Should car insurance be private or public?

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by smoothpops

Wouldn't it be better to compare it to Saskatchewan's insurance; since they are gov. owned and you see a ton of cars with Sas. plates in Alberta because of their lower rates?

The reason you see a bunch of Saskatchewan plates isn't because of the insurance rates being cheaper it's just the sheer number of Saskatchewanites coming to Calgary. They're taking our jerbs!

[Julio]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I've never heard of anyone holding on to their Saskatchewan plates to maintain cheaper insurance.

I did...but then this was a number of years ago. I had to pay a lot more for a lot less coverage when I did finally shift (This was back in the 90's, so I don't have a more recent comparison except for anicdotes.)

From everybody I have talked to in all three provinces, the following seems to be true:
ICBC is evil
SGI is good, unless you have an out of province claim, then they get really sticky.

[MelBridgeman]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Having lived in Alberta most of my life, now here, I can give the following general sentiments:

Young Drivers/Bad Drivers - way more expensive in Alberta
Long Term Good drivers - more expensive BC

Essentially, BC spreads the cost out by evening the premiums compared to Alberta. The sense of entitlement here with regards to what ICBC will/should cover is a bit ridiculous here. Keep in mind, it's a non profit corporation here

This.
Right now I am about 60 dollars cheaper in Alberta for the same coverage in BC. Long term driver. I believe when i first got my insurance in BC they capped me at 250 per month for my coverage until my I sent them my history and reduced it for every good year but ding me for any year I didn't have insurance

[pylon]

The only people that would argue for public govt insurance are:

A) crappy drivers that want everyone else to foot the bill for their crappy driving and accidents.

B) High risk new drivers that want everyone else to pay higher rates for their higher risk.

Other than that if you are a good claims free driver, that follows the rules of the road, there will always be a bargain basement rate out there for you. I have 2 cars with collision, a motorcycle and an RV insured for just under 2000/year. Not in a million years would that be do-able under BC or sask commie insurance.

[Draug]

Originally Posted by pylon

Other than that if you are a good claims free driver, that follows the rules of the road, there will always be a bargain basement rate out there for you. I have 2 cars with collision, a motorcycle and an RV insured for just under 2000/year. Not in a million years would that be do-able under BC or sask commie insurance.

Who are you with? I'm with TD/Meloche, and have been for a number of years now. When I price compared, probably around 2008, they were definitely a huge bargain. Are they still?

Which company has the consensus for the best bargain?

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by opendoor

I believe in general it's cheaper in Alberta, but anecdotally I've found it to be the opposite. I've filled out online quotes for Alberta car insurance out of curiosity before and the rates came in a fair bit higher than what I pay in BC.

For about $1085 including tax and fees, I have the following insurance on a 2007 Jetta:

-$2M liability
-collision and comprehensive with a $500 deductible ($300 for glass)
-some other stuff like rental vehicle coverage and loss of use coverage

i have to agree with opendoor

i hear all the time that it's cheaper in alberta, however i found the opposite to be true

i was 24 when i bought my truck in 1997 from a couple in brooks. since i was working in calgary at the time i looked into getting insurance in alberta, rather than driving it back to bc, get it inspected/up to code and then insured

the quote i got in calgary was more than twice that of what i paid in kelowna.... so i brought my truck back home to kelowna and insured it

i'm not sure about now... i still have the same truck (89 chev 4x4)... i pay around $900/year

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by bc-chris

i was 24

That's what we are saying. When you are young insurance costs more in Alberta. Once you hit 25 and have a good driving record, it drops.

I ran into the same thing when I was under 25. Moving back and forth between Winnipeg and Calgary a few times I always kept my Manitoba insurance as long as I was allowed to; because the cost is lower.

I compared costs a couple of years ago as my parents were buying a car. They were considering buying it in Calgary to save the PST. The cost of the insurance was a little lower in Alberta- not a huge amount, but a bit. However when you have only one insurance company to deal with, if you have an issue you don't have any options other than to stay with them.

[Dynamic]

It sucked hard to to start put as a young driver and pay huge premiums to to drive. After a couple speeding tickets and an at fault accident did not help. But that was 7 years ago and my premiums have dropped a lot so I'm happy.