The Automobile Insurance Rate Board lists motorcycle premiums rising by at least 37.0% across all three profiles it tested. That line sits below the headline number most drivers have already heard.
The headline is a 13.7% average reduction under Care-First, about $297 per private passenger vehicle, measured against current court-based premiums. The system starts January 1, 2027. The figure is real. It is also an average of very different drivers.
Key facts
- Care-First starts January 1, 2027.
- The board’s average reduction is 13.7%, about $297 per private passenger vehicle, against current court-based premiums.
- The young male profile falls $3,094, or 30.0%.
- Middle-aged profiles fall about $525, or about 14.0%.
- Motorcycle premiums rise at least 37.0% across three profiles.
- The commercial dump-truck profile rises 5.7%.
What $297 means in plain numbers
Tribune arithmetic: $297 is 13.7% of roughly $2,170, so the average premium behind the headline is about $2,170 a year. The saving works out to about $25 a month. The board says individual premiums vary, so one renewal notice can land well above or below that line.
Young drivers see the biggest drop
The board’s young male profile falls by $3,094, or 30.0%. The premium gap between young men and young women narrows from 16.4% to 12.6%. Tribune arithmetic: a $3,094 drop at 30.0% means that profile pays about $10,300 today.
Middle-aged profiles drop about $525, or about 14.0%, close to the average. The spread runs from a $525 change to a $3,094 change, and the $297 headline sits at the low end of it.
Riders and truckers read a different notice
Motorcycle premiums rise at least 37.0% in every profile the board tested. The commercial dump-truck profile rises 5.7%. These drivers are not in the average the way a family sedan is.
What a lower premium changes
Care-First changes what a premium buys, according to the Government of Alberta. Medical and rehabilitation coverage moves from $50,000 over two years to unlimited for eligible expenses. Income replacement moves from the lesser of $600 a week or 80% of average gross earnings, for up to two years, to a maximum of 90% of net income, payable to age 65. The permanent impairment lump sum runs from $944 to $298,520.
In plain terms, a driver stops collecting pain-and-suffering damages for a common injury and gets medical care without the $50,000 limit. Serious injuries receive a lump sum. Earlier Tribune coverage walks through the 2027 rule change and why good drivers were still paying more.
Before the first 2027 renewal, find the board’s profile closest to the driver and the vehicle. Compare the notice against that line, not against the 13.7%.
