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Oakville Beaver | Thursday, July 27,2023 | 30 insidehalton.com ATTENTION/ READERS: Strawberry, Moose Tracks or Vanilla? What’s your favourite ice cream flavour? VOTENOW! We all have a favourite ice cream flavour. Whether it’s one that takes you back to your childhood, or one you now like to eat right out of the carton with a Spoon, we want to know what it Over the course of several weeks these flavours will go head-to-head in our next Sizzlin’ Summer Playdown. Cast a vote to see your favourite advance to the next round. SCAN THE QR CODE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE! INSIDEHALTON.COM e%e *, metroland TB MONEY MATTERS WHAT DOES MY INSURANCE COVER IF MY CAR GETS STOLEN? SRIVINDHYA KOLLURU The number of vehicle thefts in Toronto almost tripled between 2015 and 2022, according to a recent Canadian Finance & Leas- ing Association report — and that rampant theft is driving up imams across the pro’ Average auto j insurance rates across Ontario cities part due to the increase in theft, according to Rates- lotca, and the average pre- mium for an Ontario driver is $1,744. The premium is what keeps your policy in force. But even with such high premiums, you may be sur- prised to learn that most basic taney don't completely rotect you in the someone steals your car. cat While will eover the cost ofreplac- ing your car, most basic policies will only cover the depreciated value, so it's unlikely you'll be able to buy a new one if your car gets stolen. Similarly, un- der most policies you'll on- ly be covered for the depre- ited cash value of items physically mounted to your vehicle, such as roof racks. Personal items left an the car often are often ni covered, but tho: se weld be covered under home or renter's insurance policies. You would need compre- hensive auto coverage, which includes policy add- ons, to protect you from the theft of such items. Some vehicles are more susceptible to theft, and ‘ing one can raise your premium. While every in- A te Metroland file photo Ontario cities have surged 12 per: cent in 2023 compared to 2021, in part due to a rise in car thefts, according to Ratesdotca. stolen a lot and insurance companies are losing a lot of money in terms of claims for thefts of a certain type of vehicle, then we can an- ticipate that there's a chance that those vehicles ee a surcharge on rena ee i Ivans._ ‘vans also recommends our broker about ‘nose of use" cov age. This coverage, also known as OPCF 20, covers the cost of a rental vehicle while your vehicle is being eoitea or repaired. Ivans ‘ge, some insurance companies are offering significant dis- counts or outright elimi- nating surcharges to driv- ers who install anti-theft tag devices or a club device on their steering wl Morgan avai etree: tor of RH Insurance in On- tario, says Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram pickup trucks often rank high on the list of most-stolen vehicles. Roberts says you need to contact your broker direct- ly to make sure your insur- ance policy covers you for vehicle theft. If you recently bought a new vehicle or are on the market for one, Ivans and ompile: its own list of the most-sto- le len vehicles, Daniel Ivans, trucks top these lists. “Ifa particular vehicle is Roberts chasinga waiver of depret ation. Ivans says this c¢ age will ensure your vehi. cle is covered based on the e price in- stead of its depreciated val- on, 2s it's far more afford- able than renting a vehicle out-of-pocket. (Depending on your insurance compa- ny, the OPCF 20 add-on can. cost about $60 to $80 per year, while you can expect to pay almost double that to rent acar per day in Onta- ee Bundling your ener together is the best way keep rates low," explains Ivans. Otherwise, he rec- ommends looking into us- e- can offer savings for good driving habits. "For theft specifically, the anti-theft tag and steering-wheel club are go- ing to be your two biggest allies depending on the in- surance company you're with," says Ivans.