We’re more than just insurance. Here you’ll find tips and tricks for your insurance, and what we bring into our local communities.

Nicole Bentzen 12/20/22 Nicole Bentzen 12/20/22

Distance-based Discount

ICBC is introducing a new distance-based discount in 2023, as they begin to offer more usage-based insurance. If you drive less than 10,000 kilometers in a year, submit your odometer reading to potentially get a discount on your ICBC optional insurance next year.

Distance-based discount

About the discount

You may be eligible for the discount if you:

Drive less than 10,000 kilometers per year
Provide two odometer readings a year apart, as proof of your driving distance
Have a 12-month Autoplan policy with ICBC optional coverage
Have a vehicle within an eligible rate class. Although most vehicles are eligible for this discount, some are not, such as motorcycles, motorhomes and collector vehicles. Talk to an Autoplan broker to find out if your vehicle is eligible.

The qualifying period for the distance-based discount starts when you provide the first vehicle odometer reading at your annual renewal or when you purchase a new policy. In a year's time, at your next renewal, the odometer reading will need to be provided again to determine if the vehicle was driven less than 10,000 kilometers during the year.

If you're eligible, a discount ranging between 5 and 15 percent will then be applied to select ICBC optional coverages on your renewed policy. The less you drive, the greater the discount. If you drove your vehicle more than 10,000 kilometers in the prior 12 months, you won't be eligible for a discount (but you won't be charged more for driving more either).

The distance-based discount is different from our existing low-kilometer discount, which is for vehicles driven less than 5,000 kilometers in a year and applied to your Basic insurance and Extended Third Party Liability and Collision coverage, if you have it. If you're already eligible for the low-kilometer discount, you'll likely be eligible for the distance-based discount as well, since they may apply to different coverages and may be higher.

How to submit your odometer reading

No matter how much you expect to drive over your 12-month policy term, you can submit your odometer reading. This means you'll have the first piece of proof on file when the discount comes into effect in 2023, should you drive less than 10,000 kilometers over that period.

You can submit your odometer reading:

When you purchase a new policy
When you renew your policy online, at an Autoplan broker's office or by phone or email

If you were unable to provide the reading when you purchased or renewed your policy, you can submit it online or through your broker any time in your policy term. However, to be eligible for the new discount, proof of your odometer reading must be dated no earlier than seven days before the date you renewed or purchased your current policy and no later than seven days after that same date.

Expanding usage-based insurance at ICBC

Usage-based insurance is vehicle insurance that's priced based on individual driver behaviors. Some of this insurance tracks distances driven, while other usage-based insurance, for example, tracks speed and braking with devices or smartphone apps. This customized approach gives customers more control over their premium costs and has already been implemented in countries around the world, as well as in some Canadian provinces.

We've been hearing from our customers that they're interested in the flexibility provided by usage-based options, like the low-kilometer discount we introduced in 2019. Now, we're working on bringing more of these products and discounts to you in the years ahead, starting with the distance-based discount launching in 2023. We expect that approximately 40 percent of customers with vehicles in eligible rate classes will qualify for this discount.

ICBC's Techpilot project

As part of our research into usage-based insurance, we created the Techpilot project to learn more about using telematics technology to make driving safer. Techpilot recruited drivers with less than five years of driving experience and asked them to drive with a device that provided feedback on their driving behaviors.

Explore the Techpilot project and its encouraging results.

Odometer readings and your privacy

Your odometer readings are submitted to ICBC and stored within Canada, in compliance with our Privacy statement.

These readings do not contain any personally identifying information, so providing them does not pose an increased risk to your privacy.

Nicole Bentzen 3/8/22 Nicole Bentzen 3/8/22

Registration & Insurance for Your Out of Province Vehicle

Are you moving to B.C.? There are a few steps you need to take in order to register and insure your vehicle here. Find out how!

Welcome to British Columbia!

and the world of ICBC Insurance…

ICBC’s Autoplan insurance products and services are available through more than 900 independent brokers (like us at Maxxam). ICBC’s driver licensing services are available through approximately 120 different offices, including expressways, Service BC centers and, appointed agency offices throughout B.C. However, in regards to your insurance needs - we’re bias… Maxxam is the best.

ICBC Autoplan made easy for out-of-province customers.

How long can you use your out of country or province driver's license?

If you are now a new resident of B.C., you can use your valid driver's license from another province or country for up to 90 days. If you're a tourist, you can drive in B.C. for up to six months as long as you have a valid driver's license from outside B.C.
Non-resident drivers, such as tourists and short-term workers, are able to drive in B.C. using their valid out-of-province driver's license for up to six months from the date they last entered the province. The six-month time period applies to all non-resident drivers, including those who may also have an international driving permit.
ICBC is unable to issue a driver's license to a non-BC resident. These customers should be directed to their home jurisdiction for any driver licensing needs, such as obtaining a renewal or replacement.

For more information regarding your driver’s license, please see icbc.com.

Here is B.C. we have an L (Learners), an N (NOVIS), and a full-license criteria.

How do you register and insure your vehicle?

If you move here with a vehicle (or if you're a returning B.C. resident), you need to register, license and insure the vehicle within 30 days of arriving. If you're driving a commercial motor vehicle, it must be registered, licensed and insured in B.C. immediately.

Passenger vehicles and most other vehicles will need to pass a mechanical safety inspection at a B.C. designated inspection facility before they can be registered, licensed and insured. These facilities are listed at th.gov.bc.ca/cvse.

When your vehicle has passed the inspection, bring the vehicle, the inspection report and the Vehicle Registration to us to register, license and insure it. You'll need to hand in your out-of-province plates (or send them back to your province). Make sure you bring valid primary ID and one piece of secondary ID. Go to icbc.com/accepted-ID to confirm acceptable ID.

If you're bringing a vehicle to B.C. from Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba… YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR AN EXEMPTION FROM A PROVINCIAL INSPECTION.

The vehicle owner must be:

a new or returning to B.C. resident, and
the same owner(s) in the previous jurisdiction making the application for registration in B.C.

The vehicle must have:

been registered in Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba immediately prior to being imported to B.C. and
privately owned or leased by an individual(s) and not a company.

Any of the following vehicle must be 3,500 kg or less:

passenger vehicle
commercial vehicle or
motorhome

The model year of the vehicle must be either:

four years old (current year inclusive) or less; for example in 2018, vehicle model released in 2018 (year 1), 2017 (year 2), 2016 (year 3), 2015 (year 4), or
five years old or more and must have passed a provincial vehicle safety inspection in the previous jurisdiction within the last 90 days.

Vehicles not eligible for this exemption:

Vehicles with a salvage, rebuilt, or altered status on the Interprovincial Record Exchange or supporting documents
Vehicles owned or leased by a company or organization.

Contact us directly for more information whether your vehicle is exempt or not!

Do you need to pay tax when you register?

When you register your vehicle you will need to complete a Transfer/Tax form (APV9T) which is available at any Autoplan broker. Provincial sales tax (PST @ 12%) is payable at the time of registration, unless an exemption applies. If you are a new resident to B.C. and you bring a vehicle into the province solely for non-business use, the vehicle is exempt from PST provided that:

the vehicle arrives in B.C. within one year of you becoming a resident of the province, and
you owned the vehicle for at least 30 days before you became a resident of B.C.

Customers who don't qualify for the settler's effects exemption must pay PST on either

the vehicle's depreciated value, or
50 per cent of its purchase price whichever amount is greater.
UNLESS, you have a hybrid or fully-electric vehicle. No tax is collected as of Feb. 23rd, 2022 - see our blog post on this here.

In conclussion…

An out-of-province (or country) transfer can seem daunting, but realistically if you have all of the required documentation - it’s quick and easy with us at Maxxam Insurance. Our approach has always been to educate the insured on all of the options available to them. If you have questions regarding your registration and/or insurance, please contact us today!