Lending Your Car: Who Pays for the Ticket or the Crash?

In Ontario, insurance generally follows the vehicle, and the owner can be responsible for some things that happen when someone else is driving.

Tickets

• Red-light camera and speed camera tickets are issued to the owner. They carry no demerit points.
• Parking tickets are usually the owner's responsibility.
• Tickets given to the driver by an officer, such as speeding or careless driving, are the driver's, with any demerit points on the driver's record.

Collisions

• Under the Highway Traffic Act, an owner can be liable for damage caused by a driver who had the owner's consent to drive.
• The owner's insurance policy usually responds first, and a claim can affect the owner's premiums.

Before you lend your car

1. Make sure the driver is licensed and allowed to drive under your policy.
2. Ask your insurer whether occasional drivers are covered.
3. Agree that the driver pays any ticket they cause.

If a ticket arrives

Don't ignore it. If you weren't driving, you may still be responsible as owner, but you can ask the driver to pay or get advice about your options.

Sources

• Highway Traffic Act

Read next: Stopped School Buses: The Rule Every Ontario Driver Must Know

General Ontario legal information, not legal advice for your matter, and reading it does not create a retainer. Sources checked 15 October 2026: check the current law, forms and dates before you act.

Photos from Pexels: A car dashboard on an open road · A parking lot seen from above.

This article is general information for people in Ontario, not legal advice. Rules, forms and deadlines change, and every situation is different. Check the current rule or speak to a licensed legal professional before you act.