The City of Barrie, on the shores of Kempenfelt Bay, an arm of Lake Simcoe, emerged as a bedroom community for Toronto and the rest of the Greater Toronto Area. Its location on Highway 400 provides convenient access to the larger cities to the south while acting as a gateway to cottage country in the north. About 32 percent of the local population commute out of Barrie for employment destinations. On the flip side, 28 percent of the city’s workforce commute into Barrie, so the net outflow is only 4 percent. It means, however, a lot of vehicles in and out of the city on a daily basis.

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Barrie

The average cost of car insurance in Barrie is $1,355.

*Methodology: We used a sample profile for a male driver aged 30 years with his own vehicle having mandatory coverage. He drives a Honda Civic 2012 car with an average mileage of 5000 – 8000 km per year to commute to work. He has a clean driving record history of 5 years with no accidents or collisions.

We surveyed the car insurance prices in the city of Barrie for the purpose of illustrating the range in quotes based on driving record, location, and other criteria. To get a customized quote, enter your postal code above.

Affordable Car Insurance in Barrie

Obtaining car insurance in Barrie through an agent, broker, or direct provider meets provincial standards for mandatory auto insurance coverage. Choosing an insurance company at random may not provide the most affordable policy. Ontario’s car insurance market works on a competitive basis, even though it’s regulated by the provincial government. Every insurer proposes its own rules for calculating prices and no two insurers work the same way. The best method of finding lower premiums involves comparison shopping.

Insurance premiums are based on a number of factors and each company weighs these factors in different ways. Though there’s an impression that most companies charge similar rates, in practice, it’s not the case. Sometimes there are hundreds of dollars of difference between insurers, and a driver could easily pay too much. Ratelab’s car insurance calculator, on this page, offers a convenient way to search multiple auto insurance providers quickly and easily.

Modifying auto insurance coverage permits a driver to adjust the price and protection offered by a policy. Extending standard coverage over provincial minimums remains a popular choice and most drivers fine-tune other aspects of coverage. Those who travel frequently, for instance, may add car rental coverage to their policies, escaping the high cost of collision damage waivers offered by rental agencies. Insurers offer a wide range of options and discounts. Check with your agent or broker to see what’s available to you.

Driving in Barrie

• With the 400 as the primary route in and out of the city, congestion becomes an issue frequently, particularly south of the Bayfield Street interchange. Friday afternoons and evenings in the summer can prove particularly bad as both commuter traffic and vacationers heading north combine.
• Sunday afternoons and evenings, the congestion switches to the north. The intersection of Highway 400, heading to Parry Sound, and highway 11, to Orillia and Huntsville, becomes a major bottleneck with vehicles returning from cottage country.
• Highway 26, Bayfield Street within Barrie, provides the major route to the west toward Collingwood. Lake Simcoe blocks travel to the east.
• Traffic within Barrie generally benefits from numerous 4 lane streets but the changing angles of the street grids to follow the waterfront complicate some intersections. For example, Dunlop, Bayfield, and Clapperton Streets come together in a 5-way intersection.
• Barrie stays connected to the GTA through both GO bus and train service, providing intercity commuters with non-driving options. Traditional passenger rail services no longer connect with Barrie.

List of Driving Schools in Barrie Ontario

Road Information for Barrie

• The Ministry of Ontario maintains traveler’s information for the Simcoe region around Barrie. Construction and road closures for provincially maintained roads are reported there.
• The County of Simcoe reports seasonal road conditions in Barrie and the area on its website.
• Barrie’s municipal website has a wealth of information to aid people moving in and around the city. This includes current road closures due to municipal projects.
• Short-term weather reports for the Barrie area are found here.
• Barrie has a provincial DriveTest location at 520 Bryne Drive, Unit 7.
• A number of garages and mechanics in Barrie provide licensed DriveClean emissions testing and repair.
• ServiceOntario has three Barrie locations: 34 Simcoe Street, #102; 274 Burton Avenue, #21; and 320 Bayfield Street, #104.

Driving Facts for Barrie

• Highway 400 was the first fully controlled-access highway in Ontario. Opened in 1952, it was also the first highway to carry a 400-series designation. Three sections of the older highway were dubbed the 401 at the same time, but that highway was not yet complete or controlled access.
• The 400 is the second-longest highway in Ontario, after the 401. Currently 226 km long, the 400 starts at Black Creek and Maple Leaf Drives in the south and extends past Parry Sound, reverting into two-lane Highway 69 north of Nobel. Highway 69 widens to a separated 4-lane road at the French River north to Sudbury. This section will be designated as the 400 when the section between Nobel and the French River becomes widened.
• The 400 is also designated as the Trans-Canada Highway south route from Highway 12 at Waubaushene to its northern terminus.
• Highway 400 escaped serious damage in the 1985 tornado outbreak in the Barrie area that caused widespread damage and 12 deaths. Several cars were blown off the road, but the drivers escaped with minor injuries.
• Highway 26, the main route west out of Barrie, extending to Highway 6 at Owen Sound, remains largely unchanged since it opened in 1927. The portion of 26 east of Highway 400, Bayfield Street, transferred to the City of Barrie in 1998.
• Barrie was once home to a 1/3-mile, tri-oval motor racing track. Barrie Speedway opened in 1965, north of the city at Oro-Medonte 8th Line. Suffering from declining crowds and participants, the owners of neighboring Burl’s Creek Event Grounds purchased and demolished the track in 2015.
• Downhill skiing in winter is easily accessible from Barrie. Horseshoe Valley and Mount St. Louis Moonstone are minutes north of town, while the resorts of the Blue Mountains are 40 minutes west on Highway 26.

List of Insurance Broker and Companies in Barrie

Barrie residents can start their search for affordable auto insurance here, using Ratelab’s car insurance calculator. Start with your home postal code, enter into the box below, and the calculator guides you through the remaining steps. The more accurate the information you enter, the closer your quotes will be to the price you pay through Ratelab’s insurance partners.