Starting July 1, 2026, many accident benefits that have been automatically included in Ontario’s standard automobile policy will become optional. Protections like income replacement, caregiver benefits, and death benefits will no longer be there by default. If you do not actively choose them and pay an additional premium, they will not be available to you after a crash.
Most Ontario drivers do not know this is coming. Many will only find out when it is too late.
What Drivers Need to Know Before Benefits Become Optional
The information on this page draws on public education materials produced by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA). OTLA has launched a consumer awareness campaign on these changes and has made video and written resources available at truthaboutinsurance.ca. We are sharing this because our clients and the broader Ontario public deserve to understand what is changing and what it means for their families.
Starting July 1, 2026, only three accident benefits remain mandatory: medical benefits, rehabilitation benefits, and attendant care benefits. These cover treatment, therapy, and personal care support, and they remain in place regardless of the policy you hold.
Everything else moves to optional status. That means benefits like income replacement, caregiver support, and death benefits will no longer be automatically included. They will be available to purchase, but only if you specifically choose them and pay an additional premium.
The practical consequence is straightforward. A policy that looks comprehensive on paper may now provide considerably less support after a serious crash than a comparable policy did before July 1, 2026. The coverage gap will not be visible until it is needed.
| Benefits under Ontario accident benefits | Before July 1, 2026 | After July 1, 2026 | How this could affect you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Treatment related support remains part of mandatory coverage. |
| Rehabilitation benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Rehabilitation support remains mandatory. |
| Attendant care benefits | Included | Remain mandatory | Personal care support remains mandatory. |
| Benefits that become optional on July 1, 2026. Important protections may no longer be automatically included unless specifically selected | |||
| Income replacement benefits | Included | Optional | Provides partial income support if you or another insured person cannot work because of injuries from a car accident. |
| Non-earner benefits | Included | Optional | Provides financial support during recovery where an insured person is a student, unemployed, or otherwise not earning income, and accident injuries prevent that person from continuing to live a normal life. |
| Caregiver benefits | Included | Optional | Provides financial support to help cover the cost of replacement care if accident injuries prevent you or another insured person from caring for a dependent family member, such as a child or other family member. |
| Lost educational expenses | Included | Optional | Can help cover education related costs already paid, such as tuition and books, if injuries from a car accident prevent an insured person from continuing with school or another educational program. |
| Visitor expenses | Included | Optional | Helps cover reasonable costs for family members or others who visit you or another insured person while recovering from accident-related injuries. |
| Housekeeping and home maintenance | Included only where injuries met Catastrophic determination. | Optional | Can help pay for housekeeping and home maintenance services when accident-related injuries leave you or another insured person unable to manage those tasks. |
| Damage to personal items | Included | Optional | Helps with the cost of repairing or replacing personal items damaged in the accident, such as clothing, prescription eyewear, or hearing aids. |
| Death benefits | Included | Optional | Provides compensation to eligible family members where an insured person dies as a result of injuries from a car accident. |
| Funeral related benefits | Included | Optional | Helps pay certain funeral related expenses following a fatal car accident. |
Source: Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA). For the full consumer resource, visit truthaboutinsurance.ca.
Before July 1, 2026, accident benefits were broad enough to cover people beyond just the policyholder. A pedestrian hit by a car, a cyclist struck on the road, or a passenger in a vehicle could access benefits through Ontario’s standard auto insurance system.
After July 1, the optional benefits that are no longer automatically included will only apply to people connected directly to a specific policy: the named policyholder, their spouse, their dependants, and any drivers listed on the policy.
What this means in practical terms is that if you are a passenger in someone else’s car, a pedestrian, or a cyclist, and you are injured in a collision, you may no longer have access to the same accident benefits that previously would have been available to you.
If you own a policy yourself, these optional benefits are there for you to choose. But if your only connection to a vehicle is as an occasional passenger or as someone sharing the road, the protection that once applied to you may no longer be there.
The impact of these changes will not be felt at renewal. It will be felt after a crash, at a moment when everything is already difficult.
Consider a few situations that are not unusual after a serious motor vehicle accident.
If you are injured and cannot return to work, income replacement benefits have historically provided partial earnings support during your recovery. After July 1, that support will only be there if you chose it and paid for it. For many households, even a few weeks without income creates pressure that compounds the stress of an injury.
If your injuries prevent you from caring for your children or another dependent family member, caregiver benefits have helped cover the cost of replacement care. That protection becomes optional under the new rules. Families with young children or aging parents in their care face real logistical and financial consequences if that support is not in place.
If a young person in your household was injured and already paid tuition or program fees for a semester they can no longer complete, lost educational expenses coverage has helped recover those costs. That benefit is now optional.
If a fatal collision leaves your family with immediate funeral costs and no income from the person who was lost, death benefits and funeral-related benefits provided a measure of financial support during an unimaginable time. Both are now optional.
None of these scenarios are extreme. They reflect what families routinely face after serious collisions. The difference after July 1 is that the financial support attached to those situations will no longer be automatic. It will depend entirely on choices made at renewal, often without a clear understanding of what was at stake.
Contact your broker or agent and ask specifically which accident benefits will remain in your policy after July 1, 2026. Get the answer in writing.
Do not assume a renewing policy carries forward all prior protections. Optional benefits that were previously mandatory may not be included unless you actively request them.
If you are getting a new quote, confirm whether optional benefits are included. A lower premium may mean reduced protection, not a better rate.
Ask whether your current liability limits still make sense given the reduction in default accident benefit coverage.
Visit truthaboutinsurance.ca for the full consumer resource produced by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA).
If you or a family member has been injured in a motor vehicle accident and you have questions about your coverage, your accident benefits, or your legal options, Campisi is here to help. Our team works with injured Ontarians across the province and understands what is at stake when insurance protections fall short.
Information on this page is based on materials produced by the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA). For the full consumer resource, visit truthaboutinsurance.ca.
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