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Pourquoi les primes auto ont-elles augmenté cette année?

Why has my car premium increased this year?

As consumers, we all wonder what factors contribute to increase our insurance premiums.

One of the first reasons is, of course, increasing claims costs; the total cost of an insurer’s claims for the previous year.

A similar analysis was done at the overall market level.  The claims data of all insurers was compiled and analyzed.

According to the data provided by the Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA), the average cost of the claims increased 8% between 2015 and 2017.

MARKET HARDENING

A hard market is influenced by an increase in overall costs for insurers, including those related to vehicle repair (cost of parts and labor).

Driving assistance devices, which are increasingly sophisticated, electronic components, are one of the factors that increase the cost of repairs.

Another factor … Let’s be realistic, there has been strong competition forcing some insurers to maintain or reduce premiums for several years, despite increasing claims and operation expenses. Premiums charged are therefore no longer sufficient to cover expenses.

Since 2015, the market has been trying to adjust and this is reflected in an increase in the average premium of 2% per year.

According to Mr. Ladéroute of the GAA, the average premium of 2017 corresponds in current dollars to what we had in 2008, while claims costs have increased by 27%.

What you need to know is that insurers are subject to strict rules and that provincial regulators monitor premium increases.


Jackie Beaudoin, Leclerc Insurance and Financial Services
Source: Article published in the Journal de l’Assurance, October 11, 2018