What are MVA leads? Meaning and what makes one
MVA leads are contact records of people involved in a motor vehicle accident who asked to be contacted about legal help and agreed to be called or texted. MVA stands for motor vehicle accident. Personal injury law firms, and the companies that supply them, use MVA leads to reach people who may have an injury claim.
Key points
- MVA stands for motor vehicle accident; MVA leads are a subset of personal injury leads.
- The term covers car, truck and commercial vehicle, motorcycle and rideshare accidents.
- Buyers judge an MVA lead on injury and treatment, fault, how recent the accident was, whether the person already has a lawyer, valid contact details and a consent record.
- Each buyer sets its own criteria. At Summit Leads, qualifying criteria are agreed during onboarding.
What does "MVA leads" mean?
MVA is short for motor vehicle accident. In lead generation, an MVA lead is a record created when a person involved in a vehicle accident fills in a form or otherwise asks to be contacted about their options, and gives consent to be called or texted. The record holds their contact details and answers about the accident.
The term is used mostly in the personal injury legal market. Law firms, legal marketing companies and lead sellers say "MVA leads", "auto accident leads" or "car accident leads" for much the same thing, although "car accident leads" usually means passenger car crashes only. MVA leads are one kind of personal injury lead; personal injury also covers slip and fall, medical and workplace injuries.
An MVA lead is a request for contact, not a case. A law firm still has to call the person, check the facts and decide whether to offer representation.
Types of MVA leads
| Type | What it covers | What buyers tend to look at more closely |
|---|---|---|
| Car accident leads | Crashes involving passenger cars, SUVs and pickups | Injury, treatment and fault, as with any MVA lead |
| Truck and commercial vehicle accident leads | Crashes involving semi-trucks, delivery vans, box trucks and buses | Which vehicle and company were involved, and the injuries |
| Motorcycle accident leads | Crashes where the person was on a motorcycle | Injury severity and fault |
| Rideshare accident leads | Crashes involving a rideshare driver, as passenger, driver or other party | The person’s role in the trip and which insurance may apply |
Summit Leads works with car, truck, motorcycle and rideshare accident leads across all U.S. states.
What makes an MVA lead? The criteria buyers look at
There is no single industry standard. Each buyer writes its own rules, usually from the list below. A lead that fails a buyer’s rules is not sold to that buyer, or can be returned if the failure is found later.
- Involvement: the person was a driver, passenger, rider or pedestrian in the accident, not a bystander.
- Injury and treatment: whether the person was hurt and has seen a doctor or been treated. Many buyers do not want property-damage-only claims.
- Fault: whether the person says the other party was at fault, or fault is shared or unclear.
- Recency: how long ago the accident happened. Deadlines for filing a claim vary by state, so older accidents are worth less or nothing.
- Representation: whether the person already has a lawyer for this accident.
- Location: the state where the accident happened or where the person lives, matched to where the buyer’s firms practice.
- Contact details: a working phone number and email that belong to the person.
- Consent: a record that the person agreed to be contacted, with the wording they saw and when they agreed. See MVA leads and TCPA.
Summit Leads’ own MVA qualifying criteria are agreed with each partner during onboarding. This page describes what buyers in the market commonly look at, not a Summit standard.
How an MVA lead is created
- Search or ad: a person searches for help after an accident or sees an ad on search, social or a native ad placement.
- Form: they answer questions about the accident, the injury and whether they have a lawyer, then enter their contact details.
- Consent: consent language on the form records permission to be called or texted.
- Validation: the phone number, email and consent record are checked, and duplicates are removed. See lead validation.
- Distribution: the lead is offered in real time to buyers whose filters it matches and sold by ping/post. See what is a ping tree.
- Intake: the law firm or its intake team calls the person, confirms the facts and decides whether to take the case.
MVA leads compared with related terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| MVA lead | A person in a vehicle accident who asked to be contacted about legal help |
| Personal injury lead | Any person with a possible injury claim; MVA is the largest group within it |
| Signed retainer | A person who has already signed an agreement with a law firm; the intake work is done |
| Exclusive MVA lead | An MVA lead sold to one buyer only. See exclusive vs shared leads. |
| Aged MVA lead | An MVA lead sold some time after it was created, usually at a lower price. See what are aged leads. |
Who uses MVA leads?
- Personal injury law firms use MVA leads to find new clients. Firms that want to buy them can read about buying MVA leads.
- Legal marketing companies, aggregators and buying desks buy MVA leads and route them to the firms they work for.
- Publishers and affiliates produce MVA leads from their traffic and sell them. See the MVA affiliate program.
- Lead sellers with existing volume sell MVA leads to brokers or direct buyers. See sell MVA leads.
Summit Leads buys and sells MVA leads by real-time ping/post in all U.S. states.
Rules that apply to MVA leads
Two sets of rules matter most. Calls and texts to the person are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which is why consent is recorded on every lead; see the FCC’s guide to unwanted robocalls and texts. Law firms are also bound by attorney advertising and solicitation rules set by each state, based on models such as ABA Model Rule 7.3. Publishers should read attorney advertising rules for MVA traffic. This is general information, not legal advice.
Common mistakes
- Treating every accident as an MVA lead. Without an injury or with a lawyer already retained, most buyers will not take it.
- Changing the consent wording on a form. The consent record must match what the person saw. See consent language publishers must not change.
- Ignoring recency. An accident from long ago may be past the filing deadline in that state.
- Assuming one definition fits every buyer. Criteria differ by buyer, so confirm them in writing before you buy or sell.
Frequently asked questions
What does "MVA leads" mean?
MVA stands for motor vehicle accident. MVA leads are records of people involved in a vehicle accident who asked to be contacted about legal help and consented to be called or texted.
Are MVA leads the same as personal injury leads?
MVA leads are a subset of personal injury leads. Personal injury also covers other injuries, such as slip and fall or workplace injuries.
How much do MVA leads cost?
There is no single price. It depends on the state, the accident type, the injury, exclusivity, how fresh the lead is and buyer demand at that moment. See how lead pricing works.
Is buying MVA leads legal?
Buying leads from people who asked to be contacted and gave consent is common, but calls and texts must follow the TCPA, and law firms must follow their state’s attorney advertising rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
What criteria does Summit Leads use for MVA leads?
Qualifying criteria are agreed with each partner during onboarding. Email team@summitleads.ai to discuss them.
Related guides
- The lead generation industry: How the whole industry fits together.
- What is lead generation: Meaning, types and how it works.
- Personal injury law firm marketing: Channels law firms use to get cases.
- MVA lead documentation: What an MVA lead record holds.
- Lead generation glossary: Plain definitions of industry terms.
Sources
- Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts, Federal Communications Commission
- Model Rule 7.3: Solicitation of Clients, American Bar Association
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Every publisher is reviewed before going live. Email us your verticals, traffic sources, states and expected volume.
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: Every publisher is reviewed, and return and payment terms are agreed during onboarding, before you go live.
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