Anyone who has moved to a different province can tell you how much the cost of owning a vehicle varies from place to place. Insurance fees, fuel prices and invasive emissions tests and registration fees all drive up the cost of owning a car. These fees make owning a car very expensive and make owning multiple cars very tricky indeed. But what province is the most expensive one to own and drive a car in?
These statistics were pulled from a variety of sources. The Insurance costs were compiled from Our Insurance Canada and represent the average provincial rates from 2013. The fuel costs are from GasBuddy.com and represent today’s rates. The annual fuel costs were calculated using the average annual Canadian driving distance of 15,200 kilometres per person and the fact that the average car sold in North America in 2013 got 9.8 L/100 km.
Prince Edward Island is officially the cheapest province to insure and fuel a car.
Supplied, Wikipedia
Prince Edward Island
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.39 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,083
Annual insurance average: $649
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $2,732
There’s little remarkable about PEI’s gas prices but the province’s insurance premiums are the envy of the nation. PEI residents paid just $649 per year on average to insure their vehicle.
Newfoundland has some of the cheapest insurance in Canada
Supplied, Driving
Newfoundland
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.41 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,112
Annual insurance average: $749
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $2,861
Again, the cheap premiums of Newfoundland make the rest of Canada jealous. This is the second cheapest province to insure and fuel a car in.
Manitoba is the cheapest non-coastal province to own a car in.
Supplied, Wikipedia
Manitoba
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.30 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $1,948
Annual insurance average: $1,027
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $2,975
Manitoba is the cheapest non-coastal province to own a car in. Relatively cheap gas and sane insurance rates make this a haven for cheap driving.
Nova Scotia roads
Supplied, Fotopedia
Nova Scotia
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.41 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,112
Annual insurance average: $906
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,018
Once again, Maritime provinces have cheap premiums but costly gas keeps Nova Scotia from being the cheapest province.
Saskatchewan Road
Supplied, Wikipedia
Saskatchewan
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.32 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $1,978
Annual insurance average: $1,049
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,027
Despite having costlier gas than Alberta, Saskatchewan insurance premiums are cheaper and make the average cost of owning a vehicle around $300 less expensive per year than in Alberta.
Tuesday, Sept. 6, is supposed to be the most chaotic day of traffic in Montreal, according to the Sûreté du Québec.
Michelle Berg, GAZETTE file photo
Quebec
Mandatory emissions tests: Yes
Average fuel price: $1.45 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,173
Annual insurance average: $863
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,036
Hopping the border from Ontario to Quebec will save you $1,000 on insurance annually. Quebec has the second highest gas prices in Canada but cheap insurance prices make it far cheaper than neighbouring Ontario.
New Brunswick Roads
Supplied, Wikipedia
New Brunswick
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.35 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,023
Annual insurance average: $1,123
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,146
New Brunswick has the fourth cheapest fuel in Canada but ranks as one of the more expensive provinces.
British Columbia roads
Supplied, Wikipedia
British Columbia
Mandatory emissions tests: Yes, in some parts
Average fuel price: $1.46 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,175
Annual insurance average: $1,113
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,288
British Columbia currently has the most expensive gas in Canada despite being right next to Alberta which has the cheapest gas in Canada. Owning a car here isn’t cheap and if you live in Vancouver it gets even worse. Vancouver has some of the most expensive gas in all of Canada ($1.53 per litre today) and residents of the lower mainland have to deal with mandatory emissions tests on top of all that.
Snowbound Edmonton from the 27th floor of the new Epcor tower in Edmonton, March 21, 2013.
Bruce Edwards, Bruce Edwards
Alberta
Mandatory emissions tests: None
Average fuel price: $1.26 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $1,877
Annual insurance average: $1,476
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,353
Despite having the cheapest gasoline in Canada, it still costs more to fuel and insure a car in Alberta than it does in B.C. Though Alberta residents never have to deal with emissions tests and don’t have to put front licence plates on their cars, Alberta winds up as the second-most expensive province in Canada to insure and fuel a car in.
Traffic moves past closed lanes at the corner of Eglinton Avenue and Dufferin Street in Toronto.
Darren Calabrese, Postmedia News
Ontario
Mandatory emissions tests: Yes, in southern Ontario
Average fuel price: $1.40 per litre
Annual fuel cost: $2,098
Annual insurance average: $1,878
Annual cost of fuel and insurance: $3,976
Where do we even start with this one? Gas prices are slightly higher than average, but Ontario has insurance rates that are miles higher than that of any other province. In fact, driving a car in Ontario costs $623 more than the second most expensive province. Top that all off with mandatory front plates and the annoying, questionably effective Drive Clean emissions test program and you easily have the most expensive province to own a car. Ouch.