Those Yes-or-No Questions Before the Price: What Each One Is For
These questions arrive when you are one click from a price, which is exactly when people answer them fastest. They deserve thirty seconds each. A "yes" rarely ends a quote; it sends it to the right company. A wrong "no" is what causes trouble months later.
The questions, and why they are asked
| Question | Why it is asked | If you are unsure |
|---|---|---|
| Is any car used for business, ride-hailing or delivery? | A personal policy treats these uses differently, and some need separate coverage | Describe the use in a sentence and let the agent classify it |
| Does anyone in the household have a suspended, revoked or no license? | A suspended license for the named insured or a regular household driver is one of the grounds for cancelling a California policy | List the person and ask about a named-driver exclusion |
| Has any policy been cancelled, non-renewed or declined? | It tells the company where to look and which programme fits | Give the reason and the year; a nonrenewal is not a cancellation |
| Does any car have existing damage? | Comprehensive and collision only pay for new losses | Describe it and offer photos |
| Any modifications or custom equipment? | Equipment coverage is capped by its own limit | List the parts and roughly what they cost |
| Is any car not owned by, or registered to, you? | Companies need to know who owns what they insure | Say whose name is on the title |
| Is any car kept somewhere other than the address given? | The garaging location is part of the rating | Give the overnight address for each car |
| Do you need an SR-22 or other state filing? | Not every company files one | Say yes if the DMV or a court told you so |
How to answer for the whole household
- Read each question as "anyone, any car on this quote", unless it clearly says "you".
- Go through the drivers one by one: license status, tickets, claims.
- Go through the cars one by one: use, owner, condition, where kept.
- Where you are unsure, answer as accurately as you can and add a note, rather than defaulting to "no".
Why a "yes" is not the end of the road
A household driver with a suspended license, for example, does not have to block the quote. California lets a policy exclude a named driver; once the named insured signs that agreement it is conclusive, and the excluded person has no coverage at all under the policy (Insurance Code 11580.1). That is a serious trade, but it is a legal option to discuss. Similarly, delivery use or a past cancellation narrows the list of companies rather than emptying it.
What a wrong "no" does later
Insurance Code 661 lets a California insurer cancel for a material misrepresentation of key facts, including the safety record, annual mileage, years of experience and prior claims. If the mistake was negligent rather than deliberate, the law gives you 20 days from the notice to supply the corrected information and pay any premium difference. Even so, the cleanest route is the accurate answer up front.
Words worth knowing
Rescission comes up in some of these questions. The Department of Insurance defines it as cancelling a policy back to its effective date with all premium returned, as if it never existed. If a policy of yours was ever rescinded, say so, and say why.
Answer them carefully, then submit through our quote form; if a question did not fit your situation, use the message box to explain.
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Does answering yes stop me getting a quote?
Rarely. It usually changes which companies or programmes can write the policy, which is the point of asking.
What if a question does not fit my situation?
Answer as accurately as you can and explain in a note or on the phone. An explained answer is far better than a guessed no.
Is a nonrenewal the same as a cancellation?
No. A nonrenewal ends a policy at its expiration date; a cancellation ends it mid-term. Give whichever applies, with the reason.
What does excluding a driver mean?
With the named insured's signature, the policy names a person who is not covered at all when driving. It is a legal option in California, but that person must not drive the insured cars.