Six Reasons a Number Moves
It is the complaint we hear most often, and it deserves a straight answer rather than a shrug. A quote changes for a small number of identifiable reasons. Five of the six are preventable by you.
1. A driver was missing
Someone licensed lives at the address and was not on the quote. The policy prices the household, so the household has to be on it. This is the biggest single cause and the easiest to avoid.
2. The record was different from the description
A ticket that was newer than remembered, an accident that was reported when you thought it wasn't, a license gap. The DMV record and the claims-history report decide, not memory.
3. The car was a different car
Trim, engine, drivetrain, safety equipment. The VIN settles it, and a guessed trim is a re-rate waiting to happen.
4. The coverage changed between the quote and the paperwork
Sometimes for good reason — a lender requires physical damage coverage, or you decided to raise your liability limits after talking it through. Worth naming out loud, because a higher price for more protection is not the same event as a re-rate, and it is easy to confuse the two after the fact.
5. The carrier re-rated or the filing changed
Insurers file their rates with the California Department of Insurance and update those filings periodically. A quote produced before an update reflects the older filing. Nothing you did; nothing anyone can hold open indefinitely.
6. It was never a quote in the first place
An advertised starting figure is marketing. Our own $29 is exactly that: a starting point for qualifying drivers, and an advertised starting point, not a quote — your own number depends on your record, mileage, vehicle and coverage choices. The same is true of any number offered before anyone has your details, wherever you see it.
How to make it not happen
List every licensed person at your address. Read the VIN off the registration. Give your license number so the record is pulled rather than described. Have your current declarations page open so the quote is for the same coverage. Say I'm not sure where you are not sure.
Do those five things and a quote turns into a policy at the same price the overwhelming majority of the time. Start one properly and we'll tell you which of the six is in play if anything moves.
Get this quoted for your situation
Free quotes from multiple carriers, prepared by a licensed California agent. Two minutes, no obligation.
Get My Free QuoteMore of what callers ask
Is a carrier allowed to change the price after quoting me?
A quote is an estimate based on the information provided, and it is subject to verification. What a carrier cannot do is change the price of a policy already issued without following the rules that govern mid-term changes and notices.
They said the price went up because of 'underwriting'. What does that mean?
It means something in verification did not match the application. Ask which item specifically — you are entitled to a real answer, and it is usually one of the six above.
If the price moves, do I have to take it?
No. Nothing is binding on you until you accept and pay. If the revised number doesn't work, say so and ask to be re-quoted at different limits or with a different carrier.