Personal Automobile Insurance, OAP 1, OPCFs, SABS & the Auto Statutes

RIBO entry-level (Level 1) licensing exam, Personal Auto domain (~25% of the scored question count under the January 2025 competency profile). This is preview study scaffold derived from the public Ontario Automobile Policy (OAP 1), the public OPCF endorsement library, public Ontario auto statutes, and the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS, O. Reg. 34/10). It is draft content pending review by a human RIBO-licensed subject-matter expert, verify limits, premium rules, and statutory text against current ribo.com / FSRA bulletins / e-Laws before relying on it. ExamCAN is an independent study tool, not affiliated with RIBO; "RIBO" is used for identification only.

Ontario's auto insurance regime is built on a small stack of mandatory instruments.

• The Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act (CAIA), R.S.O. 1990, c. C.25, makes it an offence to operate or permit the operation of a motor vehicle on a highway in Ontario without a contract of automobile insurance providing at least the minimum statutory coverage.
• The Insurance Act (Ontario), R.S.O. 1990, c. I.8, Part VI sets the statutory framework for automobile contracts, including statutory conditions, cancellation rules, and the no-fault accident benefits regime.
• The Ontario Automobile Policy (OAP 1) is the standard contract approved by FSRA. Every personal auto policy in Ontario is written on OAP 1; differences between insurers come through endorsements (OPCFs), not through alternate base policies.
• The liability insurance card (the "pink slip" / pink card) is the prescribed proof of insurance under CAIA. The card must be carried in the vehicle and produced on demand to a police officer.

The statutory minimum third-party liability limit in Ontario is $200,000 combined single limit, but FSRA, brokers, and consumer groups universally recommend $1,000,000 or $2,000,000 because judgments routinely exceed the floor in serious-injury cases. Carrying the statutory minimum is rarely a defensible recommendation; document any client who insists on it.

Common mistake: confusing the statutory minimum with a "normal" recommendation. The minimum keeps you legal. It does not keep you solvent after a serious-injury at-fault loss.

⚠️ Trap: Driving without a valid contract of automobile insurance is a strict-liability offence under CAIA. Fines escalate sharply on a second conviction, and a driver convicted of the offence may have their licence and plates suspended.

Recall: What is the statutory minimum third-party liability limit in Ontario, and what is the typical recommended limit? Which statute makes uninsured operation an offence?