WARNING: Car insurance laws and regulations are not the same across Canada. The following applies to Quebec only. Please refer to your own car insurance company for information about rates and premiums.
Despite their recent surge in popularity, hybrid and electric vehicles are still a rare sight on Canadian roads. Why? Pricing is the biggest obstacle for most buyers, who don't really see the point of spending thousands of extra dollars at the dealership to save some money at the pump.
What about car insurance? How do premiums vary from traditional, gas-powered models to hybrid or electric models? Well, I did my own non-scientific enquiry to find out.
More often than not, I was given a lower premium for a hybrid vehicle. Plug-in hybrids turned out to be more expensive, but not by that much. Once again, do I need to remind you about the savings you'll be making at the gas station?
Before going any further, here are the factors used for calculation by my car insurer:
- 38-year-old woman, driving since 1993, and living in the Greater Montreal area;
- 15,000 kilometres a year (none for business);
- No accidents and no traffic violations;
- No vehicle tracking system;
- No credit check and no home insurance to lower the premium;
- $500 collision deductible, $250 comprehensive deductible, $1 million liability;
- + $100/year when opting for 4-year replacement value.
Obviously, car insurance premiums vary from one company to another, but I think it's fairly safe to assume the gaps between traditional vehicles and hybrids/EVs will be similar for most drivers.
| MODEL | SE | SE Hybrid | SE Energi (plug-in) |
| Ford Fusion | $570
| $570
| $647 |
| MODEL | SEL Hybrid | SEL Energi (plug-in) |
| Ford C-MAX | $568
| $606 |
| MODEL | Base | Plug-in Hybrid |
| Toyota Prius | $551
| $594 |
| MODEL | SE | ST | Electric |
| Ford Focus | $515 | $647 | $443
|
| MODEL | AWD | Hybrid |
| Lincoln MKZ | $805 | $648
|
| MODEL | LE | Hybrid LE
|
| Toyota Camry | $810 | $652
|
| MODEL | Limited | Hybrid Limited
|
| Hyundai Sonata | $576 | $564
|
| MODEL | GLI | Turbo Hybrid |
| Volkswagen Jetta | $626 | $598
|
| MODEL | Base | Hybrid |
| Acura ILX | $678 | $619
|
| MODEL | AWD | Hybrid AWD
|
| Cadillac Escalade | $868 | $796
|
| MODEL | LS (gasoline) | Diesel |
| Chevrolet Cruze | $446
| $546 |
All-electric or extended-range vehicles| MODEL | PRICE |
| Tesla Model S | $1037 |
| MODEL | PRICE |
| Nissan LEAF | $534 |
| MODEL | PRICE |
| Mitsubishi i-Miev | $445 |
| MODEL | PRICE |
| Chevrolet Volt | $609 |
