Anyone who has filled out a car insurance application has likely answered a question about past claims from memory, without realizing the insurer is about to check that answer against a database. That database is the AutoPlus report, and understanding what is an AutoPlus report, and why insurers ask for one, helps explain a step in the quoting process that otherwise feels invisible.
This article explains what an AutoPlus report contains, how it differs from a driver's abstract, and how a Canadian consumer can review their own copy before applying for coverage or renewing a policy.
What Is an AutoPlus Report?
An AutoPlus report is a claims and policy history file, maintained by CGI on behalf of the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry, that summarizes the automobile insurance policies and claims associated with a person's driver's licence number. Insurers and brokers across the country submit policy and claims data into the same shared system, which means a report ordered by one company can reflect history recorded by a different insurer entirely.
The report exists because auto insurers generally want to confirm what an applicant reports on a quote, rather than relying solely on self-reported claims history. When a broker or insurer enters a driver's licence number into the system, the report returns within seconds, showing a record built from data the whole industry contributes to and draws from.
What Shows Up on an AutoPlus Report
An AutoPlus report typically includes a person's current and prior auto insurance policies, along with the details tied to any claims filed under those policies. Several categories commonly appear:
- Policy information, including the insurer and the period a policy was active.
- Claims history, including the type of claim (such as collision, comprehensive, or liability), the date, and the amount paid.
- Fault designation, indicating whether a claim was recorded as at-fault, not-at-fault, or partially at-fault.
- Cancellations or lapses, including a cancellation for non-payment or a gap in continuous coverage.
Reports can reflect a long lookback window, in some cases stretching back roughly two decades, though insurers generally place the most weight on recent years when reviewing an application. The exact weighting an underwriter applies to older entries is specific to that insurer, so a licensed broker is the right resource for how a particular history might be viewed.
AutoPlus Report vs. Driver's Abstract
It is easy to confuse an AutoPlus report with a driver's abstract, since insurers commonly request both, but the two records come from different sources and cover different ground. A driver's abstract is a government licensing document that lists moving convictions, demerit points, and licence status. An AutoPlus report is an industry-run claims and policy database that instead tracks insurance history rather than traffic convictions.
| Record | Maintained by | What it generally shows |
|---|---|---|
| AutoPlus report | CGI, on behalf of the insurance industry | Policy history, claims, fault designation, cancellations |
| Driver's abstract | Provincial licensing authority | Moving convictions, demerit points, licence status |
Because the two records capture different things, an underwriter reviewing an application commonly checks both rather than treating either as a complete picture on its own. A clean driver's abstract does not guarantee a clean AutoPlus report, and the reverse holds true as well, which is one reason a licensed broker often looks at the full file rather than a single document in isolation.
How Insurers Use an AutoPlus Report
Insurers typically pull an AutoPlus report as part of underwriting a new application and again at renewal, largely to verify that the claims and coverage history an applicant reported lines up with what the shared database shows. A mismatch, such as an undisclosed at-fault claim from a previous insurer, is one of the more common triggers for follow-up questions during underwriting.
The report can also surface a lapse in continuous coverage, which some insurers weigh as a separate rating consideration from claims themselves, since a gap can suggest a period without an active policy. How heavily a specific insurer weighs a gap, an at-fault claim, or an older entry on the file depends on that company's own underwriting guidelines, so only a review by an insurer or a licensed broker can speak to a particular application.
Benefits of Understanding Your AutoPlus Report
Knowing what appears on an AutoPlus report gives a driver a clearer sense of what an insurer sees before a quote is even prepared. It can also help someone recognize why a renewal price changed, since a new claim recorded on the file since the last term is one of several possible factors behind a shift in premium.
Reviewing the report ahead of time can flag errors too. A claim recorded against the wrong policy, a fault designation that seems inconsistent with what actually happened, or a cancellation that should have already cleared are all the kinds of issues worth catching before they reach an underwriter, rather than after a quote comes back higher than expected.
Where You'll Come Across an AutoPlus Report
An AutoPlus report most often comes into play when applying for a new car insurance policy or shopping around at renewal, since an insurer typically pulls one as a standard part of preparing a quote. It also comes up after a claim, since that claim becomes part of the file the next insurer will eventually see.
Drivers switching insurers, adding a vehicle, or applying for coverage after a period without a policy are especially likely to have their AutoPlus report reviewed closely, since those situations often involve more verification than a routine renewal with an existing carrier. The report can also become relevant if an application is referred to a facility association program for higher-risk drivers, where a fuller claims history typically factors into the review.
Talk to a Licensed Broker About Your Claims History
Understanding what an AutoPlus report shows, and how it might factor into a specific quote, is easier with someone who reviews these files regularly.
MyBrokers works with licensed brokers who can help explain how claims and policy history typically factor into a car insurance application in Canada. Start a vehicle insurance quote to talk it through with a broker.
Coverage and underwriting details vary by insurer and by policy, and only a licensed broker and the wording of an actual policy can confirm what applies to a specific situation.