How to get your Ontario driver record and insurance history
I'm currently looking into changing both home/auto insurance providers; even with no recent claims, rates are going up across the board. While I can understand part of the rationale (inflation for instance), it doesn't hurt to shop around.
Knowing your driving record and insurance history is comparable to knowing your credit score. It allows you to justify, in part, why your premiums are what they are and how different factors affect insurance rates. Knowledge is power, and with this information in hand, it can encourage better decisions when driving that can translate into a lower premium.
Similar to consumer credit reports (I do not fondly recall having to pay Equifax for the privilege - thankfully quite a few free options now), I would like easy/secure/private access to my own driving record and insurance history.
Currently, it costs $12 to order an online copy of an uncertified three-year driver record, the most frequently requested driving record in Ontario. This report shows the number of demerit points you may have on your license, as well as any suspensions and Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code of Canada convictions. I ended up requesting records for the entire household in one order.
On the other hand, your insurance history report is free to obtain, but it’s snail mailed to you within 10 business days of the Conseillers en Gestion et Informatique (CGI) receiving your request (CGI is the company that maintains the information about auto insurance policy and claims data in Canada on behalf of the industry)
Also called an AutoPlus report, your insurance history includes information about your most current policy, as well as insurance claims, if any, for the past 20+ years. It details the type of claim (e.g., collision, theft, bodily injury), how much was paid out, and in the event of a collision, the percentage of fault that was assigned to you. It also includes third-party claims and, if there’s been a policy cancellation, the reason for it.
Together, these reports contain a considerable amount of information that can give drivers some insight into their insurance premiums. Unfortunately, the process is a bit tedious - hopefully, it'll become easier one day.