The Difference Between an Advert and a Quote

This is the page we most want people to read, and it argues against our own advertising. A number published before anyone knows who you are is an advertisement. A quote is a price calculated from your record, your car, your address, your mileage and your coverage choices. They are different objects and they should never be compared to each other.

Our own figure, held to the same standard

We advertise $29. That is a starting point for qualifying drivers, and it is an advertised starting point, not a quote — your own number depends on your record, mileage, vehicle and coverage choices. We put both of those qualifications next to the figure every time we use it, because the figure means nothing without them.

What has to be true for any headline number to apply

• A particular driving record.
• A particular vehicle.
• A particular garaging address.
• A particular set of coverages, usually the smallest ones available.
• A particular payment structure.

Change any one and the number changes. That is not a trick; it is how filed rating plans work.

How to read an insurance advert

1. Look for the qualifier. Words like from, as low as, for qualifying drivers tell you it is a floor, not a price.
2. Ask what coverage it buys. A very low advertised figure is nearly always the smallest legal policy.
3. Ask what it assumes about you. If the answer involves a clean record and low mileage and you have neither, the number was never about you.
4. Ignore comparisons between adverts. Two headline figures from two companies are two marketing decisions, not two prices.

What we will not publish

We do not publish average or typical rates by city, county, carrier, age or profile — not even hedged. Those numbers get repeated as if they were facts about you, and they are not. The honest way to find out what you would pay is to be quoted, which takes about two minutes and is free.

The one useful thing an advert tells you

That a company is interested in your kind of business. That is genuinely worth something as a signal about who to call. It is worth nothing as a price.

Replace the advert with a real number. We will tell you what your situation actually costs, including when the answer is not what you hoped.