Someone Sent You a Side-by-Side. Here Is How to Audit It
A neat side-by-side is persuasive. It is also where mistakes hide best, because a reader's eye goes straight to the bottom row. Whether the comparison came from an agent, a website or a helpful relative, audit it the same way before acting on it. It takes about ten minutes.
The ten-point audit
- Named insured and drivers. The same people in every column, including anyone licensed in the household.
- Vehicles. The same cars, ideally identified by VIN rather than by model name.
- Term. Six months and twelve months side by side is a factor-of-two illusion.
- Start date. Quotes built for very different start dates may rest on different rates.
- Liability limits. Bodily injury per person and per accident, and property damage. California's floor is $30,000, $60,000 and $15,000; anything above it should match across columns.
- Uninsured motorist. It is part of every bodily injury liability policy unless the named insured rejects it in writing (Insurance Code 11580.2). A blank cell should mean the same decision in every column, and it should be your decision.
- Deductibles, for comprehensive and collision, car by car.
- Smaller lines: medical payments, rental reimbursement with its daily amount and cap, towing.
- Money: the total for the term, the down payment and the installment structure, all on the same basis.
- Status: which figures are bindable quotes and which are estimates or "subject to" verification.
The question most comparisons do not answer
Ask which companies were not included, and why. A broker can only quote the companies it is appointed with. A direct company quotes only itself. A website commonly shows only the companies it has arrangements with. None of that is wrong, but a comparison that does not say what it left out overstates how much of the market you have seen.
Red flags, and what to ask
| What you see | What it may mean | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| One column far below the rest | Lower coverage, a missing driver, or an estimate | "Show me the coverage and drivers behind this one." |
| A row left blank in some columns | The coverage was dropped, or never asked for | "Is this coverage included, and at what limit?" |
| Brand names instead of company names | The legal insurer is unclear | "Which company would issue the policy?" |
| "Est." or no expiry date | Not yet a quote | "Is this bindable today, and until when?" |
| Prices with no payment plan | Down payment and fees not shown | "What is due today and what is the total for the term?" |
Ask for the documents behind the grid
A summary is a convenience, not evidence. Ask for each underlying quote document, which should show the company, the coverages and limits, the deductibles, the term and the price. If the grid and the document disagree, the document is the one to believe, and the disagreement itself is worth a question.
When we send a comparison, we expect to be asked every one of these questions, and we would rather be asked than have a mismatch discovered after you buy.
Fixing a flawed comparison
You rarely need to start again. Usually one or two columns need re-quoting at the matched coverage, or one line needs adding. Send back a short list, "match the uninsured motorist in column B, confirm the term in column C", and ask for the corrected version. If you want a comparison built matched from the start, request one through our quote form.
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Should I ask for the actual quote documents?
Yes. The grid is a summary; the quote documents show what each company would actually issue, and any difference between them is worth raising.
What if the comparison came from a website?
Run the same audit. Website comparisons often use default coverage settings, so check limits, uninsured motorist and deductibles column by column.
Is it rude to ask why a company was left out?
No. It is the single most useful question about any comparison, and a straight answer tells you how much of the market you have actually seen.