How do I figure out who my former car insurance company was?

How do I find my old car insurance policies?

Locating an old insurance policy when you need it can be a challenge. You know you had it but can’t seem to locate it. Here are a few steps to find old car insurance policies.

Look Through Paperwork

First, look through any paperwork you have stored over the last few years. Look for documents that say “insurance” or “policy number.” Sometimes, it isn’t always apparent at a glance that the paper is indeed your old car insurance confirmation. (For more information, read our “How do you use a policy number to identify a car insurance company?“).

Review Old Bank Statements

Your bank statements or credit card statements may give you a clue. You can track your payments to your insurer via bank or credit card statements. You can likely find all of these on your account online. You can also ask the bank to look up old statements so you can sift through them and find your payment information.

Call Possible Ex-Insurers

If you still can’t find it, don’t worry. You can start by calling the insurers you think may have insured you in the past. Even if you are no longer a customer, a customer service agent should still have records of your old car insurance policies. They can look up your name and address to locate any policies you once had. They will be able to provide you with the policy number, the vehicle type, the type of coverage, and the insurance premiums you were paying.

Call the DMV

If all else fails, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can help you with who your former car insurance company was. If you registered your vehicle and the insurance policy (which you are required to do), then the DMV will be able to locate that information for you. You will need the car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to look up an old car insurance policy. They can also find any claims you had made on your insurance, which can remain on your record for years. You will need to make a service request that may take a few days or weeks to respond to. For more information, consider reading our article on how long car insurance claims stay on your record.

Call Your Independent Agent

If you have an independent agent for other insurances like life or disability insurance, it’s possible you also signed for car insurance through them. All insurance policy information you had with that agent should still be available. You can contact your independent agent, even if you are no longer a customer.

What to Look For When Comparing Insurance Policies

You will need your old policy number to compare the coverage and monthly premiums to see if you are making a financially feasible switch. Here are a few things to consider when comparing old insurance policies with potentially new policies:

• Type of vehicle
• Type of coverage
• Whether or not it is specialty car insurance
• Deductible amount
• Monthly or annual premiums
• Bundle savings you may qualify for

If you are shopping around for car insurance rates, the best thing is to compare your current rates to make sure you are getting a better deal. 

How to Keep Your Car Insurance Policy Information Safe

To make sure you don’t lose your car insurance policies or any other essential documents again in the future, choose one location to store all this information. Note where you store these important documents for easy reference when needed. You can also make digital copies of these documents and file them in a clearly labeled folder in a cloud server such as Google Drive. Try to keep these documents for a minimum of seven years for reference when required. 

Case Studies: Finding Old Car Insurance Policies

Case Study 1: Paperwork Search

One individual who misplaced their old car insurance policy successfully located it by thoroughly looking through their stored paperwork. Initially, they didn’t recognize the document as their old car insurance confirmation, but upon closer inspection, they found the policy number and other relevant details. (For more information, read our “How do I find my car insurance policy number?“).

Case Study 2: Bank Statement Clues

Another person was able to track their old car insurance policies by reviewing their bank statements and credit card statements. By examining their payment history, they were able to identify the insurer and retrieve the necessary policy information.

Case Study 3: Contacting Ex-Insurers

An individual who couldn’t find their old car insurance policies contacted the insurers they believed might have insured them in the past. The customer service agents still had records of their previous policies, even though they were no longer customers.

By providing their name and address, they were able to retrieve the policy number, vehicle type, coverage details, and premiums.

Case Study 4: DMV Assistance

When all other methods failed, an individual sought help from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to determine their former car insurance company.

By providing the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of their vehicle, the DMV located the relevant insurance policy. They were also able to find any past claims associated with the policy.

Case Study 5: Independent Agent Support

An individual who had an independent agent for other types of insurance, such as life or disability insurance, discovered that their car insurance policies were also managed by the same agent.

Even though they were no longer a customer, they contacted their independent agent, who still had access to their old car insurance policy information.