Understanding your car insurance declarations page| Insurance.com

Q: Is my policy declaration page proof of car insurance?

Your declaration page can serve as proof of car insurance, although an insurance card is likely more convenient to carry with you.

What is the declarations page of an auto insurance policy?

A car insurance policy declarations page is an easy reference that outlines policy limits, deductibles, coverage dates, and the covered vehicles and drivers. It provides an overview of the policy on a single page. In addition to the existing coverage, it also shows any additional coverage that you may have declined. You might hear an insurance agent refer to it as the "dec page" for short.

“Think of the declarations page as a summary of the entire policy,” says Evan W. Walker, Esq. of California’s Law Office of Evan W. Walker. “Or think of it like a Cliff Notes version of the policy which is tailored to you and your cars.”

How to find your car insurance declarations page

Your insurance declarations page is the first page of your policy, serving as an introduction to the more in-depth language that follows. If you have opted for a paperless policy, your declarations page may be emailed to you or made available in your online account.

If you increase or decrease coverage, you should receive a new, updated declarations page each time from your insurance provider. If your declarations page is not included with your policy, you should contact your insurance company immediately to obtain a copy. Many insurance companies also offer online or mobile app services that allow you to access your policy’s declarations page.

What's included on an insurance declarations page?

Your declarations page includes the policy number, the names of covered drivers, the vehicles that are covered, the coverage limits and deductibles, discounts and premiums, and the policy effective and end dates. If you have a loan, your loss payeeAn insured individual or beneficiary who receives a loss payment from an insurer. If you have a loan, the loss payee is the institution that financed it. In the event of a total loss, the insurance company makes payment to the loss payee first. will also be listed.

Types of information on an insurance declarations page:

Named insured(s) and loss payee
Vehicle details
Coverage with limits
Endorsements
Deductibles
Insurance premiums
Discounts
Policy term (start and end date and time)

Named insured(s) and loss payee

The named insured on your car insurance policy is the policy owner (you) and, if applicable, your spouse or partner. Additional drivers, such as teens, are not considered named insureds.

If you have an active car loan, your lienholder’s information is typically included, as well. The lienholder is listed as a loss payee since they have a financial interest in the vehicle.

Additional drivers

Additional drivers live in your household but are not the named insured. They are regular drivers of your car and are covered if they drive any car on the policy. Usually, the additional insured will be teen children, but may include a nanny or babysitter, caregiver, or anyone else who regularly drives your car.

Vehicle details

Your insurance declarations page will include the following details about your vehicle:

Make and model
Year
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

Your car insurance company may include additional relevant details.

Coverage with limits

Your declarations page includes the type of auto insurance coverage you have selected, such as liability, comprehensive, collision and personal injury protectionPersonal injury protection (PIP) pays for your medical, hospital and funeral expenses resulting from a car accident, regardless of who's at fault.. It will list coverage limits for each type of coverage you have, where applicable. For example, if you have 100/300/100 coverage, the declarations page will list $100,000 per person and $300,000 per incident for bodily injury and $100,000 per incident for property damage.

Common types of car insurance coverage included on a declarations page include:

Liability insurance: This covers any damages or bodily injury that you may cause another driver.
Personal injury protection (PIP): If you or any of your passengers are injured, this covers applicable medical expenses regardless of fault.
Collision coverage: Collision coverage will pay for repairs to your car when you are in an accident with another vehicle.
Comprehensive coverage: This pays for other damages that can happen to your vehicle, such as theft or weather-related events, like hail.
Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage: Some states also require that you carry underinsured/uninsured insurance so that your damages are still paid even if the other driver does not have active insurance to pay for them.

There are also additional optional protections that you can elect to add to your insurance policy at an additional cost. Some popular options include:

Gap insurance
Custom parts and equipment
New car replacement
Rental car reimbursement
Roadside assistance

Endorsements

Auto insurance endorsements are additional types of coverage that you can purchase to better personalize your policy. On your declarations page, the endorsement can include a special reference code unique to your car insurance provider.

Deductibles

Your car insurance deductible is listed on your declarations page for each coverage that has a deductible. Your comprehensive and collision coverages will each have a deductible; they can be the same or different, depending on what you choose. This is the amount you will pay out of pocket if you file a claim using that coverage.

Insurance premiums

This is the cost of your insurance for the term, usually six months, but in some cases 12. Even if you pay monthly, your full term premium will be listed on the declarations page. Monthly payments will appear on your billing statement.

Discounts

The auto insurance declarations page can also include any auto insurance discounts that may apply to your policy. The declarations page may list the amount of the discount, but it's uncommon.

Some popular types of car insurance discounts include these savings programs:

Bundling
Good driver
Loyalty
Membership
Multiple vehicles
New customer
Payment discounts
Professional
Safe driving
Student
Vehicle security features

What isn’t on a car insurance declarations page?

The declarations page doesn't include details about how and when your coverage applies, exclusions, your rights and responsibilities as the policyholder, the insurance company's rights and responsibilities, and other fine-print details that may be a part of your policy. It simply provides a basic overview, and it's important to read the policy in full.

“We advise caution in assuming that the declaration page is controlling in all circumstances,” says Dennis E. Sawan, an insurance and personal injury lawyer at Sawan & Sawan. “Remember that everything contained in the declaration page is further defined in the long-form policy and subject to a laundry list of exclusions. In simplistic terms, the declaration page tells you how much coverage you have, while the policy language tells you what that coverage applies to (and more importantly, doesn’t apply to).”

Expert tips for understanding your insurance declarations page

To best understand your car insurance declarations page, look it over with a glossary of terms handy in case any terms need definition. Check that all requested coverage and limits are present on the page. Make a note of anything that is unclear and contact your insurance company with any questions.

Check your endorsements: “The one other thing that isn't included in the declarations page but could be very important to the policy is any endorsement that the policy may have,” says Jaime Arias, an actively licensed insurance agent at Dynamic Insurance Solutions. “Endorsements are documents appended to the end of a policy that amends or change some aspects of the policy. These are generally done after the fact and can include things such as adding an additional driver or an additional car.”

Understand what you are buying: “Let’s face it - insurance policies are not easy to read,” says Dennis E. Sawan, an insurance and personal injury lawyer at Sawan & Sawan. “They can be extremely long, seemingly contradictory and written in confusing legalese. The declaration page is important because it relays vital information about your insurance coverage in plain and simple terms. While it is certainly not a ‘one-stop shop’ for all information about your policy, it provides you with the important basics to understand what you’re paying premiums for.”

Consider state laws: “Every state has different laws of what coverages you are required to have for car insurance,” says Haydn Sessions, Owner and Agent for Sessions Insurance in Utah. “For example, in the state of Utah, you are required to hold at least $25k of bodily injury liability per person, $65k total bodily injury, and $15k of property damage.”

Ask for help: David Aylor, Founder and CEO of David Aylor Law Offices, says you might need help reading your policy. “It is a critical document full of jargon, which can discourage policyholders from reading it closely,” he explains. “If you don’t understand the terms, grab a lawyer or trusted professional to walk you through it. It’s better to take the time to understand now rather than try to make a claim later and find you’re out of luck because you didn’t read the fine print of your contract.”

FAQ: Auto insurance declarations page

Is my policy declaration page proof of car insurance?

Your declaration page can serve as proof of car insurance, although an insurance card is likely more convenient to carry with you.

How is an insurance declaration page different from an insurance policy?

A declarations page isn't separate from your policy; it's part of it, providing an overview. However, it doesn't contain all the policy details; those are on the following pages.

What should you do with your declarations page?

Review your declarations page in detail, then store it in a safe place where it can be easily accessed if needed. You may need it for comparison purposes when shopping for new car insurance, or you can use it as proof of insurance.

What if I can’t find my auto insurance declarations page?

If you do not have your declarations page or cannot find it, you can contact your insurance company for a new copy. Most companies also allow you to log in online or use a mobile app to download a copy yourself.

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