Can I lower my car insurance rates if I'm working from home? Some practical tips to consider

Auto insurance is an essential financial protection, but as the COVID-19 pandemic forces more employees to work from home and results in others being laid off, many are left to wonder if they can drop some of their coverage to save on premiums.

CBC News reached out to several insurance brokers in Metro Vancouver who say they have been inundated with calls from drivers asking about making changes to their insurance coverage.

Kally Khosah with InsureBC says a number of people are cancelling their auto insurance altogether.

"The majority of people who have lost their jobs are coming in and cancelling their insurance," said Khosah.

"I would say maybe one or two out of 10 customers is looking to cancel their insurance," he said.

CBC News asked Khosah what drivers should consider when making decisions about lowering auto insurance coverage.

Can drivers lower their insurance rates if they are working from home and therefore not commuting anymore?

"They can. What they need to do is change their plan from work use to strictly pleasure. That can be changed at any time.

"And if they are going back to work — go see your broker and they will change it back to work use."

How much will I save?

"It depends on how far you drive to work. If it's under 15 kilometres you won't see that big of a difference. If it's over 15 kilometres it will be more. And if it's for business use it will be even more of a savings.

"You can go all the way down to bare bones basic coverage but that's only going to give you $200,000 liability.

"At this level there's no coverage on the vehicle if they have an at-fault accident. And there's no comprehensive, so there's no fire, theft or vandalism coverage at that level."

Is it wise to drop coverage down to the the most basic level?

"I tell people never to go down that severely. A good way to decrease your insurance is to slightly lower your liability and raise the deductible. That's a good way to save some money without losing all your coverage."

What happens if I can no longer afford to pay my insurance?

"ICBC is offering a deferral program for up to three months."

What should I do if I get into an accident?

"First thing you want to do is contact ICBC. You also want to write down as much information as you can about what happened and write down the other party's information. If anybody's seriously injured, of course you want to contact the police."

I have been laid off and might consider doing deliveries for work. Do I need to change my policy?

Yes. Khosah says that change will be more expensive than business coverage though. The cost depends on the type of car, how old it is and how many kilometres are on it. But it will definitely be an extra fee.