What does no-fault insurance mean in Ontario?
No-fault means an insured deals with their own insurer after a collision, and their accident benefits are paid regardless of who caused it. It does not mean nobody is at fault. Sutherland Insurance arranges auto insurance across Ontario from Guelph, under rules set by the Insurance Act.
Part of the Sutherland Insurance guide to auto insurance in Ontario.
The short answer
The term describes who pays, not whether blame is assigned. Fault is still determined under the Fault Determination Rules, still recorded, and still used in rating at renewal.
What does no-fault actually change?
It changes the route a claim takes. Rather than claiming against the other driver's insurer and waiting for liability to be settled, an insured claims from their own insurer, which pays accident benefits and, through direct compensation property damage, vehicle damage where the other driver was at fault.
The point is speed. Payment does not wait on an argument between insurers about who was responsible.
Fault is still assigned in percentages under the Fault Determination Rules, a regulation under the Insurance Act, and a driver found at fault carries that on their record.
What does it mean for an Ontario driver after a collision?
The first call is to their own insurer or broker, not the other driver's. Exchanging information at the scene still matters, because the other driver's details are what allow direct compensation to be applied.
Sutherland Insurance makes an in-house claims representative available to every client who has a claim, alongside the broker who placed the policy.
Claims are reported on 519-822-0160, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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