Your off-road vehicle (ORV) presents financial risks different from your automobile.
Your injuries
Registering your ORV doesn’t automatically give you injury coverage. If you cause a collision, you will not receive coverage for your own injuries. If you’re in a collision and the other driver is at fault, you may claim against the other driver’s third-party liability insurance and, in some cases, your underinsured motorist coverage.
This is often not enough and could leave you having to pay for any costs from medical treatments, disability, permanent impairment and more if you or a family member were injured while riding. The Personal Injury Protection Plan (PIPP), which covers automobile injuries, covers ORV riders in one situation only – if the ORV collides with a moving car, truck, or other motor vehicle that must be registered for road use.
Manitoba Health will cover some of your expenses if you are injured in an ORV accident, however, it doesn’t cover lost income if you can’t work, intensive rehabilitation, or special medical equipment you may need. You may have disability coverage through employment or your own insurance policy, but it may not cover you in all situations.
Also, if someone hits you who doesn’t have insurance, you would have to sue them to recover any injury costs resulting from the collision.
Claims against you
If you cause an injury or damage property while operating your ORV, you can be sued. With your registration you have $500,000 third-party liability protection. However, that may not be enough to cover you against a serious claim. Covering the claim yourself could result in financial hardship.
Your own machine
When you register your ORV, you do not automatically get coverage for damage to your machine or for theft. Could you afford to lose your machine without any compensation?
Autopac options
There are several Autopac options you can buy to protect yourself, your family and your ORV. (ORVs that race, even recreationally, are not eligible for insurance other than Basic third-party liability and registration.)
Accident Benefits
Accident benefits help cover injury costs resulting from disability, medical treatment and rehabilitation and are paid regardless of who is at fault.
Accident benefits covers the policyholder and any other drivers or passengers riding on the ORV for injuries or death from:
- operating or riding on any ORV, including colliding with something
- getting on or off any ORV
- being run over or struck down by any ORV
To be covered, others operating your ORV must have your permission. If you are operating someone else’s ORV you must have the owner’s permission. If you’re riding outside Manitoba (but within Canada or the United States), others operating your ORV and their passengers must also be Manitoba residents.
Third-Party Liability Plus
Our Third-Party Liability Plus coverage offers two-way liability protection against:
- claims someone makes against you for property damage or injuries
- other ORV operators who don’t have enough insurance to cover your injury claim
Remember: if you injure others – including your passengers – or damage their property, they can sue you.
Choose from:
- Third-Party Liability at $500,000, for ORVs not requiring registration
- Extended Third-Party Liability at $1,000,000, $2,000,000 and $5,000,000
Each Third-Party Liability Plus option includes the same amount of underinsured motorist protection.
Collision protection
- Covers collision damage to your ORV.
- Choose either a $200 or $500 deductible.
Your Autopac Agent may need to inspect your ORV before you can buy collision coverage. If you are buying collision coverage for a new ORV, you won’t need an inspection if you purchase coverage within three business days of taking delivery from the dealer. If you bought the machine from another person and that person had the same or better collision coverage than you are buying, you won’t have to have the ORV inspected if you purchase the coverage within three business days.
Comprehensive protection
- Covers damage to your ORV from causes other than collision, such as, fire, theft, vandalism and hail.
- Choose either a $200 or $500 deductible.
Ask your Autopac agent for more details. Some restrictions apply on buying this coverage. Special risk situations may require a separate application.
Seasonal rating
For your convenience, insurance options for ORVs can be purchased with your Basic Autopac coverage. Premiums are based on the period when your ORV is typically in use – your actual riding season – rather than the whole year.
The riding seasons for ORVs are as follows:
Snowmobiles: |
Dec. 1 to Mar. 31 |
ORV Motorcycles: |
May 1 to Sept. 30 |
ORV ATV’s: |
Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 |
The riding season is defined as four months for snowmobiles and five months for ORV motorcycles. Because ATVs can be used throughout the year, the riding season is set over 12 months.
When purchasing Extension coverage for your off-road vehicle, there are a number of payment options.
- Full payment means the annual premium is due on the day the ORV is insured.
- Deferred payment means that you won’t pay the premiums until the ‘riding season’ begins. For example, if you purchase extension coverage for your snowmobile in June, payment of your premium can be deferred until Dec. 1. If you choose financing, the majority of the premium plus interest will be withdrawn in equal monthly installments during the riding season.
Remember, with ORV Extension coverage, you have protection throughout the year, even though your premium is paid over the shorter period.
Cancellation and refunds on these extension products are done on a daily pro-rata basis within the riding season. For example, if you cancel extension coverage on your snowmobile on Feb. 28, your refund will be based on the unused period Mar. 1 to 31. If you cancel after the end of the riding season, you won’t get any money back since the entire premium will have been earned during the season of use.