability-only cover costs less than liability plus damage to your own car.¹²

Age and sex move the price a lot. The GAA publishes the average collision premium for each group. Men pay more than women at every age, but the gap narrows as drivers get older, and both groups pay less until 74 before prices rise again.¹³

Average premium for collision or upset coverage only, passenger vehicles, 2025. Source: GAA, insurance rate criteria by age and sex.¹³

Why car insurance is cheaper in Quebec

Statistics Canada compared average written premiums at the end of 2024. Quebec was lowest at $1,044, against $2,068 in Ontario and $1,818 in Alberta, both provinces where private insurers sell all of the coverage.¹⁴ By our calculation an Ontario driver paid $1,024 more on average.

Average written premium by province, end of 2024

Dollars per year. Coverage differs by province, so read this as a rough comparison. The axis stops at $2,500. Source: Statistics Canada.

• Ontario$2,068
• Alberta$1,818
• British Columbiapublic insurer$1,522
• Saskatchewanpublic insurer$1,361
• Atlantic provinces$1,259
• Manitobapublic insurer$1,235
• Quebecprivate premium$1,044

0$1,000$2,000

The comparison is not like for like, and Statistics Canada tells readers to use the averages with caution. It explains that Quebec drivers buy bodily injury coverage from the government insurer and the rest elsewhere, while drivers in Alberta, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces buy everything from private insurers.¹⁴ Its sources for the table are the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Alberta's auto insurance data, the three public insurers in the West and the Consumer Price Index; the SAAQ is not on the list.¹⁴ Our reading: the Quebec figure reflects private premiums and leaves out what drivers pay the SAAQ.

For most drivers the public share is under $100 in 2026. The SAAQ sets its insurance contributions for 2025 to 2027 after an expert panel holds a public consultation.¹⁰ For 2026 the contribution on a passenger-car registration is $66.01. A Class 5 licence with no demerit points carries $86.16, but the SAAQ is giving a 75% rebate, so you pay $21.54. In 2025 the SAAQ gave those licence holders a payment holiday, and they paid nothing.³ Without the rebate, the two together would come to $152.17, by our calculation.

Demerit points raise your share. With 1 to 3 points, the 2026 licence contribution is $92.70 after the rebate; with 4 to 6 it is $164.47.³ The SAAQ says the amounts depend on how many victims claim, how much it pays them and how many people pay in.¹⁰

Car insurance in Montreal

The GAA breaks its 2025 averages down by 21 regions. The Montreal Urban Community's centre and east had the most claims, 66,410, and the highest claim frequency, 12.36%. The GAA ties each region's average to how often claims happen there and what they cost.⁴ Here is how Montreal and its neighbours compare:

Passenger vehicles, private insurance for property damage, 2025. Region names follow the GAA's territories; it does not publish a figure for the City of Montreal by itself or by postal code. Source: GAA, insurance rate criteria by region.⁴

By our calculation, central and east Montreal averaged $259 (24%) more than Quebec as a whole, and the west of the island $214 (20%) more. The Montreal suburbs in Montérégie, Laurentides and Lanaudière all came within $8 of the provincial average. Only Northern Quebec, with 875 claims, averaged more than Montreal.⁴

Average premium by region, 2025

GAA regions, passenger vehicles, property damage only. The axis stops at $1,800. Source: GAA.

• Northern Quebec$1,569
• Montreal, centre and east$1,326
• Montreal, west$1,281
• Laval$1,192
• Outaouais$1,124
• Côte-Nord$1,096
• Laurentides$1,068
• Quebec City urban community$1,064
• All of Quebecaverage$1,067
• Lanaudière$1,062
• Montérégie, Montreal suburbs$1,059
• Abitibi-Témiscamingue$1,011
• Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean$998
• Chaudière-Appalaches, Quebec City suburbs$993
• Estrie$992
• Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine$982
• Quebec City region, outside the urban community$975
• Montérégie, outside the suburbs$968
• Mauricie$938
• Central Quebec$907
• Chaudière-Appalaches, outside the suburbs$904
• Bas-Saint-Laurent$872

0$600$1,200$1,800

Montrealers also pay more at the SAAQ counter, though not for insurance. Renewing a passenger-car registration costs $400.86 in 2026 for residents of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, which adds a vehicle registration tax and a public transit contribution, against $217.41 in places with neither. The insurance part, $71.96 with tax, is the same everywhere.¹⁰ Owners of fuel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars get a temporary rebate of up to $50 on renewals due from Sept. 1, 2026 to Aug. 31, 2027.¹⁵

Car theft

Équité Association, the insurers' crime prevention body, counted 7,742 private passenger vehicles stolen in Quebec in 2025, down 25% from 10,290 in 2024. Only 48% were recovered, and SUVs made up half of the vehicles stolen.¹⁶ Thefts fell another 6.4% in the first half of 2026, to 3,641, but the recovery rate slipped to 43.9%.¹⁷ Équité does not break these figures down for Montreal. It says newer SUVs with keyless-entry weaknesses are prime targets, especially in Quebec and Ontario.¹⁸

Theft affects your policy in two ways. Insurers can require an anti-theft or tracking system on often-stolen models before they will cover theft of the whole car, under endorsement Q.E.F. No. 45. If you carry theft cover, your policy also pays up to $3,000 in travel costs after the car is stolen, such as a rental car or taxis.¹¹

If you are visiting rather than moving, our guide to things to do in Montreal covers getting around by metro. If you are weighing a move between the two big cities, our Toronto vs Montreal comparison sets housing, pay and other costs side by side, and our Toronto car insurance guide covers the Ontario side.

The biggest car insurers in Quebec

Quebec drivers paid $6.24 billion in private premiums for passenger cars in 2025, up 5.1% from 2024 by our calculation from the AMF's data. Insurers report their premiums by legal company, so we grouped companies under their owners.⁵ Three groups dominate.

Share of direct written premiums for passenger vehicles in Quebec, our grouping and calculation from the AMF's open data.⁵ L'Unique belongs to Beneva, which was formed by La Capitale and SSQ.^25,26 Prysm is a subsidiary of iA Auto and Home.²⁷ We grouped the other companies as the General Insurance OmbudService's subscriber list does.²⁸ Promutuel is the sum of 12 regional mutuals. Ratings are for the main underwriting company and measure ability to pay claims, not service. We found no public rating for Desjardins' property and casualty companies, TD's insurers, iA Auto and Home, Promutuel or Allstate's Canadian company.

The seven largest groups kept their order between 2024 and 2025. Among single companies, Desjardins Assurances générales passed Beneva's main company to become the second-largest, behind Intact.⁵ Market share tells you who insures the most cars, not who treats customers best or charges you least.

What Montreal drivers report

We read eight r/montreal threads from 2026 about car insurance and the cost of owning a car. These are anecdotes, not a survey: people post when a price surprises them, and few give their full record. Answers included $440 a year for a 2011 car driven a couple of hours a week and $2,700 a year for a 2023 Honda Civic with comprehensive cover. Five patterns came up more than once.

The same car, very different quotes

Posters got quotes for the same coverage that differed by hundreds of dollars a month, and no insurer came out cheapest for everyone.

Going direct can beat a broker, and the reverse

No Quebec insurance history costs you

A driver moving back to Quebec wrote that, with no car insurance history in Quebec, he was quoted $5,000 for a year despite more than 25 years of driving without a ticket or accident. Another commenter told a first-time buyer that years as a secondary driver on a parent's policy don't count as your own experience.

Leaving the centre of the island

Two posters wrote, in French, that their premium was cut in half when they moved from the centre of the island (one from Parc-Extension) to the West Island. That matches the direction of the GAA's regional averages, though a single move also changes other factors.

New, often-stolen models cost more

How to find the cheapest car insurance in Quebec

• Get several quotes. The AMF's advice is plain: the cost "can vary from insurer to insurer for exactly the same coverage and conditions."¹¹ A damage insurance broker must be able to get you quotes from at least three insurers, while an agent sells one insurer's products, so ask a broker and at least one insurer that sells direct.¹¹
• Quote the car before you buy it. Make, model, year, value and the cost of parts all change the premium.¹² Insurers may make an anti-theft or tracking system a condition of theft cover on often-stolen models.¹¹
• Ask for every discount. The AMF lists bundling auto and home, insuring two vehicles, an anti-theft system, living in the same area for several years, driving a hybrid and buying on the insurer's website.¹²
• Raise the deductible, or drop Section B on an old car. A higher deductible lowers the premium, and liability-only cover costs less than liability plus collision.¹² Keep collision if a lender or lease requires it.¹¹
• Mind your credit and your record. In Quebec some insurers give discounts based on your financial situation and credit score. Traffic violations and accidents can raise your premium, including accidents where you were not at fault.¹² Demerit points also raise your SAAQ licence contribution.³
• Check your claims history. The Fichier central des sinistres automobiles holds the claims of every policyholder for the past six years. The AMF owns it and the GAA manages it. You can get your own statement online, by mail or in person, and ask the GAA to verify an entry you think is wrong; only your insurer can change it.²⁹ The file logged 2.7 million consultations in 2025.³⁰
• If no one will insure you, contact the GAA's Insurance Information Centre.⁷ The GAA helped 235 consumers get car insurance in 2025.³⁰

If you have a problem with your insurer

Start with the insurer. Under the AMF's process, the company must acknowledge your written complaint, send its final answer in writing and offer to transfer your file to the AMF. Once the AMF has the file, it decides whether it can offer mediation or conciliation. Both are voluntary, and the AMF cannot force the insurer to take part.³¹

For injury claims, you deal with the SAAQ, not your insurer. You have three years from the accident, the onset of the injury or a death to file a claim with the SAAQ.³³

Before you trust a "best" or "cheapest" list

We found no public body in Quebec that ranks insurers by price, satisfaction or complaints. The GAA publishes averages by region, age and coverage, not by company, and the AMF's open data gives market shares, not prices.^4,5 A comparison site's "cheapest insurer" rests on its own sample driver, and the AMF itself warns that the same coverage can cost different amounts at different insurers.¹¹

Some sites still quote J.D. Power awards. Its last Canadian auto insurance satisfaction study was published in February 2019, and its current insurance studies cover the U.S. only.^34,35 Treat 2026 rankings that cite J.D. Power as seven years out of date.

Common questions

How we did this

We read the SAAQ's pages on its public plan and 2025 to 2027 insurance contributions, the Automobile Insurance Act on LégisQuébec, the AMF's consumer guides and complaint process, the GAA's 2025 statistics pages and annual report, Statistics Canada's 2025 study of auto premiums, and Équité Association's theft reports, all on Oct. 7, 2026. We pulled the GAA's chart values from its pages and checked the regional figures against the totals the GAA states in its text.

Market shares come from the AMF's open data file of premiums by insurer, which we downloaded on Oct. 7, 2026. We used each company's direct written premiums for passenger vehicles in Quebec and grouped companies under their owners using the companies' and the ombudservice's own descriptions. The group shares, percentage changes, monthly figures, SAAQ totals and gaps between regions and provinces are our calculations. Financial strength ratings come from rating agencies or the insurers' investor pages.

For first-hand reports we searched r/montreal for "assurance auto" and "car insurance" posts from the past year and read the eight most relevant threads. We link each quote, do not publish usernames, and treat what people wrote as anecdotes. No insurer paid for a mention, and the page has no affiliate links. We will update it when the GAA posts its 2026 statistics or the AMF releases 2026 market data.

The 5 Reddit threads we quote

• How much are you paying for car insurance? r/montreal, July 20, 2026
• Car insurance r/montreal, Jan. 23, 2026
• Assurance auto -- suggestion r/montreal, March 16, 2026
• What are your guys insurance like in this city? r/montreal, May 12, 2026
• Combien vous coûte votre auto? r/montreal, July 5, 2026

Sources

Show all 35 sourcesHide sources

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Update log

• Oct. 7, 2026, 4:31 a.m. ETFirst published. GAA averages for 2025, AMF market shares for 2025, SAAQ contributions for 2026.

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