OMVIC Rules Every Ontario Car Dealer Must Follow
In Ontario, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) administers and enforces the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act (MVDA). Every dealer and salesperson in the province must be registered and must follow OMVIC's rules on advertising, disclosure, and conduct. These are not abstract guidelines — OMVIC investigates, lays charges, and revokes registrations. Here is what the obligations mean in your day-to-day operations.
Registration Is Mandatory
You cannot legally sell vehicles in Ontario, as a business or as an individual salesperson, without being registered with OMVIC. Registration comes with ongoing obligations, including certification requirements for salespeople and strict adherence to the Code of Ethics. Selling vehicles for profit while unregistered — the practice known as curbsiding — is exactly what OMVIC targets aggressively, and it carries significant penalties for the individuals involved.
All-In Price Advertising
Ontario requires all-in price advertising, and OMVIC enforces it heavily. The advertised price of a vehicle must include all fees and charges the dealer intends to collect, with the narrow exceptions of HST and licensing. You cannot advertise a tempting low number and then pile on administration, safety, freight, or other mandatory fees at the desk. This is one of the most frequently enforced OMVIC rules precisely because it is so easy for consumers to spot and report.
Disclosure Obligations
OMVIC requires dealers to disclose specific material facts about a vehicle, both in advertising and on the bill of sale. Commonly required disclosures include:
Whether the vehicle was previously a daily rental, taxi, police, or emergency vehicle
Total loss, salvage, or branded history and significant collision or repair damage
The true odometer reading and any known or suspected discrepancy
Whether the vehicle was previously registered or used out of province
The Code of Ethics and Consumer Protection
Registered dealers must comply with OMVIC's Code of Ethics, which governs honest and fair dealing with the public. Ontario buyers who deal with a registered dealer also have access to the Motor Vehicle Dealers Compensation Fund in certain circumstances. Misleading a customer is not merely bad practice — it can result in charges, fines, claims against the fund, and the loss of your registration, which ends your ability to operate.
Building Compliance Into Deals
The safest approach is to standardize disclosures and pricing directly in your deal documents, so no individual salesperson can accidentally omit a required fact or advertise a price that is not truly all-in. Consistency at the system level, rather than reliance on individual memory, is what protects your registration and your reputation over the long run. It also makes onboarding new salespeople far easier, because the compliant path is simply the built-in path — there is no separate set of rules they have to memorize on top of learning to sell. When the system enforces the standard, a busy Saturday no longer becomes a compliance risk.
This article is general information, not legal advice; consult OMVIC resources and qualified counsel for specifics.
Dabadu XRM standardizes deal documentation and disclosures so every Ontario transaction meets OMVIC requirements consistently.
Keep every Ontario deal OMVIC-compliant with Dabadu XRM, which standardizes disclosures and all-in pricing across your team.
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