Editorial Guidelines & Standards
Last Updated on October 22, 2026
Our Mission: Making Insurance Black and White
At Insurance Panda, our mission is simple: to help drivers navigate auto insurance with clarity and confidence. We believe insurance information should be accessible, unbiased, and free of confusing jargon.
Our editorial team is committed to publishing accurate, practical guidance that puts consumers first—whether you’re buying your first policy, shopping around at renewal, or trying to lower your premium without losing important protection.
How We Check Every Guide
Insurance rules, prices and company programs vary by state and change often, so every guide on Insurance Panda goes through the same steps before it is published or updated.
Our Review Workflow
| Step | What Happens | What We Check |
|---|---|---|
| Research | We go to the source of each rule or product: the insurer’s own pages and policy forms, state insurance departments, DMVs and statutes, the NAIC, and federal agencies. | Requirements, prices, fees, limits and coverage terms. |
| Draft | We write in plain English with real-world examples. | Clarity, completeness, and actionable steps. |
| Fact-Check | Every factual claim is checked against its source, and we record the source and the date we checked it. A price, fee or limit appears with its source and date. Anything we can’t confirm is taken out, or the guide tells you plainly that the company doesn’t publish it. | Figures, dates, coverage terms and legal requirements. |
| Review | A reviewer with insurance-industry experience reads every change against those sources and signs off before it goes live. The reviewer’s name and the date of the review appear at the top of each guide. | Accuracy, sourcing, and anything a reader might act on. |
| Copyedit | We tighten language and improve scannability. | Readability, consistency, internal style rules. |
| Publish & Monitor | Each guide ends with a dated list of the sources it relies on, so you can check the same pages we did. We recheck guides when laws, prices or company programs change. | Regulatory updates, company changes, reader feedback. |
Quick tip: If you want to double-check a rule in your state, start with your state insurance department’s consumer pages and bulletins—then compare what you see to your policy declarations page and contract language.
Sources We Rely On
We start with the source closest to the rule or the product:
- Regulators and lawmakers: State insurance departments, DMVs, state statutes and federal agencies.
- The NAIC: Consumer guidance, complaint data and average premium reports from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
- Insurers’ own pages and documents: Company websites, filed policy forms, endorsements and annual reports. Phone numbers, emails and mailing addresses come only from the company’s own site, and that page is listed in the guide’s sources.
- Ratings and studies: AM Best and Demotech for financial strength, J.D. Power for customer satisfaction, and safety research such as the IIHS. When a price comes from a comparison site’s own analysis, we name the site and the date, because those figures depend on the sample driver each site uses. Our insurer ratings follow the method on How We Rate Insurers.
Accuracy and Fact-Checking Standards
In insurance, small details can change outcomes—especially during claims. We aim to be precise about coverage, exclusions, and how policies typically respond, while also noting that carrier rules and state laws differ.
- State-Specific Sensitivity: When a rule can vary, we write in evergreen terms and clearly state that requirements differ by state.
- Plain-English Definitions: If we use a technical term (like “subrogation” or “limits”), we explain it in everyday language.
- No Unverifiable Numbers: If a statistic, premium figure, or “average cost” can’t be traced to its source, we leave it out and focus on what actually drives pricing.
Editorial Independence and Monetization
Trust is our most valuable asset. Our editorial content is produced independently of business relationships.
- No Pay-to-Play: Insurance companies cannot pay to be featured in our editorial coverage, reviews, or comparisons.
- Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn a commission when readers click certain links or request quotes. That compensation does not influence our opinions, evaluations, or the way we explain coverage.
- Reader-First Standards: If a carrier, product, or process has meaningful drawbacks—such as poor claims handling or confusing exclusions—we say so.
When we discuss companies or products, our goal is to explain what a typical shopper should look for (coverage options, complaint patterns, claims experience, and value), not to push a specific purchase.
Who Writes and Reviews Our Guides
Every guide shows who wrote it and who reviewed it at the top, with the date of the review. No guide goes live until a reviewer with insurance-industry experience has checked it against its sources and signed off. Topics like liability limits, SR-22 filings, claim disputes and cancellation rules get the closest read, because a small mistake there can cost a reader real money.
You can read about the people behind Insurance Panda on our Team page.
Updates and Corrections Policy
We strive for accuracy, but if something is wrong, we want to fix it quickly and transparently.
- Regular Rechecks: We recheck guides when laws, prices or company programs change. The date at the top of each guide shows when it was last reviewed.
- Timely Updates: When laws, common practices, or market conditions shift, we revise affected sections.
- Corrections: When we fix a factual error, we update the guide and its review date.
To report an error, email us at editorial@insurancepanda.com or use the corrections option on our Contact Us page.
Quick tip: When reporting a potential error, include the page URL and a screenshot or quote of the exact sentence—plus the source you’re using—so we can verify and resolve it faster.
Our Quality Standards
Every piece published on Insurance Panda is expected to meet these core standards:
- Actionable: We explain the “what” and the “how,” including practical next steps for shopping, switching, or strengthening coverage.
- Clear (The Black And White Standard): We minimize jargon and define technical terms in plain English.
- Balanced: We present pros and cons to help readers make choices that match their budget and risk.
- Transparent: We disclose how we make money, list the sources behind every guide with the dates we checked them, and separate general guidance from state-specific rules.
Important note: Our content is educational and not legal advice. Always confirm details with your insurer, agent, or your state’s insurance department—especially before making coverage changes.