What Is My Car Insurance Score?

Last Updated on October 7, 2026

By James Shaffer Reviewed by Thomas Rockford, insurance industry executive and financial analyst, on October 4, 2026 How we fact-check

Your car insurance score quietly plays a big role in how much you pay for auto insurance. Yet most drivers have never seen their score, don’t know how it’s calculated, and aren’t sure how to improve it.

Below, we’ll break down what a car insurance score is, how it works, how it affects your premiums, what counts as a “good” score, and how to check and improve yours.

A car insurance score (credit-based insurance score) uses your credit history to predict how likely you are to file claims or miss premium payments.
In most states, a low insurance score raises your premium. In NerdWallet’s October 2026 rate study, a 35-year-old with poor credit paid $3,954 a year for full coverage against $2,361 with good credit, about 67% more.
FICO, LexisNexis and TransUnion each run their own model, and none of the three publishes its score range or what counts as a good score. The ranges you see quoted online don’t come from them.
You can improve your auto insurance score by paying bills on time, lowering credit card balances, avoiding excessive new credit, and monitoring your credit for errors.

Table Of Contents

Auto Insurance Scores Are Similar to Credit Scores
Why Is My Car Insurance Score Important?
How Do Auto Insurance Scores Affect Insurance Premiums?
What Is a Good Auto Insurance Score?
How Do I Check My Auto Insurance Score?
The Major Insurance Score Providers
How to Improve Your Auto Insurance Score
FAQs on Car Insurance Scores
Final Word on Auto Insurance Scores
Sources

Auto Insurance Scores Are Similar to Credit Scores

Your auto insurance score (also called a credit-based insurance score) is a three-digit number calculated using information from your credit score and credit history. The goal of the car insurance score is to predict how risky you are to insure – specifically, how likely you are to file a claim or fall behind on payments.

An auto insurance score works in a similar way to your credit score. In fact, your auto insurance score is largely based on your credit data: if you have a strong credit profile, you likely have a strong car insurance score as well.

Common factors used to build a credit-based auto insurance score include:

The age of your credit history (how long you’ve had or used credit)
The number of accounts you have in good standing
Your payment history (on-time payments vs. late or missed payments)
How much of your available credit you’re currently using (credit utilization)
The mix of credit types you have (cards, loans, etc.)
Recent applications for new credit

Although the two ratings are similar, your auto insurance score is not the same as your credit score. The two often have different score ranges, and insurers may use custom models.

Many drivers are also surprised to learn that their car insurance score has nothing to do with your driving record. FICO describes its insurance scores as a statistical read on “credit report information” and says nothing about driving. Your tickets and accidents live in a different file: LexisNexis keeps a claims report called CLUE, which the Washington insurance commissioner says holds up to seven years of auto and property claims. Insurers look at both, separately.

Why Is My Car Insurance Score Important?

In most states, car insurance companies will look at your car insurance score when setting your premiums.

When you apply for car insurance, the insurer looks at dozens of factors to determine your risk as a policyholder, including:

Your driving history (tickets, at-fault accidents, DUIs)
Your age, location, and vehicle
Your prior insurance history (lapses or cancellations)
Your coverage limits and deductibles
Your credit-based auto insurance score (in most states)

Not all states let insurers use credit-based insurance scores to set personal auto rates. The NAIC puts it this way: state laws place important limits on how these scores may be used, and some states prohibit certain uses altogether. The limits are not all the same, and lumping them together hides what matters. Here is what the states with the strictest rules actually say, checked October 4, 2026:

Hawaii bans it. HRS 431:10C-207 lists “credit bureau rating” among the factors an auto insurer may not use in its rating plan or underwriting standards.
Massachusetts bans it. 211 CMR 79.04(13) says no credit information from a consumer report may be used in private passenger auto rating or underwriting.
Michigan bans it as a rating factor. The state lists credit score among the things insurers may not use to set auto rates, for policies issued or renewed after July 1, 2020.
Maryland allows it once. Bulletin 21-26 says an insurer may use credit to rate a new auto policy, and that “the use of credit, other than for rating of a new policy is prohibited.” So it can’t drive your renewal, a cancellation or a nonrenewal.
Oregon allows it with limits. ORS 746.661 lets an insurer use credit history to decline coverage in the initial underwriting decision only alongside other substantive factors, and bars canceling or nonrenewing a policy that has been in force more than 60 days on the basis of credit.
California is commonly listed as a ban under Proposition 103. That comes from consumer guides rather than from a California state page saying so, so confirm it with the California Department of Insurance before you rely on it.

Everywhere else, credit is in play, and your insurance score is likely one of the bigger pricing factors behind the scenes. Even in states that allow it, insurers generally can’t use credit as the sole reason to raise your rate, deny you or cancel you.

How Do Auto Insurance Scores Affect Insurance Premiums?

In most states, someone with poor credit will pay significantly more for car insurance than someone with good or excellent credit – even with the same driving record.

NerdWallet’s October 2026 rate study compared a 35-year-old with no moving violations across credit tiers:

Full coverage: $2,361 a year with good credit, $3,954 a year with poor credit. That is $1,593 more, or about 67%.
Minimum coverage: $648 a year with good credit, $1,030 a year with poor credit, a $382 difference.

Those are averages for one sample driver, not a quote. Your own gap depends on your state, your insurer and the rest of your record. But the shape of it is real:

Poor credit costs roughly two-thirds more than good credit on full coverage in that study.
The gap is wider in dollars on full coverage than on minimum coverage, because there is more premium for the credit factor to work on.

In other words, your premiums can jump dramatically if your credit-based auto insurance score is low. At the same time, improving your score over time can meaningfully reduce what you pay.

What Is a Good Auto Insurance Score?

There’s no single universal “auto insurance score scale,” and here is the part most articles skip: none of the three big scoring companies publishes its range or its cutoffs. The numbers you see quoted come from comparison sites, not from FICO, LexisNexis or TransUnion.

As a rough guide:

Higher scores = lower perceived risk and typically lower premiums.
Lower scores = higher perceived risk and typically higher premiums.

What each company does say about its own product:

LexisNexis sells the Attract score, which it says helps carriers “classify insureds and applicants according to their risk potential.” It publishes no range and no score bands.
FICO describes its insurance scores as “snapshots of consumers’ insurance risk based on an objective, statistical analysis of credit report information.” No range. The 250-to-900 figure you may have seen belongs to the FICO Auto Score, which is a car-loan score, not an insurance score.
TransUnion brands its insurance scores TruVision, including TruVision Trended Credit Insurance Scores. No range, and no consumer product that sells you the score.
Insurers also build their own models on top of this data, so two companies can read the same credit file differently.

So what should you aim at? Since you can’t see the scale, aim at the inputs:

A strong regular credit score almost always means a strong insurance score, because both are built from the same credit report.
Late payments, high balances and a pile of recent applications hurt both.

Anyone who tells you a specific insurance-score number is “good” is quoting a figure the scoring companies don’t publish. Treat it as a rough guide, not a target.

LexisNexis is the one of the three that takes consumer requests for a disclosure file, which may include your Attract score and the reason codes behind it. TransUnion publishes no consumer route to its insurance score.

How Do I Check My Auto Insurance Score?

Curious whether your car insurance score is driving up your premiums? Unlike credit scores, you’re not automatically entitled to a free auto insurance score every year. But there are a few ways to see or estimate it.

1. Ask your insurance company

If your insurer uses a credit-based insurance score, you can ask:

Whether they used an insurance score to price your policy
Which scoring company they used (FICO, LexisNexis, TransUnion, or a proprietary model)
Whether they’re willing to share your score or at least the “tier” you’re in

If your rate goes up because of something in your credit file, the insurer has to tell you. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires anyone who takes adverse action based on a consumer report to send notice, and the notice has to include the numerical score they used. That notice is the most direct look at your score you can get, and it costs nothing.

2. Check your regular credit score

Services like Credit Karma, your bank, or your credit card issuer can show you a free credit score. These are not auto insurance scores – they’re usually VantageScore or FICO – but they’re strongly related. In general:

If your credit score is strong (often 700+), your auto insurance score is likely strong.
If your credit score is poor or fair, your auto insurance score is probably lower as well.

Improving your regular credit score over time usually helps your credit-based insurance score too.

3. Request your file from LexisNexis

LexisNexis is a major provider of credit-based insurance scores. You can request a free copy of your consumer disclosure file (which may include your Attract insurance score and the key factors affecting it) from LexisNexis.

4. Paid credit monitoring or score services

This is where a lot of advice goes wrong. A myFICO subscription runs $19.95 a month for Basic, $29.95 for Advanced and $39.95 for Premier, and none of the three includes an insurance score. They sell credit scores. If you want your insurance score, the adverse action notice and the LexisNexis disclosure are the two real routes, and both are free.

The Major Insurance Score Providers

Here are the three major auto insurance score providers, what their insurance score ranges generally look like, and how consumers may be able to see their scores:

Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO)

Auto Insurance Score / Auto-Related Scores: FICO industry-specific auto scores and insurance scores
Published Score Range: None. FICO does not publish a range for its insurance score. (250 to 900 is the FICO Auto Score, a lending score.)
Credit Data Used: Credit reports from one or more of the major bureaus
How to Access: No consumer route. myFICO subscriptions sell credit scores, not insurance scores.

LexisNexis

Auto Insurance Score: LexisNexis Attract Auto Insurance Score
Published Score Range: None. The 200-to-997 range is widely quoted but does not appear on LexisNexis’s own Attract page.
Credit Data Used: Credit reports and other data from major bureaus
How to Access: You can request your LexisNexis consumer report, which may include your Attract score and top “reason codes” explaining it.

TransUnion

Auto Insurance Score: TruVision Trended Credit Insurance Scores (TransUnion’s insurance brand is TruVision, not CreditVision)
Published Score Range: None. 300 to 900 is commonly cited but not published by TransUnion.
Credit Data Used: TransUnion credit report and related data
How to Access: No consumer route published. Your insurer’s adverse action notice is the practical way to see a score it used.

Auto Insurance Score Provider Comparison Chart

Provider	Car Insurance Score Name	Credit Report Used	Score Range	Cost (Consumer Access)
FICO	FICO Insurance Score	Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion (varies by insurer)	Not published by FICO	No consumer route. A myFICO plan ($19.95–$39.95/month) sells credit scores, not insurance scores
LexisNexis	LexisNexis Attract Auto Insurance Score	Credit report data (LexisNexis does not name the bureau)	Not published by LexisNexis	Free: request your LexisNexis consumer disclosure report, which may include the score and its reason codes
TransUnion	TruVision Trended Credit Insurance Scores	TransUnion	Not published by TransUnion	No consumer route published; sold to insurers

How to Improve Your Auto Insurance Score

If you have a low auto insurance score, improving it can cut your premiums over time. Nobody publishes a savings-per-point figure, so ignore anyone who gives you one. What the rate studies show is the size of the whole gap, roughly two-thirds more on full coverage between poor and good credit. Moving from one tier to the next captures part of that. Shopping around captures some too, since insurers weigh credit differently, and switching claims deserve the same scrutiny.

You improve your auto insurance score the same way you improve your credit score:

Pay all bills on time – Payment history is one of the biggest factors. Set up autopay or reminders so you never miss a due date.
Keep credit card balances low – Aim to use less than 30% of your available credit, and lower is even better.
Pay down existing debt – Reducing revolving balances over time can steadily improve your score.
Avoid opening lots of new accounts at once – Too many recent applications can temporarily drag your score down.
Maintain older accounts – The length of your credit history helps; keeping long-standing accounts open can be beneficial.
Monitor your credit – Regularly review your credit reports and scores and dispute any errors that may hurt your standing.

Improvements usually don’t show up overnight, but consistent good habits over several months and years can move you into a better insurance-score tier and help lower your premiums.

FAQs on Car Insurance Scores

What is a car insurance score?

A car insurance score, also called a credit-based insurance score, is a three-digit number based largely on your credit report. Insurers use it to predict how likely you are to file a claim or fall behind on payments. A higher score generally means you’re seen as lower risk and may qualify for lower premiums, while a lower score usually leads to higher rates in states where credit-based scoring is allowed.

How is a car insurance score different from a credit score?

Your regular credit score is designed for lenders and predicts how likely you are to repay borrowed money on time. A car insurance score uses many of the same credit factors but is tuned to predict insurance outcomes, like the likelihood of claims or payment problems. The scales are different, and none of the scoring companies publishes its insurance-score range, so the number won’t match your credit score even though the two are closely related.

Does my driving record affect my car insurance score?

No. A credit-based car insurance score is based on credit information, not your tickets or accidents. However, your driving record still strongly affects your car insurance premium on its own. Insurers typically look at both: your credit-based insurance score to gauge financial and claims risk, and your driving history to assess how likely you are to cause accidents or violations.

Do all insurance companies use credit-based insurance scores?

Most major insurers use credit-based insurance scores where it’s allowed, but not in the same way. Hawaii and Massachusetts ban them, Michigan bars credit score as a rating factor, and Maryland and Oregon allow credit only in narrow ways. That’s why it’s smart to compare quotes. Different companies and different states can treat the same credit profile very differently.

How much can a low car insurance score raise my premium?

It varies by state and insurer. In NerdWallet’s October 2026 rate study, a 35-year-old with no moving violations paid $3,954 a year for full coverage with poor credit against $2,361 with good credit, about 67% more. Improving your credit profile over time can move you into a better scoring tier and help lower your rates at renewal.

How can I check my car insurance score?

You’re not guaranteed free access to your auto insurance score each year, but you have a few options. If a rate increase came from your credit file, the insurer has to send you an adverse action notice, and federal law says it must include the numerical score used. You can request your consumer report from LexisNexis, which may include your Attract score and the key factors behind it. And checking your regular credit scores through your bank, card issuer or a monitoring service gives you a good proxy, since strong credit usually means a stronger insurance score.

Does checking my car insurance score hurt my credit?

No. The CFPB counts both your own request for your reports and a review by an insurance company as soft inquiries, and says soft inquiries “will not affect your credit scores.” Requesting a consumer disclosure from LexisNexis doesn’t hurt your credit either. Only a hard inquiry, the kind that follows a loan or credit card application, can move your score.

How long does a low car insurance score affect my rates?

Insurers usually focus on your recent credit history, so late payments or high balances can affect you for several years. Your score is not fixed. On-time payments, lower utilization and no new debt improve both your credit and your insurance score over time. How fast that shows up in your premium depends on your insurer. In Maryland, where credit may only be used to rate a new policy, the insurer has to re-review your credit at least every two years and adjust your premium if it improved.

Final Word on Auto Insurance Scores

A car insurance score, also known as a credit-based insurance score, is one of the key tools car insurance companies use to assess your risk as a policyholder. It’s built primarily from your credit history and is separate from your driving record, but both play important roles in your rate.

You’re not automatically entitled to a free auto insurance score each year like you are with credit reports. However, you can still:

Read any adverse action notice you get. Federal law makes the insurer include the score it used
Request your LexisNexis consumer report, which may include your insurance score
Track and improve your traditional credit scores, which closely correlate with insurance scores

In most states, insurers will keep using your auto insurance score, along with dozens of other factors, to calculate your premium. In Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan they can’t, and in Maryland and Oregon they can only use it in narrow ways. Wherever you live, building and keeping strong credit is still one of the best long-term moves for holding your car insurance rates down. My advice is to read the adverse action notice the next time a renewal goes up. It names the score the insurer used and the reasons behind it, which is more than any paid service will tell you.

Sources

Checked October 4, 2026