Auto Insurance & ICBC Autoplan in Surrey, BC

Three setup mistakes that surface at claim time

None of these are obvious. All three are common in BC. Each is explained in depth further down the page — this is the short version, so you know what to ask us about.

• Wrong principal driver → coverage denied. ICBC treats it as material misrepresentation. The owner becomes personally liable for damages. Full explanation →
• Missing household driver → thousands billed back to ICBC. UDP doesn’t cover household members. UDAP can reach $5,000 on Basic plus more on Optional. Worked example →
• Wrong rate class → claim complications. Pleasure-rated vehicles used for delivery or ride-hailing leave you uncovered during platform shifts. Ride-hailing details →

We catch these before they become claim problems. That’s the advisor function. Call 604-582-0557 to have your setup checked.

How auto insurance works in BC

British Columbia splits auto insurance into two parts.

Basic Autoplan is mandatory and comes only from ICBC. Every vehicle on a BC road must have it. The price is set by ICBC and it’s the same at every broker in the province.

Optional coverage is where you have choices. Most drivers buy some Optional to go beyond the limits of Basic. Our job is to walk you through which Optional products fit your situation, so you’re not overpaying and not underinsured.

ICBC Basic Autoplan — what’s included

Basic Autoplan is a package of coverages you get when you register and insure a vehicle in BC. The main components:

• Enhanced Accident Benefits (Enhanced Care). Care, recovery, and income replacement if you’re injured in a crash — regardless of who’s at fault. There is no overall cap on care and recovery benefits. Income replacement pays up to 90% of your net income, based on gross annual income up to $122,500 (indexed annually for inflation). Applies to drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
• Third Party Liability — $200,000 for private passenger vehicles. Covers what you owe others if you’re at fault for non-vehicle property damage (a fence, a building) or in situations where the law still allows another driver to sue, including out-of-province crashes. $200,000 is not much. Most drivers top this up with Extended Third Party Liability — more on that below. Basic minimums are higher for specialized vehicle classes: $300K for taxis and limousines, $500K for buses, $1M for heavy commercial trucks and trailers ($2M if carrying dangerous goods).
• Basic Vehicle Damage — up to $200,000. Pays for repairs to your own vehicle when another BC-insured driver is at fault. This is a BC-specific mechanic: your own policy pays, not the at-fault driver’s. Faster, simpler, no waiting for the other insurer.
• Underinsured Motorist Protection — up to $1,000,000 per person. Kicks in if you or a household member is injured by an at-fault driver whose coverage isn’t enough.
• Inverse Liability Protection. Covers your vehicle repairs when you’re hit outside BC in a jurisdiction that doesn’t let you recover from the at-fault party.
• Unlisted Driver Protection (optional add-on to Basic, usually free). Explained in its own section below.

What you actually need — and who needs it

Most BC drivers buy more than Basic. Here’s the short list of what Optional covers and who tends to need it.

• Extended Third Party Liability. Raises your liability limit above the $200,000 in Basic — most drivers go to $1M or $2M. Essential for anyone who drives out of province, tows a trailer, or simply doesn’t want to gamble on the $200,000 ceiling.
• Collision. Pays to repair your vehicle after an at-fault crash. If your car is worth more than your wallet can replace out of pocket, you need this.
• Comprehensive. Theft, vandalism, fire, weather, falling objects (including rocks hitting your windshield), and animal strikes. Windshield chip repairs may be covered with no deductible, depending on your policy. Broader than Specified Perils.
• Hit and Run. Covers vehicle repair costs up to $200,000 when your vehicle is hit in BC by an unidentified driver. If you already have Collision coverage, hit-and-run damage is covered there. If not, this product is how you close the gap.
• Specified Perils. A cheaper alternative to Comprehensive, covering a named list (fire, theft, etc.) but not as broad. Rarely the best choice for a daily driver.
• Loss of Use / Rental Vehicle. Pays for a rental while your vehicle is being repaired after a covered claim. Inexpensive and almost always worth it.
• New Vehicle Replacement Plus, Replacement Cost, or Limited Depreciation. Three ICBC options that pay to replace a written-off newer vehicle with a comparable new one, instead of its depreciated cash value. Eligibility varies: NVR+ covers the first 2 model years with a 20%+ driver discount and reimburses your deductible; RCC covers the first 3 model years; LD covers most vehicles up to 3 model years. We walk through which one applies.
• Private Replacement Cost coverage. Longer-term and often broader than the ICBC options — available through private insurers for vehicles up to 3–5 model years old, often with coverage periods of 5 years or more and no driver-factor-discount requirement. Particularly worth considering for new EVs (where battery write-off risk is real) and newer vehicles being financed or leased. Ask us; not every BC broker carries private carriers.
• Roadside Assistance. Towing, boost, flat tire, lockout, fuel. Add it if you don’t have it through another source.
• Income Top-Up. If you earn more than the $122,500 Enhanced Care threshold and don’t have strong disability coverage elsewhere, this extends income replacement.

Which ones you need depends on your vehicle, how you use it, and your risk tolerance. Call us and we’ll walk through each one against your situation.

Not driving the vehicle for a while? Ask us about ICBC’s Vehicle in Storage policy. If your vehicle is off the road for a season — a motorcycle through winter, a second vehicle during a work relocation, or a car awaiting a learner’s road test — a Storage policy protects against theft, fire, vandalism, and weather for a fraction of full Autoplan cost. Short-term storage premiums are typically modest — call us for a current quote on your vehicle. A vehicle on a storage policy cannot be driven on public roads.

Unlisted Driver Protection — add it. It’s usually free.

Unlisted Driver Protection (UDP) is one of the most misunderstood coverages in the ICBC system — and one of the easiest wins for the client. It’s an add-on to your Basic Autoplan that protects you from a one-time financial consequence if someone who isn’t listed on your policy causes a crash in your vehicle. As long as no unlisted driver has caused a crash in your car, UDP is free.

UDP covers the occasional driver. Your friend borrows the car to move a couch. A visiting relative takes it to the grocery store. UDP is for these situations.

UDP does not cover household or regular drivers. If someone in your household drives the vehicle, or if anyone uses it on a regular basis, they must be listed on the policy. Skipping this can cost you at renewal time and at claim time — see the warning section below.

When we set up or renew your policy, we ask who lives in your home and who else drives the vehicle. It’s not nosy — it’s the cheapest insurance advice you’ll get all year.

What affects your rate in BC

ICBC sets Basic rates using a standard set of factors. The same factors move the number up or down:

• Driver factor. Each BC licensed driver has an Individual Driver Factor based on experience and crash history. Up to 40 years of driving experience is recognized. The lower the number, the lower the premium. An at-fault crash within the scan period moves it the other way.
• Listed drivers. Everyone in your household and anyone who regularly drives the vehicle should be listed. Their records factor into the rate.
• Territory. Surrey has a different rate class than Vancouver Island or the Interior. Your postal code matters.
• Rate class (how you use the vehicle). Pleasure, commute, business, delivery — different classes, different prices. Getting this wrong can void a claim.
• Annual kilometres. Lower-mileage drivers can qualify for a distance-based discount through ICBC.
• Vehicle. Repair cost, theft rate, and safety features all factor in.
• Deductible. Higher deductible lowers your premium — the right level depends on your cash flow.
• Unlisted Driver Protection. Free when you qualify. Always worth adding.

Top 5 things people ask before they call

If you’re scrolling looking for one specific answer, start here. The full 31-question FAQ is further down.

See all 31 questions in the full FAQ →

Renew your Autoplan in Surrey

You can renew your Autoplan up to 44 days before it expires. Three ways to do it: in person at our Surrey office, by phone or email (we handle it remotely and your documents land in your inbox the same day), or online through ICBC if you're eligible and not making changes.

Renewing today? Call 604-582-0557 or send your documents through our ICBC form. Most renewals take 10 minutes by phone.

Bought a vehicle? Switching brokers?

Bought a new or used vehicle? We can insure it in a few minutes — 15 minutes is the average across our team. Bring your paperwork to the office or email it and we’ll handle it by phone.

What to bring

• Valid BC driver’s licence
• Vehicle registration (transfer / tax form if you just bought it)
• Bill of sale for new purchases
• Your current policy or renewal reminder (if renewing or switching)
• Lienholder or lease information if the vehicle is financed or leased
• Co-owner details if the vehicle is in more than one name

Test-driving or inspecting a vehicle before you buy? You’ll need a Temporary Operation Permit (TOP) — a 1 to 15-day ICBC permit that covers the vehicle for the short-term drive. We issue them in office. For used-vehicle purchases, the seller either needs to come with you or provide written authorization — a buyer cannot TOP a vehicle they don’t yet legally own. ICBC sets TOP pricing on a fixed schedule, so it’s the same at every broker.

Why most people switch to us

• A claim went sideways somewhere else. Wrong principal driver. Missing household member. Rate class not matching how the vehicle was actually used. The setup error didn’t surface until the claim did.
• Their last renewal was done online with no review. No one flagged the missed discount, the new household driver, or the rate-class drift since last year.
• Their previous broker missed something. A discount they qualified for. A coverage gap. The Replacement Cost product that fit their vehicle’s age and driver profile.
• They moved to Surrey and wanted a local team. Multilingual office, evenings and weekends, same office for 30+ years — not a regional roll-up.

You don’t have to wait until a claim goes wrong to switch. Call us, send a photo of your current policy, or come in — we’ll review the setup and tell you plainly what we would change.

Switching brokers. You can switch any time — you don’t have to wait for your renewal date. Let us know and we’ll handle the transfer. Your ICBC policy doesn’t change; only who manages it for you does.

New plates, replacements, and personalized plates

Every new vehicle needs plates. Old plates get lost, stolen, or peel. And a lot of BC drivers want a plate that says something — their name, their favourite number, a lucky sequence. We handle all of it in the Surrey office.

New plates when you buy a vehicle

When you insure a newly purchased or first-time-registered vehicle with us, ICBC plates are issued at the same time. Standard BC plates are six characters. As of August 2025, ICBC began rolling out new character configurations because the old combinations were running out — so a newly issued plate may include letters like U, Y, or Z that you haven’t seen before. Letters I, O, and Q are still excluded for legibility.

Specialty BC Parks plates (Porteau Cove, Kermode, Purcell) are also available through our office — $50 to purchase, $40 to renew annually, on top of regular licensing.

Replacing lost, stolen, or damaged plates

Plates can’t be replaced online. The process depends on what happened:

• Lost or stolen plate(s). Report to police first to get a case or file number. Then come in with the file number, the remaining plate (if you still have one), and your insurance papers. We issue the replacement on the spot.
• Damaged plate. No police report needed. Bring the damaged plate and we’ll swap it for a new one.
• Peeling or delaminating plate. Free replacement — ICBC waives the $18 fee. This affects plates made 2007–2012 most often. Bring the plate in and we’ll handle it.
• Illegible or defective plate. Replace within 30 days. Driving with a defective plate carries a fine of up to $230 under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Standard replacement fee is $18. Free if the plate is delaminating.

Personalized (vanity) plates

A personalized plate lets you pick the letters and numbers that appear on your plate — your name, initials, a favourite phrase, a family number. We handle the application in office.

What it costs

• $100 one-time application fee (refunded if your slogan is rejected)
• $40 annual renewal for passenger vehicles, $50 for motorcycles and trailers — on top of regular vehicle licensing
• $18 substitution fee if the personalized plate is ever damaged or stolen

What it takes

• 2 to 6 letters and/or numbers (up to 7 total characters if you include a space or hyphen; 6 total for motorcycles)
• Letters I, O, and Q are excluded; no symbols (@, /, &, etc.)
• Active insurance on an eligible vehicle — not a Storage policy or Temporary Operation Permit
• Allow 10–12 weeks from approval to plate pickup

What’s not allowed

ICBC rejects plates that are obscene, derogatory, sexual, discriminatory, or reference alcohol or drugs (in any language). Trademark or copyright infringement is also blocked, as is anything that mimics another plate type (veteran, collector). ICBC can recall a plate later if complaints come in. We’ll tell you upfront whether a slogan is likely to pass.

Vanity plates cannot go on trailers, antique/collector vehicles, tractors, industrial vehicles, commercial trucks over 5,500 kg, or farm vehicles. If you don’t drive the plated vehicle for more than a year, the slogan goes back into the pool and someone else can take it.

The drivers we work with every day

• New drivers. We walk you through how the driver factor works, who needs to be listed, and what coverage actually matters in your first year. Call before you sign your first policy.
• New to BC / new to Canada. Bring your out-of-province or international driving history — some of it counts, and we’ll tell you what does. Bring your driving history when you come in.
• Families. One policy, several drivers, real advice on how to list the household correctly without overpaying. Add a new household driver before your next renewal, not after.
• Vehicle buyers. We insure new and used purchases on the spot. Call from the dealership if you need to. Call from the dealership — we’ll have you on the road in 15 minutes.
• EV and hybrid drivers. Basic Autoplan is the same for electric vehicles as any other car in BC, but the claim risks are different — battery damage can total a near-new EV. We walk through Replacement Cost endorsement options and check whether your distance, AEB, and (if applicable) Fuel Tax Refund discounts are actually stacking on your premium. Bought a new EV? Call before you finalize your Optional coverage.
• Business-use drivers. Getting the rate class right matters. We make sure your policy reflects how you actually use the vehicle. Switching to commercial or platform driving? Call before your first shift.
• Multilingual clients. Our team speaks Punjabi, Hindi, and English among other languages. Ask for someone who speaks the language you’re most comfortable in and we’ll connect you with them. Tell us your preferred language when you call.

Uber, Lyft, and transportation network services in BC

If you drive for Uber, Lyft, or another ride-hailing platform, your insurance needs are different from ordinary personal use. In BC, ride-hailing is treated as transportation network services (TNS), and ICBC places it under commercial insurance requirements.

The most important point is simple: do not assume a normal personal-use Autoplan policy is enough for app-based passenger driving. If you are carrying paying passengers through a platform, you need the right TNS setup in place before you start.

Ride-hailing is not the same as delivery

• Uber or Lyft with paying passengers = transportation network services / ride-hailing.
• Uber Eats or other delivery driving = delivery use, with its own rate class rules.

Those are not the same thing in ICBC’s system, and they should not be insured the same way. If you switch from personal use to platform driving, or from delivery into passenger service, call us before you do it.

When you should call us

• Before signing up to drive for Uber, Lyft, or another ride-hailing platform.
• Before changing from personal use to delivery or ride-hailing.
• If you already drive for an app and are not sure your vehicle is rated correctly.
• If you want to understand what is covered while the app is on, while waiting for a fare, or while carrying passengers.

We will tell you plainly whether you need a TNS-related setup, a delivery rate class, or a different commercial arrangement. It is much better to fix this before there is a claim than after.

Get the driver setup right — or pay at claim time

ICBC doesn’t just insure the vehicle. It prices the risk based on who is actually driving it.

ICBC starts from a presumption of access: anyone living in your household is assumed to have the ability to drive your vehicles. The policy has to reflect that reality, or the coverage doesn’t hold up when a claim is made.

Two setup mistakes cost BC drivers more coverage and more money at claim time than any other single issue. Neither is explained clearly on most broker websites. Here they are.

Frequently asked questions