Anonymous car insurance quotes

When shopping around for car insurance, you may be tempted to get an anonymous quote. An anonymous quote is an insurance quote obtained with very broad or general information and without any personal demographic details in order to protect one’s privacy. However, an anonymous insurance quote will likely result in an incorrect quote and is not usually an accurate representation on what you would actually pay for car insurance. This variance comes from the many factors that go into how insurance companies determine their ratings. However, if you have a good driving record, solid insurance history, and a safe vehicle, an anonymous quote may still be a good place to start — so long as you understand that if you decide to actually purchase the policy, the rate will probably change.

What information do insurance companies generally require to get a quote?

In most situations, auto insurers require a handful of personalized details when providing rates for recommended coverage. Looking at these variables helps the insurance company to estimate the financial risk associated with insuring any given customer and vehicle.

• Demographics: Statistics show that different ages and genders are sometimes more or less likely to get into an auto accident, commit a traffic violation, or receive a ticket. Generally, certain groups with a higher likelihood of these types of incidents are more expensive to insure. Hawaii and Massachusetts ban age as a rating factor while California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania do not allow ratings based on gender.
• Driving record: Driving history is one of the top indicators for how likely it is that an insurance company will have to pay out a costly claim. A driver with several accidents or tickets may be considered to be a higher risk to insure and can therefore expect a higher premium.
• Drivers license: Your driver’s license is used both as proof of identity and proof that you are legally permitted to drive. While this won’t necessarily impact your quote, it is often necessary in order to obtain a quote.
• Address: Where you live can have a notable impact on the likelihood of vehicle theft and the chances of having an auto accident. These factors can contribute to higher or lower premiums based on the risk that correlates to your ZIP code. There are five states that ban the use of ZIP codes as a rating factor: California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan.
• Vehicle information: The year, make and model of your car are generally required. Vehicles have different safety ratings and repair or replacement costs which factor into how expensive a car is to insure.
• Coverage limits and types: The type of coverage you want on your policy and the limits on those coverages are needed to calculate a quote.

Can you get an anonymous car insurance quote?

While you could attempt to submit a quote request with some omitted details, it’s challenging to get car insurance quotes without giving personal information, let alone a quote that is accurate. When premiums are calculated, the formula is based primarily on your personal information and background. Details like your driving record, age (in most states), address, credit-based insurance score (in most states), vehicle, and others contribute to these calculations. From an insurance company’s perspective, it would be considered inaccurate to offer anonymous car insurance quotes, knowing that your actual policy cost is based on your undisclosed factors.

This inaccurate quote could mislead people into thinking their rate would be higher or lower than it really would be, once all details relevant to the quote are actually disclosed. Imagine receiving an anonymous quote for a relatively low price and then applying for the policy and ending up with a higher price tag. Because “anonymous quotes,” or quotes lacking in personal details, would inevitably be less accurate, most quote tools require a basic level of information to be able to submit online.

How do you get an anonymous insurance quote?

There are two ways you might be able to obtain an anonymous auto insurance quote. You may be able to find a company that allows it, or your second option would be to use a website comparison tool that will find these companies for you.

Find a company that allows it

Some auto insurance companies will allow you to get quotes using minimal information. Even so, there are some essential details that are still commonly required. Items such as age, ZIP code and driving record are generally required — even for drivers intending to be as anonymous as possible. With these variables, some companies can provide reasonably accurate quotes.

Use a comparison website

Comparison websites and tools can use minimal information to gather quotes quickly from multiple insurance providers. These websites often use the same basic information as individual companies do, meaning that you’ll still have to provide your ZIP code, age and basic driving history. Then, the comparison website will query numerous companies with that information to provide you with a list of competing quotes.

What do you do after you get an anonymous car insurance quote?

Once you have decided to go through with purchasing a policy, you will be required to provide the missing information you omitted when getting the anonymous quote. Keep in mind that at this stage, the quote could vary drastically, especially if you have omitted information known to impact premium rates. Quotes are not binding agreements but are simply estimates of expected cost based on the information available at the time. While quotes can sometimes be gained with some level of anonymity, purchasing your actual policies requires specifics.

Frequently asked questions