Car Insurance Declarations Page

Every car insurance policy comes with a declarations page, also known as a dec page, that summarizes your coverage, along with the people and property covered under the policy. There is usually a two- to five-page overview for car insurance coverage, explaining the limits and deductibles.

If you’ve purchased any additional coverages like roadside assistance or towing coverage, these will also be listed among the declarations as well as any discounts.

What Does an Insurance Declarations Page Look Like?

Auto insurance declarations pages can include: 

• Policy number: A unique number attached to your policy, which you’ll need when you file an insurance claim, trade information after an accident or call your insurer for customer support

• Policy effective date: The date your policy becomes effective and coverage begins

• Agent information: Contact information for your insurance agent (if you have one)

• Policyholder details: Your own name, address and phone number

• Covered drivers: List of any drivers officially covered under the policy and any drivers that are excluded from coverage

• Vehicle details: The year, make, model, vehicle identification number (VIN) and average mileage of the covered car or cars

• Coverage details: Types of coverage included in the policy, coverage limits, deductibles, premiums and policy add-ons such as accident forgiveness

• Policy period: The expiration date for your coverage (typically six or 12 months from the start date)

• Loss payee: Any party with a vested interest in the vehicle, including the lender if you lease or finance your vehicle

• Discounts: Some insurance declarations pages list the insurer discounts that are applied to your policy

After you sign up for a car insurance policy, your insurer will typically send you an insurance declarations page in the mail. If you buy car insurance online, most providers will allow you to print your declarations page from their website. You can also call your insurer to request a declarations page if you need an extra copy or lose your original.

You will be required to provide proof of insurance before you’re able to drive a newly purchased vehicle off the lot. An insurance declarations page can prove that you carry the minimum state liability limits.

Another reason to have an insurance declarations page is for your own quick reference. The page provides an overview of the most important information about your policy and can be helpful for understanding your coverage.

An auto insurance declarations page can be useful for drivers because it provides a complete breakdown of a driver’s policy. This includes the coverage, deductible amount and number of people on the insurance policy.

Car Insurance Declarations Page Recommendations

If you don’t have car insurance or think you’re paying too much for your policy, it’s worth comparing coverage and car insurance quotes from several insurers to see where you can get the best deal. Read more about State Farm and Travelers, two of our top-rated insurance providers, below.

State Farm: Best Customer Experience

State Farm is one of the largest insurers in the U.S. With State Farm, customers can often find the best customer service in the industry. The provider scored above the industry average in every region in the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Auto Insurance Shopping Study^SM.  State Farm also has many car insurance discounts, which include: 

• Multi-policy discount
• Multi-vehicle discount
• Good driver discount
• Good student discount
• Drivers education discount
• Defensive driving discount
• Safety feature discounts
• Military discount
• Continuous coverage discount
• Legacy discount

Travelers: Best for Most Drivers

Travelers is another good option for auto insurance, especially for  drivers looking for flexible coverage and plenty of add-ons in their policy. Travelers also has many discount opportunities, some of which include: 

• Multi-policy discount
• Multi-car discount
• Homeowner discount
• Teen driver discount
• Good student discount
• Distant student discount
• Hybrid/electric car discount
• Online quote discount
• Paperless billing discount
• Pay-in-full discount

To see how the two companies compare in detail, read our reviews on State Farm and Travelers.

Below are frequently asked questions about insurance declarations pages.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
• Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
• Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
• Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

Our credentials:

• 800 hours researched
• 45 companies reviewed
• 8,500+ consumers surveyed

*Data accurate at time of publication.