What Do Insurance Companies Check When I Ask for a Quote?

WV & OH ONLY

"When I ask for a car insurance quote, what does the company look at, and why do you need information from me?"

It's fair to want to know what's being looked at when you ask for a price.

When you ask for a quote, an insurance company generally checks your driving record, your past insurance claims and, where it's allowed, a credit-based insurance score. A company you've never dealt with doesn't have a file on you waiting. It pulls those reports when you apply, using the information you give, and you have the right to see much of what's in them, usually for free.

I'd simplify all this if I could. We want the best rate for every client, so we pay close attention to how each company reads your information.

Every company uses those reports differently. An old claim that hurts you badly at one company may barely move the price at another. We check 13 companies, so you can see which ones care about what's in your file.

Let's be honest, I'm hoping this ends with a phone call. Nobody pulls anything until you ask. When you do, you should have someone on your side who knows how each company reads what comes back.

WV & OH ONLY

Largely from shared claims databases. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau lists LexisNexis C.L.U.E. as a claims information exchange that collects up to seven years of auto, home and personal property claims.

So a claim you filed with a company you left years ago can still come up. If you've ever been told "they found something," this is often what they found.

Yes, once you've asked for coverage. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act restricts who can get state motor vehicle records, but it specifically allows insurers to use them for claims investigation, antifraud, rating and underwriting. That's why it's no use leaving a ticket off the application.

They can see credit information for underwriting. Federal law allows it. What they usually use is a score built for insurance rather than the one you'd see from your bank, and West Virginia and Ohio each put limits on how it's used. We'll cover that in the next few parts of this series.

It can, depending on the car and what's been turned on. The CFPB's same listing says LexisNexis also collects driving behavior data for auto insurance pricing.

The best-known case involves General Motors. The Federal Trade Commission alleged that GM used a misleading enrollment process and didn't clearly tell people it was collecting their precise location and driving behavior. The final order from January 2026 includes a five-year ban on GM giving that data to consumer reporting agencies. That's about GM, not every carmaker, but it's worth reading what you agree to when you turn on a new car's app.

Yes, and I think you should. Under federal law, a consumer reporting company has to show you what's in your file, where it came from and who has received it, generally for the past year.

• Credit reports: The CFPB says you can get a free report from each of the three nationwide companies once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
• Insurance claims history: The CFPB says LexisNexis provides one free report every 12 months. You can request it at consumer.risk.lexisnexis.com or by calling 866-897-8126.
• After a bad result: If a report caused you a higher price or a denial, you get a free copy if you ask within 60 days of the notice.

Dispute it. The reporting company generally has 30 days to look into it, for free. Wrong information has a way of costing money for years if nobody catches it, and the best time to catch it is before you shop.

One more thing. A claim doesn't have to be big to show up. Before you report a small one, it's worth reading these tips on filing a claim, then talking to me.

Two reasons. First, the company needs your name, date of birth and license information to find the right records in the first place. Second, a report only shows part of the picture. It doesn't know you quit your commute last month, or that the teenager moved out, or that you just bought a house. Those things can change your price, and they only count if someone tells the company.

Nobody looks until you ask. When you're ready, let's get more than one company looking, and make sure they're looking at the right things.

WV & OH ONLY

Next in the series: Part 11, Why Did My Rate Go Up When I Didn't Do Anything?