The claim is open, the truck has a bumper that looks like it lost an argument with a deer, and the first question is almost never about paint or parts. It is about money. How much of this is mine to pay, who do I pay it to, and is there any way it comes back?

That number is your MPI deductible, and the rules around it are shorter than most people expect. Everything below comes from Manitoba Public Insurance's own published pages, read on September 30, 2026, with the source named each time. If you would rather have somebody walk through your own claim in person, our collision department in Portage la Prairie is an MPI accredited repair shop and an MPI Direct Repair shop, and deductible questions are the ones we hear first at the counter.

Key Takeaways

• The Basic deductible is $1,000 for most cars, SUVs and light trucks on policies that take effect after April 1, 2026, per MPI's Basic deductibles page. Check MPI for current amounts, because they change.
• You can buy it down. MPI lists lower levels of $750, $500, $300 and $200, at a higher annual premium.
• Fault decides how much comes back. If another driver insured through Autopac caused it, MPI reimburses your deductible in proportion to that driver's fault.
• Hit and run and theft have their own rules, and both hinge on MPI knowing who was responsible.
• One incident, one deductible. Two separate hits mean two claims and two deductibles.

What the Deductible Actually Is

MPI's Basic deductibles page puts it plainly: the deductible is "the part of your Autopac physical damage claim you are responsible to pay." Their page on reducing deductibles says the same thing from the other side: it is the amount you pay, and "your insurance covers the rest."

It is not a fee, and it is not a penalty for being at fault. It applies whether you backed into a light post at the grocery store or a doe came out of the ditch on the Trans Canada at dusk. MPI's page says it applies to "collision, vandalism, hail, theft and most other claims."

How Much Is It Right Now

As of September 30, 2026, MPI's Basic deductibles page lists these amounts. Check MPI for current amounts before you rely on them.

The $1,000 figure applies to policies that take effect after April 1, 2026. If your renewal came before that date, or you bought a lower level, your number may be different. The only place to confirm it is your own policy, or your Autopac agent.

For a Ram 1500, a Ram 2500 on the farm or a Grand Cherokee in town, the light truck and SUV line is the one that applies on a standard private policy. A commercially rated heavy truck is a different conversation, and one for your agent.

Buying the Deductible Down

MPI's page on reducing Basic deductibles says lower levels of "$750, $500, $300 and $200 are available." The trade is the premium. The same page notes that keeping the $1,000 deductible means you pay less for your annual insurance, so the lower levels cost more each year.

Whether that is worth it depends on how you drive and where. Somebody who parks on a busy street in Winnipeg and drives the Perimeter every day has a different risk than somebody who drives a half ton to the shop on the yard and back. MPI does not publish the premium difference as a single number because it depends on your policy, so ask your agent for the real figure on your vehicle before you decide. We will not guess at it here.

Our wider read on insurance for a truck owner in this province is in what truck insurance actually costs in Manitoba.

When You Get It Back: The Not at Fault Case

This is the part most people have heard secondhand and got slightly wrong.

MPI's Basic deductibles page says that if another driver insured through Autopac is at fault for damaging your vehicle in a collision, MPI "will reimburse your deductible based on that driver's fault." Their page on who is at fault adds the arithmetic. If the other driver was 100 per cent at fault, you get all of it back. If the other driver was 25 per cent at fault, you get 25 per cent back.

So on the $1,000 Basic deductible, a split of 75 per cent you and 25 per cent them means $250 comes back and $750 stays with you.

Three limits come attached, straight from MPI:

Both drivers have to be insured by MPI, and MPI has to know who the other driver is. The fault page says the reimbursement "only applies when we know who the other motorist is, and we insure both of you."

An out of province driver is a different path. If the at fault driver lives outside Manitoba and is insured elsewhere, MPI says it will pursue the other driver or their insurer, and that there are "no guarantees" it will recover.

A deer is nobody's fault. An animal strike has no other driver, so there is nobody for the deductible to come back from. On a two lane highway outside Portage at dusk in the fall, that is the claim to be ready for. Our post on deer collisions on Manitoba highways covers what to do when it happens.

If you disagree with the fault assessment, MPI's fault page lays out the order: talk it through with your adjuster, ask for a supervisor or manager review, then a Customer Relations Officer. Small Claims Court is the formal route, and MPI says it will accept the court's decision.

Hit and Run, Theft and Multiple Hits

Hit and run. MPI's Basic deductibles page says your deductible applies to a hit and run claim, but "if we know who was responsible," MPI will try to get it back. Try is the word MPI chose, so read it as a chance, not a promise.

Theft. The same page says the deductible on a stolen vehicle is reimbursed only when MPI knows who stole it and that person does not dispute responsibility.

More than one incident. MPI states that each incident of loss or damage is one claim, with a deductible for each claim. A hail storm in July and a parking lot scrape in August are two deductibles, even if both get fixed in the same visit.

Nothing on MPI's deductible pages we read on September 30, 2026 lists any other case where the Basic deductible is waived. If somebody tells you it disappears in a situation not listed above, ask your adjuster to confirm it on your file before you count on it.

How the Deductible Gets Paid

An older MPI deductibles brochure (posted to MPI's site in 2022) describes the customer paying the deductible to the repair shop, with the shop billing MPI for the rest. MPI's current web pages we read on September 30, 2026 do not spell out the collection step, so treat that as the general shape rather than the rule for your claim.

On your own claim, the simplest move is to ask us when you drop the truck off, so pickup day has no surprises. Your adjuster can confirm the same thing from MPI's side.

One piece of arithmetic worth doing first: if the repair looks smaller than your deductible, the claim may not change what comes out of your pocket. Ask for an estimate and do the math before deciding.

Where Direct Repair Fits

We are an MPI Direct Repair shop. In MPI's words, Direct Repair enables customers with eligible claims to go directly to a participating repair shop for a vehicle damage estimate after reporting the claim to MPI, which can save a trip to an MPI Service or Claim Centre for the first estimate.

MPI's limits come with it. Only certain claims are eligible, the claim has to be reported to MPI first, and you book the estimate with the shop using your claim number and licence plate number. Direct Repair changes where the estimate happens. It does not change your deductible.

The full claim sequence, from the roadside to pickup, lives in how an MPI claim actually works after a collision. This page is only about the deductible.

A Note on Glass

A cracked windshield on its own runs through a separate glass claim, and it is worth asking your agent how your deductible applies to glass on your policy rather than assuming it matches collision. Our MPI glass repair team in Portage la Prairie handles that side, including the camera recalibration a modern Ram or Jeep needs after new glass.

FAQs

What is the MPI deductible in 2026?

MPI's Basic deductibles page, read September 30, 2026, lists $1,000 for most cars, SUVs and light trucks on policies that take effect after April 1, 2026. Lower levels of $750, $500, $300 and $200 are available at a higher premium. Check MPI or your Autopac agent for your own amount.

Do I pay the deductible if the accident was not my fault?

If the other driver is insured through Autopac and MPI knows who they are, MPI reimburses your deductible in proportion to that driver's fault. At 100 per cent their fault, you get all of it back.

Do I pay a deductible if I hit a deer?

Yes. An animal strike has no at fault driver, so the deductible applies and there is no one it comes back from.

Is the deductible waived for a hit and run?

Not automatically. MPI says the deductible applies to hit and run damage, and that if it knows who was responsible it will try to get the deductible back.

Who do I pay my MPI deductible to?

Ask us at drop off, and your adjuster can confirm it from MPI's side.

Can I lower my MPI deductible after an accident?

A lower deductible is chosen on your policy, so talk to your Autopac agent about it for the future. Do not assume a change reaches back to damage that already happened. Ask your adjuster what applies to the claim you have open.

The Bottom Line

The deductible is the one part of a collision claim you can plan around. Know your level before anything happens, know that fault decides whether any of it comes back, and know that a deer, an unknown hit and run driver or an uninsured party usually means it stays with you.

When it does happen, bring the claim number and the questions to our collision department. If the hit knocked something mechanical loose too, our service centre can look at that side of it too.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie