What You Need to Get a Car Insurance Quote (Checklist)

To get a car insurance quote you can rely on, have each driver's license number and date of birth, the VIN for each car, your current declarations page, and the dates of any tickets, accidents or claims. Insurers also ask where the car is parked overnight, how many miles you drive, how you use the car, who holds the loan if it's financed, and what coverage you want. With all of it in front of you, the form goes quickly and the price is less likely to change when the insurer checks your records.

What do you need to get car insurance?

Keep this checklist open while you fill out a quote form or talk with an agent. Each item is explained below.

Why does each item matter?

License numbers and birth dates for every driver

List every licensed driver who lives with you, not only the person whose name goes on the policy, including teens and adult children at home. Insurers use each license number to pull that driver's motor vehicle record. If the application asks about everyone in your home, leaving someone out is a misstatement that can change the price later or put the policy at risk.

Age is one of the largest price factors in most states. In our calculator's estimate, a sample driver (a 35-year-old with a clean record, good credit, a mid-size sedan and full coverage, at typical U.S. prices) comes to about $2,700 a year. The same driver at 20, on a policy of their own, comes to about $5,400. Drivers under 25 can learn more in car insurance for young drivers.

A few states limit this. Hawaii and North Carolina bar pricing by age, though North Carolina still surcharges newer drivers based on years licensed. California and Massachusetts insurers also price by years of driving experience rather than age. In those two states and North Carolina, our estimate stops changing with age after 25, except for the lower rate Massachusetts gives clean-record drivers 65 and older.

The VIN for each car

The vehicle identification number is the 17-character code shown on your dashboard, door frame, registration and insurance card. It tells the insurer the exact year, model, trim and safety equipment.

The car can move the price a lot. In our model, a sports car raises the sample driver's estimate by about 36% compared with the mid-size sedan we use as a baseline, and a luxury car by about 33%.

Your current declarations page

The declarations page is the summary sheet of your policy: drivers, cars, coverages, limits, deductibles, premium and policy dates. It's the quickest way to ask other companies for the same coverage, and it shows the price you're trying to beat. Download it from your insurer's app or website, or ask your agent.

Insurance history and any gaps

Expect questions about whether you're insured now and for how long. A gap can cost you: Insurance.com's 2025 analysis of rate increases found a lapse of more than 30 days raised the average premium by about 24%, and even a 7-day lapse by about 12%. California is an exception, since not having prior insurance can't by itself be used to set the rate there.

If you're switching companies, start the new policy on or before the day the old one ends. That way there's no gap to explain.

Tickets, accidents and claims, with dates

Write down every ticket, accident and insurance claim for each driver, with dates, including not-at-fault accidents and claims for things like hail or broken glass. Go back at least five years, and further for a DUI, because how far back insurers look varies by company and state. If you're unsure of a date, order a copy of your driving record from your state's motor vehicle agency.

Don't leave anything out. Insurers check motor vehicle records and claims history reports, so a missing ticket usually turns up anyway and the price changes later. In our model, one speeding ticket adds about 28% to the sample driver's estimate and one at-fault accident about 50%. More in insurance after an accident, ticket or DUI.

Garaging address, yearly miles and how you use the car

The garaging address is where the car spends the night. If that's not your mailing address, as with a student away at college, say so. Location matters: in our model, the sample driver's estimate is about 22% higher in a city than in a suburb, and about 15% lower in a rural area.

For yearly miles, compare the odometer readings on two service receipts about a year apart. Low mileage can earn a discount: Insurance.com's 2026 low-mileage guide found discounts of 7% to 20% at large insurers for drivers under 7,500 miles a year. Also say how you use the car, since rideshare or delivery driving usually needs a special endorsement or a commercial policy.

Loan or lease details

If the car is financed or leased, have the lender's name and address from your loan paperwork or title. The lender is listed on the policy so it gets paid if the car is totaled. Loan and lease contracts usually require comprehensive and collision coverage, often with a maximum deductible, so check yours before you choose coverage.

If you owe more than the car is worth, ask about gap coverage. In Insurance.com's 2025 price figures for 25 insurers, adding it to a full-coverage policy raised the yearly premium by a median of about $71.

The coverage you want

Decide on limits, deductibles and extras before you shop, or each quote will price something different. If you're not sure where to start, read how much car insurance you need and full coverage vs liability.

Why do accurate answers matter?

Insurers verify what you tell them. Besides your driving and claims history, most states let them use a credit-based insurance score. California, Hawaii and Massachusetts ban it in car insurance, and Michigan bars insurers from setting rates with credit scores.

If an answer turns out to be wrong, expect the price to change once the insurer checks, sometimes after you've already switched. A material misstatement can also put the policy itself at risk: in California, for example, an insurer can cancel an issued policy only for a few reasons, and fraud or material misrepresentation is one of them. Answer from documents, not memory.

How do you compare car insurance quotes like for like?

Two quotes are only comparable if they cover the same drivers and cars with the same coverage. Check these line by line:

• Liability limits for injuries and property damage, such as 100/300/100
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
• Comprehensive and collision deductibles
• Extras such as rental reimbursement, roadside assistance and medical payments or PIP
• Policy length (6 or 12 months) and the payment plan

Small coverage differences move the price more than you might expect. Here is what our model estimates for the sample driver at typical U.S. prices, with uninsured motorist coverage matching the liability limits in every row but the last:

So a quote that looks about $290 a year lower may simply carry a higher deductible (how deductibles work). Even full coverage isn't a fixed package: NerdWallet's 2026 analysis prices it with $1,000 deductibles, while ValuePenguin's 2026 study uses 50/100/50 liability with $500 deductibles.

To keep quotes consistent, build your coverage in our calculator and press Copy my coverage plan. It copies a short summary (location, liability limits, uninsured motorist coverage, deductible, extras, discounts to ask about and your estimated range) that you can paste into an email or read to each agent, so every company prices the same plan.

What happens after you submit an online quote form?

Comparison forms, including the one our calculator links to, ask for your contact details. Licensed agents or insurance companies may then contact you by phone, text or email, so read the consent wording before you submit. We're paid when you complete our partner's form, and that never changes your estimate (how we make money).

Next, insurers run their checks and may adjust the price. A quote isn't coverage: the policy starts only after you accept an offer, complete the application, make any required payment and the insurer confirms the start date. Keep your old policy active until the new one begins.

Get quote-ready with our calculator

Our calculator includes a quote-ready checklist of six items to tick off as you gather them: license numbers, VINs or car details, your declarations page, your insurance history, ticket and accident dates, and where the car is parked plus yearly miles. Your ticks are saved in your browser, so they're there when you come back. Build your coverage below, work through the checklist, then copy your plan.

Common questions

Do I need a VIN to get a car insurance quote?

Not always for a first price, since many forms accept the year, make and model instead. The VIN pins down the trim and safety features, so have it ready before you buy a policy.

Can I get a car insurance quote before I buy a car?

Yes. Ask the seller for the VIN, or use the year, make and model, and price the insurance before you sign. In our model, the type of car alone can move the estimate by 30% or more.

Do I have to list everyone in my household?

Expect to be asked about every licensed driver who lives with you. Ask the agent or insurer how they handle each person rather than leaving anyone off, since a missing driver can change the price later.