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Coverage Spec Builder: Print This Before You Call Any Insurer

Insurers will quote you on whatever coverage spec you give them. Small differences in spec produce large differences in price. To compare four quotes apples-to-apples, every carrier needs the same spec. Build yours below, then print the worksheet and keep it next to the phone.

Everything on this page runs in your browser. Nothing is transmitted. Your selections are saved to your own browser storage and cleared when you click reset.

Drives state-specific defaults for medical coverage and minimum limits.

III recommends 100,000 minimum for any household with meaningful assets to protect. Default below is 100,000.

Total bodily injury cover across all parties injured in one event. 300,000 is the standard partner of 100,000 per person.

The cost to repair or replace what you hit. Average new vehicle MSRP is now well above $40,000, so 25,000 is rarely enough.

III data shows roughly one in eight US drivers uninsured. Match your liability limits as the default.

Comprehensive covers theft, hail, fire, animal collisions, falling objects. Higher deductibles mean lower premiums.

Collision covers damage to your vehicle from a crash. The 250-to-1,000 jump typically saves 15 to 30 percent on the collision line.

CA is an at-fault state, so MedPay is optional but commonly recommended as a supplement to health insurance.

Pays for a rental car while yours is in the shop after a covered loss. Typically a few dollars a month.

Tow, jump-start, lock-out service. Often duplicative if you already have AAA or a credit-card benefit.

Pays the gap between actual cash value and loan balance after a total loss. Only relevant if you are leasing or financing more than the vehicle is worth.

You will need each VIN, year, make, model, and lien-holder for the quote calls.

Commute means daily back-and-forth to work. Pleasure means errands and weekend driving. Business means use for income beyond commuting.

You will need each licensed drivers age and license-issuing state.

How to use this worksheet on quote calls

The worksheet is a script. The leftmost column is what you tell every carrier you want quoted. The four right-hand columns are where you write the answers. Carriers do not need to know you are quoting other carriers, although there is no harm in telling them. What matters is that every quote returns line items you can place side-by-side.

If a carrier insists on quoting a different spec than the one on your worksheet (some State Farm captive agents will quote you up to 250/500/250 by default, some Geico online flows will pre-select $500 deductibles when you specified $250), push back politely. Say: “I am comparing four carriers on identical specs, please quote me on the spec I am giving you.” If they refuse, that quote is not part of your apples-to-apples four. Either replace it with another carrier or note the mismatch in the comparison.

On the discount stack: every major US carrier has 15 to 20 possible discounts in their rate manual. The typical policy applies four to six. The other 10 are usually available but the agent did not surface them, or you did not mention the qualifying fact. Ask explicitly: “What discounts on this policy am I currently not receiving that I could be?” This question alone often shifts the quote 5 to 15 percent.

On the renewal question: a quote is a snapshot. Most carriers raise the rate at first renewal even with no claims. The amount varies by carrier (some hold flat for two cycles, some raise 8 to 12 percent annually). Ask. The answer separates customer-acquisition pricing from steady-state pricing, which matters when you are choosing between a deeply discounted teaser quote and a slightly higher rate that stays stable.

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