Updated October 17, 2026 · By Roberto Gomes, Founder and Editor
Quick answer: Ontario has the highest average car insurance cost in Canada at $2,218 a year (12 months to June 2026, FSRA), followed by Alberta at $1,903 (2025, AIRB). Prince Edward Island is the lowest province with private insurance at $1,018 (2024, GISA). In the only same-year comparison of all ten provinces (2024, AIRB), Ontario ranks most expensive ($1,929) and PEI least expensive ($1,018).
Every figure below comes from a regulator, statistical agency or public insurer, and is labelled with its year and measure. Years and measures differ by province, so read the “Period” and “Measure” columns before comparing.
Average car insurance cost by province: latest official figures
Sorted from highest to lowest. All amounts are in Canadian dollars per vehicle per year.
| Province / territory | Average premium | Period | Measure | Year-over-year change | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $2,218 | 12 months to June 2026 | Average annual premium, all private passenger vehicles | +4.6% vs $2,120 (12 months to June 2025) | FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario) |
| Alberta | $1,903 | 2025 | Average written premium, full coverage | +8.7% vs $1,751 (2024) | AIRB (Automobile Insurance Rate Board), 2026 Market and Trends Report |
| British Columbia | $1,408 | Fiscal 2025/26 (Apr 2025 – Mar 2026) | Average premium based on Autoplan premiums earned (all Autoplan policies) | +3.5% vs $1,360 (Fiscal 2024/25 (restated)) | ICBC 2025/26 Annual Service Plan Report |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $1,359 | 2024 | Average earned premium, private passenger (excl. farmers) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | GISA (General Insurance Statistical Agency), Key Measures |
| Manitoba | $1,350 | 2026/27 rating year (projected) | Projected average Basic premium, private passenger (excludes optional Extension coverage) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | MPI 2026 General Rate Application compliance filing, Figure RMO-1 (Manitoba Public Utilities Board) |
| Nova Scotia | $1,302 | 2024 | Average earned premium, private passenger (excl. farmers) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | GISA (General Insurance Statistical Agency), Key Measures |
| New Brunswick | $1,208 | 2024 | Average earned premium, private passenger (excl. farmers) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | GISA (General Insurance Statistical Agency), Key Measures |
| Yukon, NWT and Nunavut (combined) | $1,080 | 2024 | Average earned premium, private passenger (excl. farmers) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | GISA (General Insurance Statistical Agency), Key Measures |
| Quebec | $1,067 | 2025 | Average premium, private property-damage insurance only (bodily injury is covered by the public SAAQ plan and not included) | +6.1% vs $1,006 (2024) | GAA (Groupement des assureurs automobiles) |
| Prince Edward Island | $1,018 | 2024 | Average earned premium, private passenger (excl. farmers) | Not calculated (no comparable prior figure) | GISA (General Insurance Statistical Agency), Key Measures |
| Saskatchewan | Not published | – | SGI does not publish a single provincial average premium in its 2025-26 Auto Fund Annual Report. See the 2024 same-year comparison below for the AIRB estimate. | – | SGI 2025-26 Auto Fund Annual Report |
Year-over-year change is shown only where the same source publishes a comparable figure for the prior period. GISA re-develops past years every time it publishes, so figures from different GISA releases are not compared here.
Download the full dataset (CSV) · free to reuse with a link to this page.
Same-year comparison: all 10 provinces (2024)
Because provinces report on different schedules, the cleanest apples-to-apples view is the 2024 comparison published by Alberta’s Automobile Insurance Rate Board (AIRB) in its 2026 Market and Trends Report. AIRB uses GISA average earned premium for provinces with private insurance, its own calculation from rate filings for British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (adding private optional coverage), and includes the insurance component of Quebec’s SAAQ registration and licence fee.
| Rank | Province | Average premium (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ontario | $1,929 |
| 2 | Alberta | $1,706 |
| 3 | Saskatchewan | $1,545 |
| 4 | British Columbia | $1,519 |
| 5 | Newfoundland and Labrador | $1,359 |
| 6 | Nova Scotia | $1,302 |
| 7 | New Brunswick | $1,208 |
| 8 | Manitoba | $1,186 |
| 9 | Quebec | $1,159 |
| 10 | Prince Edward Island | $1,018 |
What the numbers tell you
- Ontario is the most expensive province on every official measure. FSRA’s average rose from $2,120 (June 2025) to $2,218 (June 2026), up 4.6%. Inside Ontario, FSRA reports $2,868 for the GTA, $2,131 for other urban areas and $1,791 for rural areas. More detail: Car Insurance in Ontario (2026).
- Alberta had the biggest reported increase: the average written premium for full coverage rose 8.7% in 2025, to $1,903, even with the Good Driver Rate Cap in place. Alberta moves to a Care-First system on January 1, 2027.
- British Columbia’s ICBC average premium was $1,408 in fiscal 2025/26, up 3.5% from a restated $1,360, with no increase to Basic rates. See ICBC Insurance in BC (2026).
- Quebec looks cheapest, but it is a partial figure. GAA’s $1,067 average covers only private property-damage insurance; bodily injury is covered by the public SAAQ plan. GAA itself puts the combined 2024 figure at $1,006 private plus $66 public. See Desjardins Car Insurance in Quebec.
- Saskatchewan and Manitoba use public insurers. Manitoba’s $1,350 is MPI’s projected Basic premium only. For Saskatchewan’s system, see SGI vs Private Insurance in Saskatchewan.
For a country-wide overview of coverage rules and how to lower your premium, read our Car Insurance in Canada 2026 guide.
Methodology
- Sources: only regulators, statistical agencies and public insurers: FSRA (Ontario), AIRB (Alberta), ICBC (British Columbia), MPI filings with the Manitoba Public Utilities Board, SGI (Saskatchewan), GAA (Quebec) and GISA (Atlantic provinces and territories). We did not use insurer quotes, broker surveys or comparison-site data.
- Measures differ. Average written premium is premium on policies sold in the period. Average earned premium (GISA) is premium pro-rated for the time each vehicle was insured. ICBC’s figure is based on Autoplan premiums earned across all Autoplan policies. MPI’s is a projected Basic-only figure for the 2026/27 rating year. GAA’s covers private property-damage insurance only.
- Periods differ. Ontario is the 12 months to June 2026; Alberta and Quebec are calendar 2025; BC is the April 2025 to March 2026 fiscal year; GISA jurisdictions are 2024 (the latest year in GISA’s published Key Measures); Manitoba is a 2026/27 projection.
- GISA figures are for private passenger vehicles excluding farmers, valued as of December 31, 2024. The 2024 figures for Ontario, Alberta and the four Atlantic provinces match those reproduced by AIRB and by PEI’s Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission. Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are reported only as a combined figure.
- Year-over-year change is calculated only from two figures published by the same source on the same basis. Percentages are rounded to one decimal.
- What we left out: Saskatchewan has no single average published by SGI, so its latest-figures row is blank. It appears only in the AIRB 2024 comparison. We did not estimate, adjust for inflation, or fill gaps.
- Individual premiums vary widely with driving record, vehicle, location and coverage. Averages describe the market, not a quote.
How to cite this data
Journalists, bloggers and researchers are welcome to use this data. Please credit and link to this page:
Gomes, R. (2026, October). Average Car Insurance Cost by Province in Canada (2026 Data). primecapitalreport.com/. https://primecapitalreport.com/average-car-insurance-cost-by-province-canada/
When quoting a single figure, please also name the original source shown in the table (for example "FSRA data compiled by primecapitalreport.com/"). Download the CSV.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Which province has the most expensive car insurance in Canada?
Ontario. FSRA puts the average annual premium at $2,218 for the 12 months to June 2026, and Ontario also ranks highest in AIRB’s 2024 comparison of all ten provinces ($1,929).
Which province has the cheapest car insurance?
Among provinces with private insurance, Prince Edward Island has the lowest average: $1,018 in 2024 (GISA). Quebec’s $1,067 for 2025 is lower than most, but it covers only private property-damage insurance. Bodily injury is covered separately by the SAAQ.
How much is car insurance in Canada on average?
No official agency publishes one national average. Using the latest official figures, provincial averages range from about $1,000 to $2,200 a year. In AIRB’s 2024 same-year comparison, the range is $1,018 (PEI) to $1,929 (Ontario).
Why are the years different for each province?
Each province’s regulator or public insurer publishes on its own schedule and uses its own measure. FSRA updates Ontario twice a year, ICBC reports by fiscal year, and GISA releases annual exhibits after claims develop. We show each figure’s period instead of mixing years together.
Written by
Roberto Gomes, Founder and Editor
Roberto researches insurance and personal finance in the United States and Canada from insurers' policy documents, regulator data and public rate filings. He is not a licensed agent or adviser. How we research.