Help & Support - Auto Insurance

This covers the cost of damage to your vehicle by something other than a collision or overturning. Examples are:

• Falling or flying objects
• Broken glass
• Vandalism
• Animal impact

It covers you against many types of damage, but there are some exclusions, including:

• Theft by a household member
• Damage caused by a breakdown
• Corrosion

This coverage is optional in most provinces, but if you finance or lease a vehicle, the financial institution may require you have it.

This is a very broad type of coverage. It covers everything that Collision and Comprehensive cover, plus theft by somebody in the household or by an employee.

This coverage is optional in most provinces, but if you finance or lease a vehicle, the financial institution may require you have it.

Your insurance applies where the vehicle is being operated, used, stored or parked within Canada or the U.S., and on a vessel travelling between ports of those countries.

You must buy your insurance in the province where your vehicle is registered. That's usually your province of residence.

Provincial regulations have specific guidelines as to what is and is not personal use for your vehicle. Carrying paying passengers is not a coverage under your personal auto policy. Whether or not your automobile will be used to "carry passengers for compensation" would have been addressed as one of the questions you answered on the original application for insurance.

If you have an accident while using your vehicle as an Uber driver, you could face serious financial challenges in both the costs to repair your vehicle and liability expenses. Property damage costs will likely be your responsibility. Another consideration is, if your passenger is injured in an accident while you are using your vehicle as an Uber driver and your claim is denied, your personal automobile insurance policy may not respond to cover injuries.

Finally, if you're using your vehicle to carry paying passengers and do not have the required municipal license, you could be facing a fine by local bylaw officials. Cities such as Toronto, Ottawa and others are ticketing and fining Uber drivers. Driving for a ride sharing company such as Uber may lead to significant coverage issues and may result in your policy cancellation.

This is a coverage available in Alberta, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Direct Compensation Property Damage means that you deal with your own insurance company for a claim, regardless of who is at fault for the accident and your claim will be processed without waiting for a third party decision. In some provinces, this covers damage to your vehicle and/or its contents if another person was fully or partly at fault for the accident.

It is called direct compensation because even though someone else causes the damage, you collect directly from your insurance company. It is a standard inclusion in your policy when you purchase third party liability insurance.

All drivers in Canada are required by law to have a minimum amount of Third Party Liability Coverage.

Third Party Liability Coverage protects you if someone else is seriously injured or dies, or if their property is damaged, caused during the use of your vehicle. It will pay for claims as a result of lawsuits against you up to the limit of your coverage, and will pay the costs associated with settling the claims.

Many claim settlements are in the millions of dollars. Should there be a court settlement against you higher than the liability limit on your policy, the court judgement would then be applied against you and your assets.

Please contact us if you would like to discuss increasing your Third Party Liability Coverage.

Roadside Assistance is a comprehensive roadside and travel assistance service that brings peace of mind to you and every driver of your private passenger vehicle. It includes:

• Towing within 50 kms of initial mechanical breakdown
• Battery boosting
• Gas delivery up to 10 litres
• Tire change
• Lockout assistance
• Extraction of stuck automobile

You can view complete details on Roadside Assistance in the service contract included with your policy documents.

If you are interested in adding Roadside Assistance, please contact us to discuss and reference your policy number for quicker service*.

If you already have Roadside Assistance and are in need of assistance now, please call 1.855.572.6842

*Roadside assistance is an optional paid endorsement to your auto insurance with Scotia Home & Auto Insurance. Services are provided by an independent third-party provider.   

Every case is different. Contact us to discuss. Our claims service is available 24/7 every day of the year.