Auto insurance rates in Ontario have gone up for the seventh quarter in a row, with one insurance company posting a staggering 20% increase.

Auto insurance companies in Ontario were approved for an average rate increase of 1.99% in the second quarter, according to the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) in a report released Thursday. The increases are spread across 18 companies, which asked the government agency for permission to up their rates. Ontario’s insurance companies are not able to increase their rates without FSCO’s assessment and approval.

Sonnet Insurance raises rates, CAA Insurance lowers them

Leading the rate increases is Sonnet Insurance Company, which was approved for a 20.04% average rate increase. Other insurers with large increases include the Guarantee Company of North America (11.31%), Primmum Insurance Company (8.87%) and Security National Insurance Company (8.81%).

CAA Insurance Company is the only insurer that was approved for a rate decrease, which logged in at a modest -1.20%.

Industry wide, auto insurance rates in Ontario have not fallen since the third quarter of 2017, when they decreased by 0.1%.

FSCO assesses applications for rate changes based on three criteria: whether the changes are “just and reasonable”; whether they are “excessive”; and whether they threaten the insurance company’s financial solvency. 

Ontario government announced insurance changes in April

This is the first quarter of rate approvals since the Ontario government announced sweeping auto insurance changes in April that are meant to tackle the high cost of insurance in the province. The changes include allowing drivers to pick and choose more coverages, a new Driver Care Card that aims to make claim payouts easier and consultations with the Law Society of Ontario to reduce legal fees.

Insurance companies in Ontario have long complained that they’re forced to raise prices because of widespread insurance fraud in the province. Insurance fraud can take many forms, including mechanics overbilling for repairs or doctors signing off on injuries that didn’t occur after an accident. Aviva found last year that the average driver in Canada has to pay up to $150 more a year because of fraud. 

As it stands, drivers in Ontario and British Columbia face the highest auto insurance rates in the country.

Below, a list of all the companies whose rate changes were approved in Q2 2019.