This page explains the formulas, factors, and data sources behind every estimate on MyInsuranceCalcs.com, so you can understand where our numbers come from and how far to trust them.
Each calculator starts from a national baseline premium for that coverage type and multiplies it by a series of documented risk factors. For auto insurance, that means age, vehicle, coverage level, mileage, credit tier, accident history, and state; for other lines, the factors that actually drive that product's pricing. The result is returned as a low-to-high monthly range rather than a single number, because real carriers price the same customer differently.
Insurance pricing is set by each carrier's proprietary underwriting model, which we cannot see. Our estimates approximate the market using published averages and known rating factors, so we present a range and label it clearly as an educational estimate. Only a licensed insurer can give you a binding quote.
Where a published benchmark exists, our baselines are anchored to it: national and state average premiums from NAIC data reports, ACA marketplace public use files from CMS, and pet insurance averages from NAPHIA. The relative weights applied to individual rating factors (age, credit tier, roof age, breed, and so on) are MyInsuranceCalcs modeling assumptions. No regulator or trade body publishes per-factor rating weights, and no insurer's filed rating plan is reproduced here; our weights are calibrated to the direction and approximate magnitude of the factors described in Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) consumer guidance. Each calculator's "About This Estimate" section states which figures are anchored to a source, which are modeling assumptions, and the month its factors were last reviewed.
Because we use published averages rather than any single insurer's model, individual quotes will vary -- sometimes substantially -- from our estimates, based on discounts, surcharges, and state rules we cannot see. Our tools do not collect your data, pull your credit, or transmit anything to insurers. Treat every result as a starting point for comparison, and always gather real quotes from licensed insurers before making a decision. Content is maintained by De Van Do; see our About page and editorial standards.