This is how traffic tickets affect your insurance rate in Ontario

By: John Shmuel on January 9, 2025

This article has been updated from a previous version.

You’re driving down the road when, suddenly, flashing blue and red lights appear in your rearview mirror.

First, take a deep breath. This might be your first ticket, or it might be your second or third.

Either way, this ticket will affect your insurance rate — but just how much will depend on the infraction and your driving history.

Below, we break down all the ways traffic violations will impact your annual premium.

Minor, major, and serious: ticket type matters

Not all tickets are created equal. Insurance providers are generally concerned about the severity of your violation. Tickets are broadly categorized into three types: minor, major, and serious.

As you’ll see below, different types of tickets will have different levels of impact on your insurance rate. But before we get to that, let’s break down the various offences under each category.

Minor offence

Defective brakes
Drivers licence violations
Failure to carry or have insurance card
Failure to produce evidence of insurance
Failing to signal
Failure to use seatbelts
Failing to yield
Failing to yield to pedestrian
Following too closely
Headlight offences
Improper lane change
Improper passing
Improper turn
Improper use of divided highway
Obstructing traffic
Prohibited use of hand-held device
Speeding
Failing to obey stop sign
Traffic light violation
Unsafe move
Wrong way on one way
Other minor conviction (not specified)

Major offence

Driving without insurance
Failure to report damage to highway property
Failure to report accident
Improper passing of a school bus
Improper passing/speeding in a school or playground zone
Operator motor vehicle - no insurance

Serious offence

Careless driving
Class G1/G2 driver with alcohol in blood
Class G1/G2 driver refusing to give breath sample
Driving while licence under suspension
Failure to stop/remain at the scene of an accident
Impaired driving
Manslaughter committed in the operation or use of a motor vehicle
Racing
Stunting

Demerit points

Demerit points are a system used in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec. You accumulate points if you violate driving laws anywhere in Canada, as well as in the states of New York and Michigan.

How many demerit points you get depends on the violation. Serious violations, such as failing to remain at the scene of a collision, will get you seven points, while an improper right turn will get you two demerit points.

Demerit points by themselves don’t raise your insurance rate. But once you reach nine to 14 points, you’re at risk of having your licence suspended — which will affect your insurance rate.

According to our auto insurance quoter, assuming a driver who is a 35-year-old male who drives a 2024 Honda Civic LX in downtown Toronto and has a clean driving record, your lowest premiums will cost you $4,117 a year.

But add a single suspension to that and the quote jumps to $4,687.

How much will the tickets cost me?

This is what you’re really here for. We broke out the LowestRates.ca car insurance quoter and quickly ran some numbers based on violations.

Assuming the same test driver as above, before any tickets, he’ll pay $4,117 a year, based on the lowest quote found using our site.

Now let’s look at how traffic violations begin to change that, based on the lowest ‘best quote’ found using our site as of January 2025.

Minor tickets (like speeding under 45 km)

No tickets: $4,117
One ticket: $5,034
Two tickets: $5,442
Three tickets: $8,296
Four tickets: $9,258

Major tickets (like driving without insurance)

No tickets: $4,117
One ticket: $7,319
Two tickets: $8,616

Serious tickets (like careless driving)

No tickets: $4,117
One ticket: $10,541
Two tickets: $16,951

The verdict

As you can see, tickets can have a major impact on your auto insurance rate.

As a final example, we looked at a quote for the same person with four varied violations: Two minor tickets, one major ticket, and one serious. We came out with a quote of $12,142 annually — that’s a whopping $8,025 or so more than what our test subject would pay if he had a clean driving history.

The numbers show that if you’ve gotten a ticket, you should take action to get it off your record or have the offence reduced. Remember, you have options. You can challenge the ticket in court or even hire a paralegal to fight the ticket on your behalf.

Be sure to use the figures above to determine whether the cost of a paralegal will be worth the money you’ll save on your annual premium.

And tickets remain on your record for three years, so if you can’t avoid a ticket, it’s best to keep your record clear going forward to pay a lower rate in the future.