This Canadian Province Just Made Driving A Car Cheaper - But There's A Catch

If there's one thing that the millions of drivers in the world can almost certainly agree on, it's that owning, insuring, and properly maintaining a car, truck, or sport utility vehicle can put a pretty serious dent in a bank account. With gas prices continuing to err on the side of elevated, actually driving a vehicle is hardly a cheap prospect either. Given the unrelenting cost of owning and driving a car, you'd be correct in assuming that those who do so on a regular basis are constantly looking for ways to lessen the financial burden.

When it comes to the cost of gasoline, the increased availability of hybrid and all-electric vehicles have helped deliver sometimes significant savings to those who can afford them. But when it comes to insurance rates and routine maintenance like oil changes, well, the cost only seems to go up. If, however, you are a resident of La Belle Province — that's Canada's eastern province of Québec to those who don't live in The Great White North — you might be able to reduce the cost of driving your vehicle thanks to an ongoing rebate/reimbursement program undertaken by the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

The SAAQ is, of course, the government wing responsible for the licensing of drivers in Québec. And for some drivers in the province, the yearly fee will be just over $50 compared to the normal $120.67. Here's who qualifies for the money-saving rebate.

If you're wondering why the SAAQ is being so nice to those who call Québec home, well, it turns out it isn't. Rather, the reduction in licensing cost is an ongoing effort to reimburse residents of the Canadian province for a years-long oversight that resulted in over-billing for auto insurance, as the SAAQ also operates as a public insurer in Québec. The faction has been making financial amends for several years, though the 2026 rebate for licensing reportedly won't be quite as big as years past.

That $50.23 fee is, however, a 75% reduction in the annual licensing fee, which is hardly something to turn your nose up at. There is, of course, another catch to the rebate program Québec citizens will need to account for, which is that not every vehicle owner on the road qualifies for the full 75% reduction. The SAAQ notes will only be applied to drivers who have a clean record with no points attached to their license.

Good drivers are not, however, the only ones who will benefit from a reduction in licensing fees. Most other drivers will too, though the actual level of savings will vary based on the number of demerit points currently applied to your driver's license. Per reports, those with one to three points will ultimately end up paying the full $121.84 fee. From there, drivers are essentially penalized for their record, with four to six points earning a fee of $200.08, seven to nine coming at a cost of $265.98, and so forth up to $603.06 for 15 demerits or more.