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| Starting July 1, 2026, Ontario is changing auto insurance to give you more options and control over your coverage. This means you can choose insurance that best meets your needs. To learn more about the optional benefits and what they cover, view our fact sheet here.
Here are nine examples of life situations that show how auto insurance can be tailored to better protect individuals and families. These examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to reflect everyone’s unique situation. Before making changes to your policy, think about your needs and circumstances, review your current coverage and speak to your insurer or broker. It’s also important to review your private or workplace benefits plans as you may already be covered elsewhere. |
| 1. Alice: The Single Parent. |
| Alice manages a busy schedule. They work as a contractor while caring for two young children and juggling all household responsibilities on their own. They rely on their car daily for work, school pick-ups and drop-offs, extracurricular activities for their kids, errands, and more. Without employer benefits or much savings, even a short recovery from an injury could make daily life difficult.
An auto accident could make it hard to maintain income, childcare, and household routines, especially without any family nearby to support them. Optional benefits may help them maintain stability while they recover. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Caregiver: to help cover caregiving expenses if they can no longer provide care for a household member such as their children.
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Expenses of visitors: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors, such as a sibling or parents, if a covered person is injured in an auto accident.
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Housekeeping and home maintenance: to help cover costs if they are unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Dependant care: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses for caring for dependants.
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Indexation: to make sure that certain weekly payments and benefit limits increase annually to reflect the rising cost of living.
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| 2. Bob: The Self-Employed Consultant. |
| Bob operates an independent IT consulting business from home. Their mornings usually start with a coffee and long drives to client sites across the province – part of running a business they’ve built from scratch. With their spouse working part-time, their household relies primarily on their income to cover the mortgage and household expenses. Since they are self-employed, they don’t have access to a private employer plan and have not purchased additional disability or life insurance.
If they were injured in an auto accident, working could become impossible, and their household would face financial challenges. Personal items, such as their hearing aid, could also be damaged in the accident and require replacement. They may want to consider adding optional benefits to provide extra support for themselves and their family after an accident. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Housekeeping and home maintenance: to help cover costs if they are unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before an auto accident.
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Damage to personal items: to help cover the cost to repair or replace personal items (e.g., clothing, prescription eyewear, hearing aids, etc.) that were damaged in an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Indexation: to make sure that certain weekly payments and benefit limits increase annually to reflect the rising cost of living.
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| 3. Charlie: The Retired Surviving Spouse. |
| Charlie is happily retired after a long career as a project manager. They live a very active lifestyle, managing all the upkeep for their apartment and driving themselves to medical appointments, errands, and social activities. A pension is their only source of income. It provides stability for basic needs but leaves little room for unexpected costs such as paid household support and unplanned medical expenses.
They may need support with daily chores and home maintenance if they were injured in an auto accident. They may also need support from their children who live out of town. Considering optional coverages may give them peace of mind. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Non-earner: to help provide financial support while they recover.
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Expenses of visitors: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors, such as children or siblings, if a covered person is injured in an auto accident.
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Housekeeping and home maintenance: to help cover costs if they are unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before an auto accident.
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Damage to personal items: to help cover the cost to repair or replace personal items (e.g., clothing, prescription eyewear, hearing aids, etc.) that were damaged in an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Supplementary medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits: to help cover expenses for medical benefits beyond the standard limits.
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| 4. Dave & Eve: The Young Family. |
| With two toddlers, Dave & Eve manage a busy schedule and a tight household budget. Dave works in construction and drives long distances each day for work. Eve works part-time as a retail associate and provides primary care for their two young children and manages most of the housekeeping for the townhouse they’re renting. They live paycheck to paycheck and do not have disability or life insurance.
If either were injured in an auto accident, the family could face significant financial hardship and challenges with caregiving responsibilities. They may want to consider adding optional benefits to their policy to better protect them and their family. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident .
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Caregiver: to help cover caregiving expenses if they can no longer provide care for a household member such as their children .
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Housekeeping and home maintenance: to help cover costs if they are unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Dependant care: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses for caring for dependants.
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Indexation: to make sure that certain weekly payments and monetary limits are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living.
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| 5. Fred: The Tradesperson. |
| Fred is an electrician by trade and serves as the primary earner for his family. They drive to job sites across the region. The work is physically demanding, and even a moderate injury sustained outside of work could prevent their continued employment. Their spouse is currently unemployed, so the family depends on Customer F’s income to pay their bills, mortgage and household necessities. They have two very active teenagers who both live at home. Both children are listed on their automobile policy as drivers. Their eldest child just turned 19 and is enrolled in college. If they were injured in an auto accident, they may be unable to continue the college program.
Adding optional benefits to their coverage may help provide extra support for everyone covered under their policy. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Lost educational expenses: to help cover costs they lose if an auto accident prevents them from attending school or an education program.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Dependant care: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses for caring for dependants.
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Indexation: to make sure that certain weekly payments and monetary limits are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living.
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| 6. Gina: The University Student. |
| At 21, Gina is in their final year of university and working part-time at a café. They rent an apartment close to campus with three roommates. They rely on their car to get to school, work, and activities.
If they were injured in an auto accident, they may be unable to continue their studies or maintain their part-time job. Their parents live in another city and would need to travel to provide care and support. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Non-earner: to help provide financial support while they recover.
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Lost educational expenses: to help cover costs they lose if an auto accident prevents them from attending school or an education program.
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Expenses of visitors: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors, such as a sibling or parents, if a covered person is injured in an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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| 7. Henrietta: The Newcomer to Canada. |
| Henrietta recently immigrated to Canada with their partner and young child and are getting settled in their community. They just started a new job as an administrative assistant and do not yet qualify for workplace disability benefits. Their partner is working irregular hours while looking for more stable employment. They have limited savings and rely on their car for work and childcare needs.
If an auto accident caused an injury, their household could face financial difficulty covering lost income, childcare, and household responsibilities. For extra support, they may consider adding optional benefits to protect everyone covered under their policy. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Caregiver: to help cover caregiving expenses if they can no longer provide care for a household member such as their children.
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Housekeeping and home maintenance: to help cover costs if they are unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before an auto accident.
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Expenses of visitors: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors, such as a sibling or parents, if a covered person is injured in an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Dependant care: to help cover reasonable and necessary expenses for caring for dependants.
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| 8. Isaac: The Delivery Driver. |
| Isaac spends most of their days on the road working full time for a local courier company. When not working, they enjoy relaxing at their apartment or spending time with their parents who live close by. While on the job, they use a company-owned vehicle to make deliveries that is insured under a commercial policy. Their income depends entirely on the ability to drive, so an injury from an auto accident in the course of work could stop earnings and create financial difficulty with rent and living expenses. The courier company provides only the mandatory auto insurance benefits as employers are not required to purchase optional benefits for their commercial policies. From the driver’s perspective, adding optional benefits to their own personal policy could provide extra peace of mind by ensuring income support if an accident occurs. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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Indexation: to make sure that certain weekly payments and monetary limits are adjusted annually to reflect changes in the cost of living.
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| 9. Justine: The Office Worker. |
| Justine works full time for a large company and lives in the suburbs with their spouse and three children. Their employer provides extended health and disability benefits, which already offer some income, caregiving, dependant care, and housekeeping protection. Before adding optional benefits to their auto insurance policy, it’s important to review what’s already included in their workplace plan to avoid overlap and ensure they have the right level of protection. |
| Optional benefits to consider: |
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Income replacement: to help replace income they may lose because of an auto accident.
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Death: to compensate some family members if a covered person dies due to an auto accident.
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Funeral: to help cover some funeral costs.
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| Need more information or assistance? |
| Call us at 1-800-917-SAVE (7283), or 905-764-7868. |
| Disclaimer |
| The descriptions of the statutory accident benefits in this document is a summary of the statutory accident benefits in Ontario Regulation 34/10 (the “SABS”). Do not rely on this summary alone. For full details, refer to the SABS or speak with your insurer or broker. |
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