How Much Your Credit Score Really Affects Your Car Insurance

Worst credit vs. best credit — the filed multiple

Each bar is that carrier's own worst-credit bodily-injury factor divided by its best-credit factor — how many times more the worst tier pays.

The full filed credit ladders (best → worst)

Every tier below is shown as a multiple of that carrier's best credit tier (best = 1.00×), so the shape of each ladder is comparable even though the raw factors aren't.

Progressive — IL (PRGS-134785395)

Progressive Northern (PNIC), Illinois — Financial Responsibility Tier Factor Table, BI column (Prior-Insurance-Class A). Factor blends with prior-insurance class + company; the A-class/PNIC BI ladder is shown. Best tier is 0.87 (not 1.00).

Mercury — TX (MERY-134769395)

Mercury County Mutual, Texas — Credit Group Factor Table, BI column (single-driver rows). Factor also scales with driver count; single-driver BI ladder shown. Best tier is 0.69 (not 1.00).

Clearcover — AZ (CLEA-134142856)

Clearcover Insurance Company, Arizona — insurance-score factor levels, BI (reference tier = 1.00, best tier = deep discount). Clearcover prices credit as a discount off the reference (Level 1) tier; the reference is the worst tier shown.

What this means for your rate

• Credit can matter more than a ticket. A worst-tier credit score more than doubles the rate at Mercury and Clearcover — a bigger swing than a single at-fault accident at many carriers.
• It's a smooth ladder, not a cliff. Each tier steps up gradually, so even a modest credit improvement can move you down a tier or two.
• Your state decides if it counts at all. California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Michigan restrict or ban credit in auto rating — so these curves only apply where credit is permitted.
• Carriers weight credit differently. The same credit profile can land you in a gentle ladder at one insurer and a steep one at another — which is exactly why shopping matters.