Types of Coverage
There are a number of coverages available from ICBC’s Autoplan. One of our staff at Wightman & Smith Insurance will assist you in determining the coverages that best meet your needs.
Basic
Basic Autoplan insurance is compulsory for anyone in B.C. who owns a car. It covers you in five different ways:
- Third-Party Legal Liability: Coverage for the property of others, including vehicles, as well as bodily injury for which you are at fault and legally liable. All vehicles licensed in BC have the minimum limit of $200,000 coverage.
- Accident Benefits: Regardless of fault, accident benefits provide coverage for medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, wage loss, funeral costs, and death benefits.
- Underinsured Motorist Protection (UMP): If a motorist is at fault in a crash and does not have adequate insurance to pay for your damages, this coverage provides you with up to $1 million in coverage. UMP can be increased from $1 million to $2 million with an additional policy endorsement.
- Hit and Run and Uninsured Motorist Coverage: All B.C. residents are automatically covered for up to $200,000 if their property is damaged or if they are injured or killed by an uninsured or hit and run driver.
- Inverse Liability: This coverage protects you in the parts of Canada and the U.S. where the law prohibits you from recovering losses from a driver who was at-fault for a crash.
Optional Coverages
Basic liability coverage, as outlined above, is all that you are required to carry on your vehicle in terms of insurance coverage. Most people prefer additional coverage to Basic Autoplan and ICBC provides you with several different optional coverages to meet your insurance needs:
- Collision: Coverage for damage caused to your own vehicle, when you are in an accident and at fault. Collision coverage applies if your vehicle is damaged as a result of a collision or upset, with another vehicle, a person, the ground, or an object.
- Comprehensive: Comprehensive includes any loss not covered by collision. This coverage includes fire, theft, vandalism, impact with an animal, glass, malicious mischief, windstorm, earthquake, falling objects, riot, rising water and other perils.
- Special Perils: This is a scaled back form of comprehensive insurance. Perils insured include, but are not limited to, fire, theft, windstorm and rising water. However, with specified perils you are not insured for some perils, particularly vandalism and impact with animals, which are covered under comprehensive.
Replacement Cost / Limited Depreciation
These coverages apply to ownership of a vehicle which is less than three model years old. Without either of these endorsements, you are insured for ‘book value’ or average market value of your vehicle at the time of the loss.
- Replacement Cost: This coverage will replace your vehicle (in the event of a total loss) with the most current model of the same vehicle. For partial losses, you will receive new replacement parts and will not be subject to depreciation. See our office for more details on this endorsement.
- Limited Depreciation: This coverage endorsement removes the effect of depreciation from a settlement in the event of claim. Without the endorsement a settlement would fully reflect depreciation, with the endorsement depreciation is not deducted from your original purchase price of the vehicle (in the event of a total loss).
Roadstar / Roadside Plus
Roadside Plus: The Roadside Plus Package combines eight coverages for one low price. It is available to anyone who has purchased Autoplan Collision coverage with a deductible of $500 or less. The coverages included are:
- Loss of Use Coverage: A temporary replacement vehicle is provided if yours is unusable because it was damaged or stolen, no matter who is at fault.
- Travel Protection Coverage: This helps with extra costs that result when your vehicle is stolen or damaged while you are travelling. This includes meals, hotel, or transportation home.
- Rental Vehicle Coverage: This protects users of courtesy cars or rented vehicles, where there is a written agreement for 30 days or less. Coverage includes but is not limited to extended third party legal liability, collision, and comprehensive.
- Family World Wide Transportation: If you’re in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, this will provide your immediate family members the transportation needed to get them to your side.
- Lock Re-keying: Replaces your keys or re-keys your locks if your keys have been stolen.
- Theft Deductible Waiver: Covers the deductible on your Comprehensive or Specified Perils policy if your vehicle is stolen.
- Destination Assistance: Get where you need to go if your car has been vandalized, stolen, or damaged in an accident – up to $100 can be reimbursed.
- Emergency Roadside Expense Repayment: Repayment for up to two incidents per policy in the case of breakdown, dead battery, flat tire, etc – up to $50 reimbursed.
- Roadstar Package: The Roadstar Package is a scaled back version of the Roadside Plus package. It is only available to those with a Roadstar Status. The coverages included are:
- Loss of Use Coverage: A temporary replacement vehicle is provided if yours is unusable because it was damaged or stolen, no matter who is at fault.
- Travel Protection Coverage: This helps with extra costs that result when your vehicle is stolen or damaged while you are travelling. This includes meals, hotel, or transportation home.
- Rental Vehicle Coverage: This protects users of courtesy cars or rented vehicles, where there is a written agreement for 30 days or less. Coverage includes but is not limited to extended third party legal liability, collision, and comprehensive.
- Lock Re-keying: Replaces your keys or re-keys your locks if your keys have been stolen.
Roadstar Status:
Roadstar drivers can receive additional savings and discounts. To qualify you need to maintain a claim-free record with no chargeable claims for more than nine consecutive years. After fifteen years, you can qualify as Roadstar Gold.
Storage
You can buy a storage policy for your vehicle when it is parked and out of use for a period of time. Storage policies run from three to twelve months. Coverages available are equivalent to those available as if your vehicle was licensed and on the road.
Rental Vehicle
This coverage includes Third-Party Legal Liability, Accident Benefits, Underinsured Motorist Protection, Collision, Comprehensive, and Loss of Use. The premium provided for this is usually much lower than what rental companies may offer. Check with us to discuss the uses and limitations of this policy.
Special Coverages & Other Coverages
ICBC offers numerous other special coverages that may be of benefit to you, including:
- Excess Special Equipment
- Special Sound and Communication Equipment Endorsement
- Vehicle Travel Protection
- Vintage Motor Vehicle Policy
- Conversion Coverage Policy
- Fuel Conversion Equipment Policy
- Collector Motor Vehicle Agree Value Policy
- Trailers, whether for personal or commercial use
- Motorcycles can also be covered through Autoplan
If you would like to more information about any of these coverages, please feel free to contact us. An agent here will be happy to help you.
Fleets
Fleets are available to an insured with at least five number plates. Fleet policies can receive up to a 63% discount. Come and talk to us for more information on fleets.
Snowmobiles / ATV’s
You can purchase insurance for any off-road vehicles, used for pleasure-use only. An Unlicensed Vehicle Policy will cover such things as snowmobiles, ATVs, dune buggies, and all-terrain vehicles. You do not need a license to drive these vehicles, but you must be at least 16 years of age to operate a vehicle under this policy. Storage policies are also available in this category.