Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) provide financial support if you are injured in a car accident. These benefits are available regardless of who caused the accident and can cover things like medical treatment, rehabilitation and income if you can’t work because of your injuries.
The following auto insurance accident benefits will become optional:
Helps replace income you lose because of an accident.
If you’re a student or unemployed and an accident keeps you from leading a normal life, this provides financial support while you recover.
Covers caregiving expenses if you or another covered person is injured and can no longer provide care for a household member such as a child or aging parent who needs it.
If a car accident keeps you from attending school or an education program, this benefit helps cover the costs you’ve lost.
Covers reasonable and necessary expenses of visitors if you or another covered person is injured in an accident.
Helps cover costs if you or another covered person is unable to perform the housekeeping and home maintenance tasks normally done before the accident.
Covers the cost to repair or replace personal items (e.g., clothing, prescription eyewear, hearing aids, etc.) that were damaged in the accident.
Compensates some family members if you or a covered person dies due to an accident.
Helps cover some funeral costs.
Starting July 1, 2026, optional benefits under your auto policy will only apply to:
This means that some people, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and certain passengers who may have been covered in the past may no longer be eligible for accident benefits unless they are included in the categories listed above.
More choice in auto insurance can sound like a good thing. But the real risk is making a decision without fully understanding what you’re giving up.
Accident Benefits are designed to support you after an accident, no matter who is at fault. They can help cover income loss, medical recovery, and day-to-day support when life gets disrupted.
When you opt out, you are not just lowering your premium. You are taking on more risk personally.
Declining coverage means you are choosing to absorb costs that would otherwise be covered by your policy.
Many people assume a serious accident is unlikely. But claims happen every day. Injuries can prevent you from working, require treatment, and create unexpected expenses at the worst possible time.
Insurance exists to protect you from financial, physical, and emotional strain. Opting out shifts that burden back onto you.
The savings from opting out may be modest, but the cost of being underinsured can be significant.
If you are unable to work after an accident, even for a short period, the financial impact can be immediate. Mortgage payments, rent, groceries, and other essentials do not stop just because your income does.
Without Optional Accident Benefits, you may have to rely on personal savings, credit, family support, or legal action to recover costs.
Accidents can create more than medical bills. Recovery often involves ongoing support and real-life expenses such as:
Physiotherapy, chiropractic care, or rehabilitation
Help with childcare and household tasks
In-home care or personal support
Mobility devices or home adjustments
Transportation to appointments
Without proper coverage, these costs can quickly become overwhelming.
Some people are more exposed than others because they do not have alternative financial protection.
Often do not have workplace disability plans and depend entirely on their ability to work.
An accident can disrupt studies or force early use of savings without proper support.
An injury affects the whole household. Support services can help families manage when day-to-day responsibilities become difficult.
The temptation to lower premiums is understandable, but this group may have the least ability to absorb unexpected costs.
Your current coverage will automatically continue unless you let your broker know you would like to make specific changes to your auto insurance policy. You will need to review and decide whether you would like to keep, add, or remove coverage.
Starting July 1, 2026, new customers may choose which optional accident benefits they would like to purchase. Ask your broker which benefits are included in your quote. You may want to add optional benefits to your policy based on your needs.
Speak to your broker to learn more about how this change impacts you or your employees.
Know what benefits you already have today through your auto insurance policy
Avoid duplication, you may already have coverage through your workplace, private benefits plan, or life and health insurance providers.
Consider which coverage is right for you
They can help explain your options
Starting July 1, 2026, Ontario is changing auto insurance to give you more options and control over your coverage. This means you can choose insurance that best meets your needs. To learn more about the optional benefits and what they cover, [Download our Factsheet or Visit our Website].
Here are nine examples of life situations that show how auto insurance can be tailored to better protect individuals and families. These examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to reflect everyone’s unique situation. Before making changes to your policy, think about your needs and circumstances, review your current coverage and speak to your broker. It’s also important to review your private or workplace benefits plans as you may already be covered elsewhere.
[Customer A]: The Single Parent
[Customer B]: The Self-Employed Consultant
become impossible, and their household would face financial challenges. Personal items, such as their hearing aid, could also be damaged in the accident and require replacement. They may want to consider adding optional benefits to provide extra support for themselves and their family after an accident.
[Customer C]: The Retired Surviving Spouse
They may also need support from their children who live out of town. Considering optional coverages may give them peace of mind.
[Customer D & E]: The Young Family
[Customer F]: The Tradesperson
Adding optional benefits to their coverage may help provide extra support for everyone covered under their policy.
[Customer G]: The University Student
[Customer H]: The Newcomer to Canada
[Customer I]: The Delivery Driver
From the driver’s perspective, adding optional benefits to their own personal policy could provide extra peace of mind by ensuring income support if an accident occurs.
[Customer J]: The Office Worker
The descriptions of the statutory accident benefits in this document is a summary of the statutory accident benefits in Ontario Regulation 34/10 (the “SABS”). Do not rely on this summary alone. For full details, refer to the SABS or speak with your insurer, agent, or broker.
Starting July 1, 2026, Ontario is making changes to auto insurance to give drivers more choice and flexibility. Drivers will be able to choose benefits to fit their needs and budget. Medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits will remain mandatory to ensure everyone has access to essential recovery support. All other accident benefit coverages, such as income replacement, will become optional.
Medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits will remain mandatory to ensure everyone has access to essential recovery support.
To provide drivers with more choice and flexibility, all other accident benefits will be optional, including:
Supplementary medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits, indexation and dependant care benefits will continue to be optional.
Every policyholder can add or remove optional accident benefits from their policy.
Starting July 1, 2026, optional benefits under your auto policy will only apply to:
Some Ontarians already pay for benefits through their employer or private insurance plans. These reforms eliminate a one-size-fits-all approach, and consumers will no longer have to pay for benefits they may already have elsewhere or do not want to buy.
Starting July 1, 2026, you can tailor your auto insurance to fit your personal situation. That means you will not have to pay for benefits you do not need, and you can choose to add benefits that provide extra protection for you and your family.
Ontario’s is making changes to auto insurance that puts consumers in the driver’s seat – providing you with more choice and control over your coverage to fit your needs and budget. If you choose to remove benefits that have now become optional from your existing coverage, it may impact your premium.
Before choosing the cheapest option, consider what you would do if you were injured and unable to work, needed treatment, or required help at home.
The best decision is an informed one.
