Showing What You Had Before

Somewhere in most quotes is a question about your current or previous insurance. It is worth answering accurately — and worth knowing what the answer can and cannot do in California, because the rules here are unusual.

What counts as proof

• The declarations page of your current policy. Best single document: it shows carrier, policy period, limits, deductibles and listed drivers all at once.
• Your insurance ID card, which shows the carrier and the term dates but not the limits.
• A letter of experience from the prior carrier, which is what you ask for when the policy has already ended.
• A cancellation or non-renewal notice, which at least fixes the dates.

What prior coverage can and cannot do here

Not having had insurance cannot be held against you: "The absence of prior automobile insurance coverage, in and of itself, shall not be a criterion for determining eligibility for a Good Driver Discount policy, or generally for automobile rates, premiums, or insurability" (Insurance Code 1861.02(c)).

There is a fuller write-up of proof of insurance in California on the Auto World Insurance Services site.

And coverage you had elsewhere cannot buy you a better price at a new company. California's rating regulation allows a persistency (loyalty) credit only for time with the same company or an affiliate, says no insurer may apply it "when based in whole or in part upon automobile insurance coverage provided by a non-affiliated insurer," and applies that rule expressly to proof of prior insurance (10 CCR 2632.5(d)(10)).

So if you are moving to a different insurance group, your old declarations page is not a discount coupon. If you are staying within the same company or its affiliates — including moving from a family policy to one of your own — ask whether its persistency credit applies to you.

Why the declarations page still matters

Your declarations page does a job no quote can do without it: it lets a new quote be built at the same limits and deductibles you already carry. Without it, the new quote is a price for some other amount of protection, and comparing the two tells you nothing. Line up bodily injury limits, property damage, uninsured motorist and each deductible before you decide anything is cheaper.

It also fixes your dates. If a lender, the DMV or a claim ever turns on whether you were insured on a particular day, the declarations page for that term is the cleanest evidence you have.

How to get the document in ten minutes

1. Log into your current carrier's app or website and look for Documents or Policy Documents.
2. If that fails, call and ask for the declarations page to be emailed. It is a routine request.
3. If the policy has lapsed, ask specifically for a letter of experience and give the dates you need covered.

If you have never had insurance

Say so plainly. First-time buyers are a normal category, and in California having no prior policy cannot, by itself, set your price or get you turned down. What does not work is implying prior coverage you cannot document — an inaccurate application causes trouble at claim time. What counts is your license and your driving record: years of driving experience is one of the three factors every company must weigh (Insurance Code 1861.02(a)).

Have your declarations page open when you start and we can quote the same coverage rather than a lookalike. The quote-ready checklist lists everything else worth having to hand.

Sources (official)

• California Insurance Code section 1861.02 (the three required factors; (c) prior coverage cannot be a criterion)
• California Code of Regulations, title 10, section 2632.5(d)(10) (persistency credit and proof of prior insurance)