Pulling your own records: CLUE, MVR and claim file

Three separate records can push a car insurance premium up: your CLUE report, which lists claims reported by insurers; your motor vehicle record (MVR), which lists violations, crashes and license actions held by your state; and the insurer's own file on you. You can request the first two yourself, usually at no cost or a few dollars, and you can dispute errors in writing. If your premium jumped and you cannot explain it, pulling all three is the quickest way to find out whether the problem is you, the data or someone else's mistake.

This is a retrieval-and-repair guide, not a rates explainer. For how the numbers turn into a price, see how car insurance rates are calculated; for what a clean report looks like, see Your CLUE report and motor vehicle record explained.

The three records and who holds them

Two other data sets can quietly affect a price. Telematics scores come from a driving app or plug-in device, and some insurers also use a credit-based insurance score. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's list of consumer reporting companies, current as of January 2025, includes LexisNexis C.L.U.E. & Telematics OnDemand under personal property insurance and notes that some of these companies may also share driving behavior data with auto insurers, gathered from a phone or a vehicle through GPS-based telematics. The same list shows free-report and freeze options for that company. Our guides on credit-based insurance scores and car insurance and telematics cover those inputs in more depth.

Request your CLUE report

CLUE stands for Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. The Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner describes it as a claims-information report generated by LexisNexis, a consumer-reporting agency, that generally contains up to seven years of personal-auto and personal-property claims history. Its contents include your name, date of birth, policy number, date of loss, type of loss, amount the company paid, and for auto claims specific vehicle information (see the Washington OIC's CLUE page).

Steps

1. Go to the LexisNexis consumer portal. Its consumer disclosure page lets you request a report online, by mail with a printable form, or by phone. Online requests ask for identifying details such as your name, address and date of birth, and either a Social Security number or a driver's license number and state. LexisNexis says it uses the information only to verify your identity and complete the request.
2. Ask for the auto claims report, not just the general disclosure. LexisNexis offers more than one consumer report, and the CLUE auto report is the one insurers pull for claims. Washington's page lists 866-312-8076 for the CLUE request and 888-497-0011 for the LexisNexis Consumer Center.
3. Expect a letter in the mail. For the general disclosure, LexisNexis says you will receive a letter by U.S. Mail with instructions to access your report online after it verifies your request.
4. Read it line by line. See the checklist below.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the legal basis. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681j, nationwide consumer reporting agencies, including nationwide specialty agencies, must provide your file disclosures once during any 12-month period on request and without charge. The same section requires a free disclosure if you ask within 60 days after receiving a notice that your credit rating may be or has been adversely affected. A separate section gives you the right to a free copy after an insurer takes an adverse action based on a report; more on that below.

What a CLUE report does not show

• It does not include credit reports, criminal records or lawsuits. The Connecticut Insurance Department says only policy information, including loss history, is stored and that no other sources of data, such as credit reports, criminal records, civil lawsuits or legal judgments, are included.
• It does not include claims filed with a company that does not report to the exchange. Connecticut's department notes that some companies choose not to subscribe, so their losses will not appear.
• It does not show your driving violations. Those live on your MVR.

Connecticut's department adds a point that explains why a claim can matter even when you were not paid: if the consumer filed an actual claim and the insurer made no payment, the information may still appear. The department says LexisNexis has instructed insurers not to report inquiries about possible coverage. Be specific with your insurer about whether you are filing a claim or only asking a question. Our article on How a claim reaches your CLUE report and your renewal price walks through that distinction.

Request your motor vehicle record

Your MVR comes from the state agency that licenses drivers, called the DMV, DPS, BMV or something similar. Insurers buy copies of it when you apply and may check it again later. The steps are similar everywhere, but the details are not.

California example. The California DMV lets you print your own record online through a MyDMV account. As of November 2026 its driver's record request page says the online price for a casual requester is $2 and the mail price is $5, set by regulation. It says current records include only reportable information under Vehicle Code section 1808: convictions (for three, seven or ten years), departmental actions and accidents. Collisions are reported for three years from the collision date. Most violations designated as two points are reported for ten years from the violation date; other traffic convictions are reported for three years. To correct an error, the page points to the Report of Incorrect Record form (DL 207), the collision-specific form DL 207A, and documents such as an abstract or court correspondence.

New York example. The NY DMV says that a violation's points count toward a suspension total for 24 months from the violation date, but the points stay on the record as long as the conviction remains on it and may be used by insurers to increase premiums. If you claim that someone else committed a violation on your record, you can request a hearing, though you cannot use a hearing to argue that you were not guilty of the violation itself (see the NY DMV point system page).

Those two states show why a general answer is risky. Retention periods, fees, what counts as a reportable entry and the correction process all differ. Search your own DMV's site for "driver record" and note the dates of each entry.

What the points mean

Points are a state's own scoring of violations. They determine suspension thresholds in states that use them. Insurers do not necessarily use the state's points; most build their own surcharge schedules based on the type of violation and whether you were at fault. A line on your MVR is what the insurer reads; the point value is context. For how long different entries influence a quote, see how long accidents and tickets affect your rates.

Ask the insurer for its side of the story

The insurer's own file is the hardest of the three to get on a predictable basis. Rights differ by state and by whether you are the insured, a claimant or a third party. Two routes are dependable.

1. The adverse action notice. If an insurer raises your price, denies you coverage or otherwise worsens your terms based in whole or in part on a consumer report, federal law requires notice. The FCRA's definitions (15 U.S.C. 1681a) treat a denial or cancellation of, or an increase in any charge for, insurance in connection with underwriting as an adverse action. 15 U.S.C. 1681m requires the insurer to tell you, among other things, the name, address and phone number of the consumer reporting agency that supplied the report, that the agency did not make the decision and cannot give the specific reasons, and that you have a right to a free copy and to dispute accuracy. If you got such a notice, you already know which agency to call. Our article on adverse action notices: what an insurer must tell you about a rate explains the notice in detail.

2. A written request. Ask the insurer, in writing, for: the reason for the rate change or non-renewal; the specific report or data source that was used; copies of your application and underwriting file; and, if you filed a claim, the claim documents you are entitled to, such as photos, the estimate and the adjuster's valuation. Send it by a method that proves delivery, keep a copy, and set a date by which you expect an answer. If you do not get one, your state department of insurance takes complaints; see our guide on how to file a complaint against a car insurance company.

For a claim you filed, you should already have the estimate and any denial letter. The NAIC's model claims-practices regulation (Model 902) calls for written denials that cite the policy provision; whether your state has adopted a similar rule is a question for its regulator.

Which records actually move your premium

It is easy to blame the wrong record. A practical way to think about it:

• At quote time, many insurers pull your MVR and your claims history, and may also use a credit-based score where state law allows. The Connecticut department says CLUE is used almost exclusively to underwrite and rate new policies and that most insurers renewing existing policies do not access it at renewal because they already have the loss history in their own database. That is one state's description; practices vary.
• At renewal, the insurer's own claims history and a refreshed MVR are the likely drivers, along with its filed rates for your area. A renewal increase with a clean record is often a rate filing, not you. A free check is our renewal rate increase checker.
• Across companies, an error on a shared record travels with you. That is why a wrong entry can make every quote look high.

Spot the errors: a checklist

Look for each of these in your CLUE report and MVR.

1. Claims that are not yours. A different name or birth date, a policy you never held, a vehicle you never owned.
2. The wrong vehicle. A VIN with one digit transposed can attach another car's claims history to your name. Check each vehicle identification number character by character against your registration.
3. Duplicate entries. The same loss listed twice, perhaps with different amounts as reserves and payments were reported.
4. Inquiry reported as a claim. A call to ask about coverage logged as a loss.
5. Wrong fault or loss type. A not-at-fault collision shown as at-fault, or comprehensive damage coded as collision.
6. Wrong amount. A payment figure that does not match your settlement letter.
7. Violations that were dismissed, reduced or paid by someone else. Compare the MVR with your court paperwork.
8. Entries from an impostor. If the record shows violations or claims from places you never lived, someone may be using your identity. That path is covered in our article on insurance identity theft: policies and claims in your name.
9. Expired items. An entry past its reporting period. Under the FCRA, 15 U.S.C. 1681c generally bars reporting most other adverse items older than seven years (with exceptions for certain items and for convictions), and state MVR retention rules differ.

Dispute an error: the FCRA process

You can dispute a CLUE entry directly with LexisNexis; the same process applies to any consumer reporting agency. The statute, 15 U.S.C. 1681i, sets the clock.

1. Write to the agency identifying each item, explaining why it is wrong and attaching evidence: a settlement letter, a court record, a registration, a letter from the insurer.
2. The agency must notify the source of the information, here the insurer, within five business days, and pass along the relevant information you gave it.
3. The agency must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and record the current status of the item or delete it before the end of 30 days from receipt of your dispute. The period may be extended by up to 15 days if you send additional relevant information during the first 30 days.
4. The agency must send you written results within five business days of completing the reinvestigation.
5. If the dispute is not resolved, you may file a brief statement of the dispute, which the agency may limit to 100 words if it helps you write a clear summary. The agency must note in later reports that the item is disputed and include your statement or a summary.
6. Ask for notice of corrections. After a deletion or a disputed-item notation, the agency must, at your request, notify anyone you designate who received a report on you within the prior six months (two years for employment purposes).

LexisNexis's own process is consistent: the Washington OIC says it will verify the information with the reporting insurer and notify you of the results within 30 days, and you can add an explanation that will appear in all future reports. Connecticut's department also notes that insurers cannot add notes to your file; only consumers can.

A worked example

Say your renewal rose from $1,480 to $1,910 a year, and the insurer's notice says it relied on a claims report. These numbers are hypothetical.

• Week 1. You request your CLUE report. It lists a $6,200 collision claim 14 months ago that you never filed, for a car with a VIN that differs from yours in one digit.
• Week 1. You pull your MVR from the state and confirm it is clean.
• Week 2. You send LexisNexis a dispute with a copy of your registration showing your VIN, plus a letter to the insurer that reported the claim asking it to verify and correct it.
• Week 5. The agency reports the result. The claim has been removed because the insurer coded the wrong vehicle.
• Week 5. You send the corrected report to your insurer and ask it to re-rate the renewal from the date of correction. You also ask for the revised premium in writing.

If the insurer will not re-rate, that is a complaint for your state insurance department.

When the problem is bigger than a typo

If an error looks like fraud, an impostor's claim, a policy you did not buy or a violation in a state you have not visited, you need more than a dispute. The FCRA also has a process for blocked information. Under 15 U.S.C. 1681c-2, a consumer reporting agency must block information you identify as resulting from identity theft not later than four business days after it receives proof of your identity, a copy of an identity theft report, the identification of the information, and your statement that it does not relate to a transaction you made. The agency may decline or rescind a block in limited circumstances, such as an error or a material misrepresentation. Our article on insurance identity theft: policies and claims in your name covers the Identity Theft Report and the other steps.

Common questions

Will requesting my own CLUE report raise my rates?

No. A report you order about yourself is a consumer disclosure, not an insurer inquiry for underwriting. It does not add a claim to your history. Asking an insurer or agent a coverage question is different; that conversation can be coded as a claim if you describe an actual loss.

How far back should the records go?

CLUE reports generally contain up to seven years of claims, according to Washington's insurance commissioner. MVR periods differ by state and by entry type, as the California and New York examples show. Ask your state agency for its retention schedule.

Can I get a CLUE report on a car I am about to buy?

Not directly. Texas's insurance department notes that you can ask the current owner for the report when buying a car, and Connecticut says the reports can be accessed only by the owner, the insurer or the lender for the property. Pair it with a vehicle history report.

Does a freeze keep my insurer from using my information?

A credit freeze is about credit reports. Washington's insurance commissioner says federal law allows insurers to review your credit report for underwriting without lifting a security freeze. LexisNexis offers its own freeze option for its consumer reports, as the CFPB list indicates, but check with your insurer how it handles a frozen file.

Key takeaways

• Three records matter: the CLUE report, your state motor vehicle record and the insurer's own file; each has a different holder, a different clock and a different way to get a copy.
• Request your CLUE report from LexisNexis (free once a year under the FCRA) and your MVR from your state agency, and compare entries to your own paperwork.
• A written FCRA dispute starts a statutory clock: the source is notified within five business days and the investigation generally must finish within 30 days.
• An adverse action notice names the agency that supplied the report; use it to find the record behind a premium increase.
• Entries you do not recognize, especially from places you have not been, may signal identity theft and call for a blocking request, not just a dispute.