Auto insurance leads for agents and agencies
Auto insurance leads are quote requests from drivers who want car insurance and agreed to be contacted. Agencies and agents buy them to quote people who are shopping for a policy now, often because a policy is renewing, a car was bought or a premium went up. A lead lists the drivers, the vehicles and the current insurance status.
Summit Leads is now onboarding buyers and suppliers for auto and home insurance leads. Email us with the lines, states and daily volume you want.
This page explains who buys car insurance leads, what an auto lead commonly includes, how standard and non-standard leads differ, and how to judge a source before you scale.
Generate insurance leads? Sell them through Summit.
What auto insurance leads are and who buys them
An auto insurance lead is created when a driver completes an online quote request and consents to be contacted. The request names the line (auto), the drivers and vehicles to insure, and the reason for shopping. The buyer uses that information to prepare a quote before the first call.
Several kinds of buyer purchase automobile insurance leads:
| Buyer type | How it uses auto leads |
|---|---|
| Independent agent or agency | Quotes the driver with several carriers and places the policy with the best fit. Can use leads from most driver profiles. |
| Captive agent | Represents one carrier and can only quote that carrier. Usually filters leads to the profiles that carrier accepts. |
| Direct carrier sales team | Sells its own policies by phone and buys leads to fill its call center. |
| Lead buying desk or aggregator | Buys leads and routes them on to agents or other buyers. |
Captive and independent agents often want different leads. A captive agent buying auto insurance leads for agents usually sets tighter filters, because a lead the carrier will not write cannot be sold a policy.
What a car insurance lead commonly includes
Fields vary by form and by seller. In the industry, an auto insurance lead commonly includes:
- Name, phone, email and mailing address
- ZIP code and state, which set the rates and the carriers available
- Vehicles: year, make, model and sometimes ownership (owned, financed or leased)
- Drivers: number of drivers, age range and marital status
- Current insurance status: currently insured or not, and sometimes the current carrier and how long the policy has run
- Driving history questions, such as recent accidents, violations or a license suspension
- Desired coverage level, such as state minimum or full coverage
- The consent record: the consent language, timestamp, IP address and page URL
Which of these fields a lead carries, and which you can filter on, is agreed with the seller. Ask for the field list before your first order, because missing fields slow down the first quote.
Standard vs non-standard auto insurance leads
Auto insurance buyers often split leads into standard and non-standard. The terms describe the driver, not the lead source.
| Standard auto leads | Non-standard auto leads | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical driver | Currently insured, clean or near-clean record | A lapse in coverage, violations, an accident or a license issue |
| Carriers | Most standard carriers will quote | Quoted by carriers or programs that write higher-risk drivers |
| Common buyers | Agents and carriers focused on preferred drivers | Agents who place non-standard policies, often independents |
| What to check | Current insurance and length of coverage | Accuracy of the violation and lapse answers |
A non-standard lead is not a worse lead. It is a different lead, and it suits an agency that has carriers for those drivers. Buy the type your carriers can write, and filter on the currently insured question if your carriers require prior coverage.
How to evaluate auto insurance leads
Measure every source on the same steps of your own funnel. Start with a small test and keep each source separate in your reports.
- Contact rate. The share of leads you reach by phone or text. A low contact rate points to bad numbers, old leads or leads sold to many buyers.
- Quote rate. The share of contacted leads you can quote. This shows whether the drivers fit your carriers.
- Bind rate. The share of quotes that become policies.
- Speed. The time from the form to your first call. Auto shoppers often request several quotes in one session, so the first agent to call has an advantage.
- Consent records. Spot-check that each lead has a retrievable consent certificate before you call.
- Returns. How many leads fail agreed checks, and how fast returns are credited under the terms you agreed.
For the checks that apply to every insurance line, see what to look for in an insurance lead, and see lead validation for how phone, email and address checks work. For exclusive auto insurance leads and how they compare with shared ones, see exclusive insurance leads.
Auto insurance leads and MVA leads are not the same lead
A driver can create two different leads. Shopping for a car insurance quote creates an auto insurance lead for an agency. Being hurt in a crash and asking about legal help creates an MVA lead for a personal injury firm. The buyers, the questions and the consent are different, and consent given for one does not cover the other.
See MVA leads vs auto insurance leads for how the two compare.
Questions to ask a seller of auto insurance leads
Before a first order, get written answers to these questions. They tell you how the leads are made and what happens when one fails.
- Where does the traffic come from, and does the form say which companies may contact the driver?
- How many seconds pass between the form and delivery to you?
- Is each lead sold to you only, or to several buyers? How many?
- Which fields are required on the form, and which are optional?
- Can you send a sample consent certificate?
- Which leads can be returned, how, and within what time?
Common mistakes when buying auto insurance leads
- Buying profiles your carriers will not write. A captive agent buying non-standard drivers pays for leads it cannot quote.
- Calling too late. An auto lead is worth most in the first minutes after the form.
- Judging a source on a handful of leads. Use enough volume to see contact and bind rates, then decide.
- Skipping the consent check. Each lead should carry a consent record you can retrieve if a consumer asks.
- Mixing sources in one report. Track each source by itself so you know which one is working.
Frequently asked questions
Are car insurance leads the same as auto insurance leads?
Yes. Car insurance leads, automobile insurance leads and auto insurance leads all describe quote requests from drivers who want auto coverage.
What is a non-standard auto insurance lead?
A quote request from a driver with a lapse in coverage, violations, an accident or a license issue. Agents who place non-standard policies buy these leads.
Can I filter auto insurance leads by currently insured?
Many sellers in the industry offer that filter. Which filters apply to your account is agreed with the seller during onboarding.
How do I buy auto insurance leads?
Set your lines, states and filters, agree delivery and return terms, then start with a small test. See how to buy insurance leads for each step.
Related
Buying insurance leads?
Email us the insurance lines, states, daily volume or caps, delivery method and the fields you need. Terms are agreed during onboarding.
Or write to team@summitleads.ai. We reply by email.
What happens next
- Step 1: You email us.
- Step 2: We reply by email.
- Step 3: Return terms are agreed on the onboarding call, before you go live.