What should we check when our insurance renews?

Canadian insurance is split between provincial plans and private policies, and the gaps aren’t where a British person expects. At each renewal, check your car cover, your home or tenant policy, your health and dental benefits, and travel insurance for trips outside your province.

Car insurance: who sells it depends on the province

In Ontario, policies that existed before 1 July 2026 renew with the same accident benefits until you choose to change them. New policies don’t include the optional ones unless you add them. Optional benefits only cover the named insured, their spouse and dependants, and listed drivers. If your family relies on your income, check income replacement at renewal.

Using your UK driving and claims history

Canadian insurers price heavily on years licensed and claims history, and unlike in the UK, a no-claims discount from a UK insurer doesn’t transfer automatically.

• BC: ICBC gives credit for up to 15 years of driving experience outside BC towards your Basic discount. You prove it with a driving record or letter from the licensing authority that issued your first full licence, such as a DVLA driving record
• Other provinces: each private insurer decides. Bring a letter from your UK insurer showing your policy dates and claims-free years, and ask every quote for credit
• Learner time doesn’t count, and ICBC adjusts premiums for your first 3 years driving in BC
• Get your UK records before you leave: they are harder to get later. See Can I drive on my UK licence?

Tenant and home insurance

Most landlords ask tenants for tenant insurance, which covers your belongings and your liability if, say, your bath floods the flat below. Home insurance covers the building as well. At renewal, check for the water gaps.

• Sewer backup into your basement is not covered by a standard policy. It is an optional add-on, with its own limit
• Overland flooding from rivers or heavy rain is also usually excluded. Optional cover is widely available, but may not be offered in a known flood plain
• Groundwater seepage and coastal storm surge are often not covered at all
• If you bought the water add-ons, they can also pay for somewhere to live while repairs are done
• A backwater valve and a sump pump with battery backup reduce the risk, and some insurers ask about them

Extended health and dental

Provincial plans don’t cover most prescriptions for working-age adults, dental care, eye tests for adults or physiotherapy. Many employers offer extended health and dental benefits. At renewal or when you change job, check what the plan pays, whether your partner and children are on it, and whether there’s a health spending account.

If you have no access to dental insurance, the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) may help. You must have no dental cover through your job, a partner’s job, a pension plan or one you bought, have filed a Canadian tax return for the previous year, be resident in Canada for tax, and have an adjusted family net income under C$90,000. It’s free under C$70,000, with a 40% co-pay from C$70,000 and 60% from C$80,000. You confirm eligibility every year. Newcomers need to have filed a Canadian return for the previous year first.

Travel insurance for trips home

There is no reciprocal healthcare agreement that covers you in the UK, and your provincial plan pays little outside Canada.

• Buy travel medical insurance before each trip, even within Canada: provincial plans don’t pay for everything in another province
• Declare pre-existing conditions, or the policy may not cover them
• Check the policy includes medical repatriation to your home province
• Some employer plans and premium credit cards include travel medical cover, often with a limit on trip length

Long trips and your health card

To keep OHIP you must live in Ontario and be there for 153 days in any 12 months; you can be away for up to 7 months (212 days) in any 12 months. BC lets you be away up to 6 months in a calendar year, or 7 for holidays only, and you should contact Health Insurance BC before a longer absence. Longer absences for work or study abroad may be allowed if you apply first. If you lose cover, you may face a waiting period when you come back.