All You Need to Know about Canadian Car Insurance

When it comes to traveling abroad by cars, Americans have only two choices: Mexico to the south and Canada to the north. When it comes to wide open country and beautiful mountains, Canada is the choice of many. But when driving across the border to Canada for that weekend getaway, what about car insurance? Will you be covered in the event of an accident? How much and what types of Canadian car insurance are you required to have?

As in the US, car insurance is required for all drivers in Canada. All drivers are required to have insurance that provides compensation for death or injury caused by you or for property loss or damage. This is commonly called liability insurance in the US. Since this is also a requirement in most parts of the US, it should not be a problem for American drivers to obtain. As far as the amount of coverage, in the Province of Quebec, the minimum coverage is $50,000 while in the rest of Canada, the minimum coverage is $200,000 per accident.

The easiest way to verify whether your insurance coverage will work in Canada is to review your policy. Don't have your policy easily at hand? No problem, just call the customer service department for your insurance company and ask. Better insurance companies will cover travel in Canada with no problems, probably with no change at all to your policy.

When traveling in Canada, just make sure your insurance is up to date and keep your insurance card handy. It should be accepted just like it is in the US. If your insurance company does not provide you Canadian car insurance, ask if they can add it as a special rider. This may be available to you as a permanent add on or something you can get for a few days to cover you while abroad.