Nearly 95% of all auto insurers in New York State use an insurance  score as a major factor in developing the rate you pay. Managing this important variable can make a huge difference in what you pay for your auto and in some cases home insurance.

For those who do not know what an Auto Insurance Score is, see:

• FICO: About Insurance Scores
• TransUnion: Understanding Credit-Based Insurance Scores
• Experian: What is the Difference Between Credit-Based Insurance Scores and Credit Scores?

The NAIC document linked above breaks down the information that is used for a credit-based score as follows:

• Payment History (40%) — How well you have made payments on your outstanding debt in the past
• Outstanding Debt (30%) — How much debt you currently have
• Credit History Length (15%) — How long you have had a line of credit
• Pursuit of New Credit (10%) — If you have applied for new lines of credit recently
• Credit Mix (5%) — The types of credit you have (credit card, mortgage, auto loans, etc.)

It is important to note that insurance companies using insurance scores modify their formulas and weighting of factors to suit their desired customer modeling. In some instances company scoring methods are proprietary.

LexisNexis is one company that sells a credit-based insurance scoring product called “Attract” for use by the insurance industry that can be modified to suit. Though an insurance score is not the only factor in determining your auto insurance rate, in most US States it is a significant determinant. Managing or improving your insurance score is a very similar exercise as managing your credit score. Some of the suggestions provided in a previous answer include those below:

How can I positively influence my insurance score? The following factors affect our Insurance Score (as well as Credit Score). Tackle those that you can impact immediately and work on those that are longer term:

Immediate Impact: 

• Pay Down Credit Card Balances - Lower credit usage as a percentage of your available credit makes a big difference, almost immediately on your credit score.
• Retain Older Cards & Negotiate - Retain credit cards with a longer history and negotiate with the lender for higher credit maximums and lower interest rates will improve your score. Conversely obtaining new cards and moving balances is detrimental to your score.
• Fix Errors on Your Credit Report - Who knows! There may be errors on your report that need to be corrected. Order your report from the major credit agencies and see if the information is accurate. You may be very surprised at what you will find. Errors that are not in your favor that are corrected can make a significant difference.
• Order a Credit Report from Equifax here
• Order a Credit Report from Experian here
• Order a Credit Report from TransUnion here

Longer-Term Impact: 

• Pay your Bills on Time - This may seem obvious, but it is also critical to a better insurance/credit score. Try to get current and stay current.
• Shop for Credit Carefully - Constantly searching for better credit cards, car loans or mortgages usually results in a "hard" hit on your credit. Focus your efforts and limit your search for credit.

Managing your credit will result in a lower insurance score which can have a dramatic effect on the price you pay for auto and home insurance!