The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has launched “How Cars Measure Up,” an online tool that lets drivers compare how Canada’s most popular vehicle makes and models perform from an insurance standpoint, using real claims data from most auto insurers.
The tool draws on claims experience between 2019 and 2024 and covers model years 1997 to 2025. Each model listed has at least 1,500 insured vehicles, which IBC said is intended to ensure a basic level of credibility. Users can choose a vehicle’s make, model, year, body style and power type from dropdown menus and compare up to three vehicles at once to see how frequently they are involved in claims and how costly those claims tend to be.
“While there are many factors that impact the cost of insurance premiums, such as your driving record, your vehicle's make, model, year, value and potential repair costs also have a major impact on insurance prices,” said Rob de Pruis, national director, consumer and industry relations at IBC. “In general, the less likely your car is to be stolen, damaged or in a collision, as well [as] the less expensive it is to repair, the less you will pay to insure it. How Cars Measure Up helps drivers make informed decisions when buying or leasing a vehicle.”
De Pruis added that drivers routinely look at reliability, safety, performance and fuel efficiency when choosing a vehicle, and argued that “insurability” should be considered alongside those factors.
The tool surfaces to consumers some of the same drivers of loss costs that the industry has been grappling with over the last several years.
IBC data showed that auto theft losses have soared over the past decade. The value of theft claims jumped 442% nationally over 10 years to hit about $1.5 billion in 2023, even though theft counts eased slightly in early 2024. More recent figures indicated theft claims fell about 27% by early 2026 following a national action plan and tougher border measures, but IBC has warned that levels remain well above historical norms and continue to exert pressure on premiums.
At the same time, repair and claims severity have been climbing. Canadian data from Mitchell and other sources show the average cost of a repairable auto claim rose to roughly $5,000 to $5,100 by late 2023, up more than $1,000 from 2020, driven by parts inflation, higher labor rates and the cost of repairing or recalibrating advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Statistics Canada has reported that the consumer price index for vehicle parts, maintenance and repairs was more than 20% higher in late 2024 than in 2019, with more complex vehicles and supply chain issues contributing to the increase.
Those dynamics have also affected total-loss rates, with some estimates suggesting that total losses now make up roughly one in five physical damage claims in Canada as repair costs edge closer to vehicle values.
In that environment, a tool that highlights differences in theft risk, collision frequency and repair cost between vehicles could help explain why premiums for two superficially similar models may diverge sharply, particularly as more vehicles incorporate ADAS, connected features and expensive components.
The industry body is encouraging drivers to use the tool as part of their research when buying or leasing a vehicle, alongside shopping around for coverage. It also reiterates that regulatory frameworks differ by province: motorists in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba must buy basic coverage from public insurers, while private carriers compete in Alberta, Ontario, the Atlantic provinces and Quebec’s bodily injury scheme.
For brokers and underwriters, the tool may become a reference point on why particular vehicles attract higher comprehensive or collision rates, especially in segments heavily targeted by thieves or saddled with high repair severity. It also reinforces the trend toward more transparent, data-driven tools that connect consumer vehicle choices with the underlying loss experience that shapes Canada’s auto insurance pricing.
