You are required to carry auto insurance. You should not have to guess what protection it actually includes.
What is changing on July 1, 2026?
Ontario is changing the accident benefits system.
Starting July 1, 2026, the only Statutory Accident Benefits automatically included in Ontario’s standard automobile policy will be medical benefits, rehabilitation benefits and attendant care benefits. Many other accident benefits that Ontarians may have assumed were already built into their coverage will become optional instead.
That change is being framed as more choice. But for many drivers and families, it may also mean more confusion, more fine print, and more risk of finding out too late that an important protection was not there.
What still stays in the standard policy?
After July 1, 2026, the only key accident benefits that remain automatically included in Ontario’s standard auto policy are medical benefits, rehabilitation benefits and attendant care benefits. Those protections are important, but they do not replace income support, family support or other practical help that can be just as critical after a serious crash.
A policy may still appear comprehensive while providing far less automatic protection than most people would reasonably expect.
Who is covered?
The newly optional benefits under your auto policy will only apply to:
- The named insured
- The spouse of the named insured
- Dependants of the named insured and of the named insured’s spouse
- Persons specified in the policy as drivers of the automobile
This means that some people, such as cyclists, pedestrians and certain passengers who may have been previously covered, may no longer be eligible for accident benefits.
What could this mean for you?
The real issue is not paperwork. It is what happens after a crash.
If you cannot work, if your family needs support, if school is interrupted or if a fatal collision leaves loved ones facing immediate costs, these are no longer benefits you can safely assume are automatically included. After July 1, 2026, many of these protections become optional. If you assume they are still part of your coverage because they used to be mandatory, but you did not choose the option, you may only discover the gap after a crash, when it is too late.
That is why this matters now, before renewal, before a policy change and before what might be the worst day of your life.
Families should not have to find out the hard way
After a serious collision, people are already dealing with pain, loss, stress, missed work, disrupted caregiving and financial pressure.
That is not the moment to discover that a benefit you thought was automatically included had become optional, leaving accident victims hurt twice, first by the crash itself, and then by learning too late that important protections they believed were there were not, because they were never chosen.
Why transparency matters
If people are required to buy insurance, they deserve clear answers about what protection remains automatic, what now depends on an active choice, and what that could mean for their family after a crash.
This is not just an insurance issue. It is a fairness issue.
Before you renew, ask these questions
- What accident benefits remain mandatory?
- Which protections are now optional?
- What would my family actually receive after a serious crash?
- What choices am I being asked to make, and what are the consequences if I say no?
Do not wait until after a crash to ask what your policy really covered.
| After July 1, 2026 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Treatment related support remains part of mandatory coverage. | ||
| Rehabilitation benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Rehabilitation support remains mandatory. | ||
| Attendant care benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Personal care support remains mandatory. | ||
| Benefits that become optional on July 1, 2026. Important protections may no longer be automatically included unless specifically selected | |||||
| Income replacement benefits | Included | Optional | Provides partial income support if you or another insured person cannot work because of injuries from a car accident. | ||
| Non-earner benefits | Included | Optional | Provides financial support during recovery where an insured person is a student, unemployed, or otherwise not earning income, and accident injuries prevent that person from continuing to live a normal life. | ||
| Caregiver benefits | Included | Optional | Provides financial support to help cover the cost of replacement care if accident injuries prevent you or another insured person from caring for a dependent family member, such as a child or other family member. | ||
| Lost educational expenses | Included | Optional | Can help cover education related costs already paid, such as tuition and books, if injuries from a car accident prevent an insured person from continuing with school or another educational program. | ||
| Visitor expenses | Included | Optional | Helps cover reasonable costs for family members or others who visit you or another insured person while recovering from accident-related injuries. | ||
| Housekeeping and home maintenance | Included only where injuries met Catastrophic determination. | Optional | Can help pay for housekeeping and home maintenance services when accident-related injuries leave you or another insured person unable to manage those tasks. | ||
| Damage to personal items | Included | Optional | Helps with the cost of repairing or replacing personal items damaged in the accident, such as clothing, prescription eyewear, or hearing aids. | ||
| Death benefits | Included | Optional | Provides compensation to eligible family members where an insured person dies as a result of injuries from a car accident. | ||
| Funeral related benefits | Included | Optional | Helps pay certain funeral related expenses following a fatal car accident. | ||
Frequently asked questions
Ontario is changing accident benefits coverage so that medical, rehabilitation and attendant care remain mandatory, while other accident benefits become optional.
No. Some important benefits remain mandatory. The issue is that the automatically included Accident Benefit coverage may be less than many people expect.
Policies are intended to renew with the same coverages and limits unless the customer requests a change in writing. However, policies or quotes from another insurer will not include the optional benefits unless specifically purchased. That is why it is so important to understand any options presented to you. You should ask your broker or agent whether your prior benefits have all been renewed or whether any changes were made to your policy. Do not assume they are included. Ask your broker or agent if you should opt in to any optional benefits if you are obtaining new quotes from another insurer.
For new policies, benefits that many people may have previously assumed were automatically included will no longer be part of the standard coverage unless they are specifically selected as optional add-ons. Additionally, optional benefits may no longer apply to some people, such as pedestrians, cyclists and certain passengers, who would have been covered under the standard Ontario automobile policy, prior to July 1, 2026.
Because many people do not know the technical names of accident benefits, they may not realize that protections they once received automatically are no longer included unless they are specifically selected, usually for an additional premium.
What you can do now
Review your policy now
Do not assume your current protection will always remain automatic. With this change, consumer should also consider increasing your liability coverage to fill gaps.
Ask what is no longer included by default
Get the answer in plain language before you renew.
Protect your family before the rules change
A few direct questions now could prevent a devastating surprise later.
HELP REBALANCE THE SYSTEM
Share your story, show your support, educate our government and spread the word! Together we can change the system so it works for consumers and accident victims - not just for insurance companies.