2024-11-28
The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) issued this notice to amend Q.E.F. No. 43 and 4-43 motor vehicle endorsements, mandating that insurers calculate partial loss repairs using new original equipment manufacturer parts and total loss cash settlements based on a marked-up purchase price adjusted by the Quebec automobile consumer price index. These standardized indemnity options take effect on January 15, 2025, and apply to all active insurance contracts until the updated forms are delivered. Policyholders thereby secure guaranteed access to full coverage benefits, with insurers required to apply the revised calculations regardless of whether vehicles are replaced or retained as cash settlements.
Notice regarding the coming into effect on January 15, 2025, of amendments to endorsement Q.E.F. No. 43 (A to F) – Change to indemnity and to endorsement Q.E.F. No. 4-43 (A to F) – Change to indemnity Under section 71 of the Insurers Act, CQLR, c. A-32.1, the form and terms of insurance policies relating to the ownership or use of motor vehicles are determined by the Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”). The same is true for any riders (“endorsements”) that may be attached to those policies. This notice sets out the amendments made to the following forms:
By choosing this indemnity option, insureds will be able to benefit from the full value of the coverage under Option 43E even if they elect not to replace their vehicle. Which of three indemnity options to choose is entirely up to the insured’s discretion. The AMF also wishes to remind insurers that, as clarified in a notice published by the AMF on June 7, 2012,1 the price paid (or "purchase price", in the 2012 notice) is the price charged by the dealer for the vehicle, as indicated in the purchase contract, long-term lease or contract of leasing, including its equipment and accessories only. Consequently, the price paid used to calculate the "marked-up price paid" in Option 43E must not include, if applicable, the outstanding balance (i.e., the financing) related to the damaged vehicle or the vehicle accepted as a trade-in, as the case may be. Therefore, the third indemnity option under Option 43E "3. Non-replacement of specified vehicle" is amended as follows: “3. Marked-up price paid The named insured may request to receive an indemnity in cash. In this case, the value of damage will be equal to the price paid for the specified vehicle by the named insured who is the actual owner, increased by an annually compounded percentage, calculated in proportion to the number of days elapsed between the date of the vehicle purchase contract and the date of the total loss or total constructive loss. Price paid: price charged for the specified vehicle as indicated in the purchase contract, long-term lease or contract of leasing, including its equipment and accessories only. The percentage to be used to calculate the marked-up price paid must correspond to the consumer price index (CPI) for the automobile sector, as published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec. If the CPI for the year of the loss is unknown, the CPI from the previous year must be used.” The same amendment has been made to endorsement Q.E.F. No. 4-43 (A to F) – Change to indemnity (Section B) with respect to Option 4-43E – Total loss – Replacement cost. The following is an example of a calculation using the CPI: Year Annual CPI automobile sector (%) 2016 3.8 2017 1.8 2018 1.2 2019 2.8 2020 2.2 2021 4.6 2022 6.8 2023 3.0 Date of purchase contract: July 1, 2020 1 Notice regarding Q.P.F. No. 5 – Complementary Insurance for Damage Caused to Insured Vehicle Form – Replacement Insurance, June 7, 2012.
Date of total loss: September 1, 2023 To calculate the value of damage, the insurer will have to mark up the price paid for the specified vehicle using the following percentages: