We want to be clear about our lane here. We fix cars for a living; we don’t sell insurance. So treat this as a heads-up from the shop floor, not policy advice, and confirm anything specific with your broker. What follows is the version we think every GTA driver should understand before they renew.
What is actually changing
Today, your policy includes a bundle of accident benefits that pay out after a crash no matter who caused it. Income replacement, caregiver support, and several others are built in automatically. After July 1, the only benefits that stay mandatory are medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care. Almost everything else, including income replacement, shifts to optional. If you buy a brand-new policy on or after that date, you start with the mandatory minimums and add back whatever protection you want. Your insurer has to offer each option and show you the price.
If you already have a policy, nothing changes on its own. Renewals keep your current coverage unless you sign off, in writing, on removing something. And only the coverage you have on the day of an accident applies to that claim, so a policy you adjust next year won’t change a claim from this year.
What this does not change about fixing your car
This reform is about the people side of a collision, your injuries and your income. It does not touch the property side that pays to repair your vehicle. Your collision coverage, your comprehensive coverage, and the Direct Compensation Property Damage portion of your policy work the way they always have. After July 1, when you bring a damaged car to us, the repair process, the estimate, the parts, and the manufacturer procedures all run the same as before. If you want a refresher on how that side works, our guide to insurance claims for auto body damage walks through it.
The trap worth avoiding
Dropping optional benefits usually saves a small amount each month. The risk is that the savings look bigger than they are until the day you need the coverage. A sole earner who removes income replacement, or a parent who drops caregiver coverage, can be exposed at the worst possible moment. Before you trim anything, it’s worth checking what disability or health coverage you already carry through work, so you’re not paying twice or, worse, cutting your only safety net.
What to do before your renewal
Pull out your current policy and read the accident benefits section, then book a few minutes with your broker to go through what’s becoming optional and what you want to keep. Ask them to show you the premium beside each option so you’re comparing real numbers, not guesses. That one conversation is the whole job.
When the repair side is what you’re dealing with, it's simple. We work with insurers and dealerships across the GTA every day, and our repair process is built to take the claim paperwork off your plate. If you’ve been in a collision, book an estimate or reach out, and we’ll handle the car while you sort the coverage with your broker.
This article is general information, not insurance or legal advice. For details about your own policy, speak with your licensed broker or FSRA.
