Can I find car insurance quotes by VIN check? [Tips + Tricks]
You can do a car insurance quotes by VIN check to see rates for your make and model. Make sure you add your personal information when looking up car insurance by VIN number to get the best possible quote.
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Brad Larsen
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Brad Larson has been in the insurance industry for over 16 years. He specializes in helping clients navigate the claims process, with a particular emphasis on coverage analysis. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Political Science. He also holds an Associate in Claims (AIC) and Associate in General Insurance (AINS) designations, as well as a Utah Property and Casual...
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Nov 27, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right cheap car insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare cheap car insurance quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about car insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything car insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by car insurance experts.
UPDATED: Nov 27, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right cheap car insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare cheap car insurance quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- Your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) gives you a lot of information about your vehicle, including the make and model.
- You can do a VIN check to find insurance rates, even if you don’t have the exact make and model of the vehicle.
- You must have the right information requested by the company so agents can assess risk and provide you with estimates.
What is a VIN insurance check? Can I use the VIN to get car insurance quotes? Yes, you can find car insurance quotes by VIN check.
What information is required for a car insurance quote? Believe it or not, you don’t need that much information.
For consumers who are requesting quotes via a direct website or another online quoting system, there will be several fields that you must fill in before the system can even compute your rates.
Quotes may give you an idea of how much you can expect to pay car insurance companies, but your actual rates are not official until underwriters review your information, order reports, and then issue the policy.
Ready to shop for affordable car insurance by VIN check? Get a VIN number insurance quote today. Be sure to use our free rate comparison tool by entering your ZIP code to compare car insurance quotes by VIN check.
Don’t have the VIN? You can still get a car insurance quote without it.
Can you get car insurance quotes by VIN?
You can get a car insurance estimate quote with just a VIN number.
It might look like a VIN is nothing more than a set of 17 numbers and letters. While VINs do consist of numbers and letters, there is more to this code than just gibberish.
The numbers can easily be decoded by the insurance company to determine the year, make, and model of the car for which you want a quote. They can estimate car insurance rates just by the VIN number.
Sites like Edmunds and Carfax have tools you can use to understand your VIN number, do a VIN check, and learn more about your vehicle.
If you are unsure about the year of a vehicle or you don’t know the sub-model or the engine size, a VIN check is really all you need.
It is actually in your best interest to do a VIN check even though it is optional because it takes away all the guesswork when the number is decoded.
One of the factors that affect car insurance rates is the type of car you drive. Certain types of vehicles are charged higher rates for several reasons, including the cost of repair.
Take a look at this table to see how the type of vehicle you drive can affect your car insurance rates.
Average Annual and Monthly Car Insurance Rates by Vehicle Type
Vehicle Type | Average Monthly Auto Insurance Rates | Average Annual Auto Insurance Rates |
---|---|---|
Minivan | $111 | $1,329 |
SUV | $125 | $1,500 |
Sedan | $142 | $1,700 |
Minivans have the cheapest rates, while SUVs and sedans are more expensive.
Can you get car insurance quotes with the make and model of the car?
When you are shopping for a car, you should also take the time to find out how to get cheap car insurance, which will help you purchase insurance coverage and find an insurance company by VIN number.
VIN check car insurance rates may not be as accurate as rates based on more specific information. Providing the wrong information or failing to provide the right details can lead to a misquote, which ultimately leads to higher rates.
You can get an insurance quote by VIN check, as the number is a highly organized numbering system that actually includes a lot of information.
Providing the right information from the time that you begin to compare quotes or fill out applications is a must.
If you pay attention to details and verify that all of the personal information and vehicle information you provide is correct, you’ll never have to worry about paying more than you were told you would pay.
A misquote can lead you to the wrong insurer and turn you away from a company that can charge you the best rates.
If you don’t know everything you need to know about your car, it’s easy to worry that you are not prepared for a quote.
When you are pricing the true cost of ownership before buying a car, you should consider insurance costs.
After all, insurance is one of the regular costs you will need to budget for, along with your car note and gas cost.
If you are not sure which vehicle you want to buy, you should create a list of your options.
After you have a handful of models that you like best, you can begin to compare insurance rates by simply selecting the year, make, and model in a quoting tool.
There is no need to have the exact VIN because the system will pre-populate the prefix of the VIN that is specific to the model and leave the remainder specific to an exact car blank.
This is how an insurance company can provide prospective clients with price quotes when they are at the dealership or when they are car shopping online at home.
The applicant may not know which car they will definitely insure, but they have all of the other details and can pinpoint the model or make they like the most.
This baseline quote should provide enough of an estimate for an applicant to decide if they want a sports car or a compact car, based on insurance costs.
How is a VIN broken down?
Just what is a VIN number? The automobile manufacturer assigns a sequence of letters and numbers to each vehicle they produce in their factories. Like snowflakes, no single VIN can match another. Take a look at this table for a breakdown of the numbers in a VIN.
How To Decode a 17-digit VIN Number
Digits | Purpose |
---|---|
1 | Identifies where the vehicle was assembled |
2 | Who manufactured the vehicle |
3 | The vehicle type |
4 through 9 | Vehicle descriptor section (body type, engine size, transmission, et al.) |
10 through 17 | Vehicle identifier section (model year, location of the plant where the car was produced, and production number of the vehicle) |
If you know which part of the VIN reveals details about your car, you can do a VIN check to learn more about your car’s features.
It is amazing that a sequence like this can say almost everything about the identity of a car, aside from listing its color. Doing a VIN check helps determine how to tell what sub-model your car is along with some more detailed info.
When doing a VIN check, the first digit tells where the car was assembled. American cars assembled in the U.S. will have one.
The second digit will show who manufactured the car, and the third translates the vehicle type.
Spaces four through nine make up the Vehicle Descriptor Section, where the body type, engine size, transmission, and other systems are listed.
Digits 10 through 17 then make up the Vehicle Identifier Section, which shows the model year, location of the plant, and the car’s production number.
When you get a quote for a random vehicle you have not yet purchased and make selections based on the year, make, and model, the VIN that will be populated will be missing digits 11 through 17.
What does an insurance VIN number check not tell you?
VINs seem like magical numbers that can display everything about a vehicle, but that is not always the case. A VIN check may not always be accurate when a vehicle has had aftermarket systems and features installed.
When doing a VIN check, the price of a vehicle won’t be available for you. That depends on so many other factors in addition to make and model.
This is why you need to verify the information listed in your quote and update that information if something is missing.
Skim through a quote whenever you get one, look at the features, and then you can make updates when necessary.
A VIN check may tell you the engine type, the vehicle type, where the air bags are located, and what year the car was produced. Still, it cannot always tell you if a car has an alarm system, aftermarket safety features, or aftermarket stereos.
You need to disclose this so you can receive the discounts that you qualify for such as having an active or passive alarm, a Lo-jack, On-Star, etc.
It can also help you choose the policy and if you need to file a claim for aftermarket parts that were damaged or stolen.
Without informing the insurer, they may only be liable to pay for what came with the car as it was manufactured.
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Does your vehicle type affect VIN number insurance quotes?
You might be wondering why vehicle type even matters when you are buying insurance that covers you as a driver.
Insurance is a policy that will protect your finances, and at times your property and the type of vehicle you are driving can affect risk.
No matter how safe a driver you are, some cars are just statistically safer to drive.
Safer vehicles have fewer injured occupants in accidents, suffer less damage in a collision, and cause less serious damage to other vehicles.
This is why the insurance company will review the safety record and claims record of any vehicle before a policy is issued.
Based on your VIN check, insurance companies can look up the safety record of the make and model of your vehicle, which helps determine your rates.
You can review the safety record of your vehicle through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety if you are concerned that the type of car that you own is having a negative effect on your rates.
If, throughout the years, the record changes for the car, rates can change. This could be one of many factors that cause your rates to increase when your policy renews.
What other factors will affect car insurance rates?
Do you need a VIN check to get an insurance quote? No, because other factors help determine your car insurance rates and can also be used to provide a quote.
The VIN is not the only thing that is going to be requested to rate your policy. The insurer will ask for additional information about you as a driver, your driving habits, and your location to assess how much of a risk you would be to cover.
What do you need for a car insurance quote? To make your shopping experience as efficient and smooth as possible, we have a few tips for you:
- Be prepared to provide your personal information
- Compile make, model, and after-market information about your vehicle
- Know (and be prepared to provide) your driving history
- Have an idea of the types and amount of coverage you want to purchase
Here are pieces of information that will be reviewed when an application is being rated:
- Driving record of each driver
- Age, gender, and marital status of drivers
- Accident record of each driver
- Years of driving experience
- Vehicle usage of each vehicle
- Annual mileage estimates for each vehicle
- Storage ZIP code for each vehicle
- Vehicle type and safety record information
As you can see, vehicle types matter, but they are not everything. Be sure that you know where car insurance discounts will be applied and how these can help you when you want to save money.
For consumers in all states, you should price shop to find a licensed carrier that will provide you with the coverage you need.
You can price shop with or without a VIN, but doing a VIN check will help you avoid making errors when selecting a model or sub-model type.
Use our free online rating tool, where you can get VIN check car insurance quotes today.
Frequently Asked Questions: Can I find car insurance quotes by VIN check?
If you’re not yet ready for an insurance VIN check or still have questions, keep reading to learn more about car insurance and VINs.
#1 – Can you search the price of a car by VIN?
Can a VIN check reveal the price of your car? You might be able to get a vehicle estimate by VIN, but when you find a car price by VIN, that’s not likely to be accurate, especially on older vehicles.
There’s so much more that goes into pricing, like the condition of the vehicle. While you may be able to get an estimated vehicle price by VIN, it’s important that you can provide additional details about the vehicle.
#2 – Can you get auto insurance quotes with VIN numbers?
You can take the VIN of your vehicle to the DMV, where a search can be run to see which insurance companies the vehicle has been insured by.
You can’t really do this yourself, but you can do a VIN check on the National Insurance Crime Bureau site. Here, you can find if it is reported stolen or if it has ever been designated a salvage car.
#3 – Can you get a VIN insurance quote for a vehicle you don’t own?
The short answer is yes. As long as you have the make, model, and trim package information, you should be able to get a quote.
#4 – Can you get an insurance quote with a VIN number without owning a vehicle?
As we noted in answer to the previous question, you don’t have to own a vehicle to get an insurance quote. As long as you have the make, model, and trim package information for the vehicle you’re thinking about purchasing, you should be able to get a quote.
However, you won’t be able to purchase a policy if you don’t have a vehicle.
Ready to buy VIN check car insurance? For rates for car insurance by VIN number, simply enter your ZIP code into our free tool, and you’ll be on your way to finding affordable VIN number insurance for your vehicle in an instant.
Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save
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Brad Larsen
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Brad Larson has been in the insurance industry for over 16 years. He specializes in helping clients navigate the claims process, with a particular emphasis on coverage analysis. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Political Science. He also holds an Associate in Claims (AIC) and Associate in General Insurance (AINS) designations, as well as a Utah Property and Casual...
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about car insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything car insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by car insurance experts.