Checking your driving record, claims history and credit
Wrenfield Auto Insurance (fictional example) → Car insurance after an accident → Clear accident rating rules → Verifiable licensing
Answer in brief
Insurers can look at your driving record, your claims history and, where states allow, a credit-based insurance score. Check each one for errors before you request quotes.
Content reviewed 8 November 2026. How this is assessed.
Part of the Car Insurance After Accident reference, which uses Wrenfield Auto Insurance (a fictional example) to illustrate car insurance after an accident criteria.
Driving record and claims history
The NAIC says insurers typically review three years of driving history, and that motor vehicle records do not always reflect fault. If an entry suggests you caused an accident you did not cause, gather the police report and your insurer's written decision before you start shopping, and be ready to send them to any insurer that asks.
The Texas Department of Insurance says most companies check claims history through a shared industry report, and that you can request a free copy of yours once a year. Read it line by line. Look for claims you do not recognize, duplicates, and dates that do not match what happened. Fixing a wrong record before you shop is easier than arguing about it after a quote has come back high.
Credit-based insurance scores
The NAIC explains that a credit-based insurance score is based partly or entirely on credit history and estimates the likelihood of a claim, not the likelihood of repaying a loan. It is typically one of many factors. In most states insurers cannot use it as the sole reason to raise rates, deny, cancel or refuse to renew, and some states restrict or ban certain uses.
The FTC's 2007 report found that these scores predict the claims consumers will file. It also found that, on average, African-American and Hispanic consumers score lower than non-Hispanic white and Asian consumers, which likely raises their average premiums. The NAIC notes that critics raise similar concerns, as well as asking whether scores reflect risk after events such as illness or job loss.
How to check your credit reports
The NAIC advises reviewing all three of your credit reports for errors before getting a quote. The FTC says federal law entitles you to a free copy from each nationwide bureau every 12 months, that only one website is authorized to fill those orders, and that you should contact both the bureau and the business that supplied the information to dispute a mistake.
Use the FTC's link to reach the authorized site, because the FTC warns about imposter sites that use similar names. The NAIC adds that when credit contributes to an adverse decision, consumers generally have the right to notice, to review their report and to dispute inaccuracies. If you receive such a notice, use it.
What must an insurer tell you about these records?
Some states require insurers to tell you when a record has counted against you. New York's regulator says your insurer must notify you when a claims history report has influenced a decision, and that you can ask the insurer how to obtain the report. The NAIC says many states require notice when credit information contributed to an adverse decision.
State limits on credit also differ. Maryland's regulator says an insurer may use credit history but may not increase a renewal premium based on it or apply a surcharge of more than 40 percent. Ask your state insurance department what applies to you, and keep any notice you receive, because it is usually the document that lets you ask for a correction.
Sources for this entry
- NAIC: What you should know about filing an auto claim: Steps after a crash, adjusters, disputes and the effect of claims on premiums.
- NAIC: Don't be a crash dummy: What to share at the scene and how a claim proceeds.
- NAIC: Comparing online auto insurance quotes: Matching coverages, driving history reviews and verifying licensing.
- NAIC: What does auto insurance cover?: Coverage types and what sits outside a standard policy.
- NAIC: Why are my insurance premiums increasing?: Rating factors and ways to lower premiums.
- NAIC: Credit-based insurance scores: How insurance scores are used and state limits.
- Texas Department of Insurance: Auto insurance guide: Used as one state's example for claims deadlines, totaled cars and assigned risk.
- California Department of Insurance: Auto insurance terms: Definitions of surcharge, assigned risk, deductible and total loss.
- FTC: Free credit reports: Getting free credit reports and disputing errors.
- Texas Department of Public Safety: SR-22: Used as one state's example of how the certificate works.
- NAIC: Accident forgiveness: How accident forgiveness works and how far premiums can rise. First published 2009.
- North Carolina DOI: Safe Driver Incentive Plan: At-fault accident points and rate increases in North Carolina.
- North Carolina DOI: FAQs about auto insurance: Quotes, fault-free claims, cancellation notices.
- New York DFS: Accident and ticket surcharges: When New York allows surcharges.
- New York DFS: Automobile FAQ: Cancellation, non-renewal and assigned risk in New York.
- Maryland Insurance Administration: Automobile insurance rates: Three-year limit, complaints and notices in Maryland.
- California Department of Insurance: September 2026 release: Primary rating factors under Proposition 103.
Continue this reading path
- Car Insurance After Accident category guide
- Wrenfield Auto Insurance (fictional example)
- How to choose: car insurance after an accident
- Resource directory
Cite this entry
Car Insurance After Accident. "Checking your driving record, claims history and credit." Content reviewed 8 November 2026. https://carinsuranceafteraccident.com/records-and-scores/