Six Questions That Explain Almost Any Quote
A number arrives that seems wrong. The instinct is to argue with it or to go elsewhere. Both are premature — in our office, most quotes that look wrong turn out to have been built from something inaccurate, and finding it takes about four minutes. These are the questions that find it.
1. What did you enter for my annual mileage?
The most common single error, and a factor California requires to be weighed near the top. An overstated figure — usually rounded up for safety — can put you in a higher band than your actual driving warrants.
2. Which address did you use as the garaging address?
Not the mailing address — where the car sleeps. A mismatch here is both a rating error and a policy accuracy problem.
3. Who is listed as a driver, and who is assigned to which car?
Extra people, missing people, and mismatched assignments all move the number. Ask them to read the list back to you.
4. What limits and deductibles is this built on?
The reason two quotes differ is very often that they are quotes for different amounts of protection. Until this is answered, no comparison means anything.
5. Is this a good driver policy?
A specific yes-or-no question with statutory criteria behind it in Insurance Code section 1861.025. If the answer is no and you believe you qualify, that is the whole conversation right there.
6. What vehicle did you rate — exactly?
Year, make, model, trim, and ideally the VIN. Trim differences are real, and a car entered at the wrong one is a car you do not own.
The broker behind this page keeps a longer explainer on California car insurance cost, with the statute links.
If all six answers are correct
Then the number is genuinely what your profile produces at that company — and the productive move is comparing companies rather than continuing the conversation. Plans disagree about the same driver by design, so the same six correct answers can produce noticeably different prices elsewhere.
Ask us the six questions. We will answer them without being asked, which is faster for everyone.
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Is it rude to ask an agent all of this?
No, and a good one will be pleased you did — every one of these questions prevents a policy that misdescribes you. Vague answers to specific questions are the actual warning sign.
What if the agent will not give a breakdown?
Ask for the declarations page or a written quote summary showing coverages and limits. If neither is forthcoming, that is enough information to take the business elsewhere.
Can I fix an error after the policy is issued?
Usually yes, and the correction re-rates from the appropriate date. Do it as soon as you spot it rather than at renewal, because an inaccurate policy is a weak spot as well as a wrong price.