You may know that your history of accidents and violations, insurance claims, and more impact your insurance rates. But did you know that you have an insurance score?

Insurance scores, or insurance credit score, is a three-digit number assigned to you that predicts the risk of an accident or insurance claim in the future. Scores above 770 are considered good, 500 – 770 are average, and below 500 are poor. The lower your insurance score, the higher your premium may be.

Think of it as a credit score but for insurance.

How is my insurance score calculated? It varies. Different insurance carriers have different models that measure your insurance score. For the most part, details from your credit history, driving history, and claim history are considered. Having a clean driving record may indicate that you are less likely to speed and cause an accident. Whereas someone with a ton of claims or speeding tickets could be seen as riskier. Your insurance score can also consider your age and location as well.

Can I raise my insurance score?

Similar to your credit score, raising your insurance score is possible but does take time. The following steps can be taken in an effort to raise your insurance score:

  • Work on your credit score. Since your insurance score considers your credit score, improving your credit score can help improve your insurance score. Make your payments on time, catch up on past due amounts, limit how often you apply for new accounts, and more. For more information on how to improve your credit score click here.
  • Clean up your driving record. Strive to have a driving record free of traffic tickets and accidents. If you have a history of these, consider taking a defensive driving course to brush up on your skills.
  • Avoid accidents. Some accidents are unavoidable but performing regular maintenance on your vehicle, storing your vehicle in a garage, and being cautious when you drive can help you stay as accident-free as possible.

While you don’t always have control over your insurance rates, improving your insurance score is one way you can take your rate into your own control in a way. The higher your insurance score, the better your insurance rate is likely to be.

It is important to note that we don’t see your insurance score at our level. When we receive quotes from our carriers, your score has already been factored in by the carrier.