Yes, you can absolutely get insurance with bad credit, as insurers cannot deny coverage based solely on your credit score. However, in most states, companies use a "credit-based insurance score" to determine premiums, and poor credit often results in significantly higher rates—sometimes over 100% more—due to the perceived higher risk of filing claims.
Insurance companies cannot use your credit history by itself to deny you coverage or cancel your policy. They also cannot use the following factors to deny you coverage or set your premiums: The number of credit inquiries. Collection accounts identified as medical bills.
While the vast majority of insurance companies use credit-based insurance scores to help determine the price of insurance, it is banned in the states of Massachusetts, Michigan, Hawaii, and California. Some states only allow it as a factor for property insurance like auto and homeowners insurance.
A: True no credit check options are limited but available through specific regional insurers like CURE and Dillo, usage-based programs, and in states that prohibit credit-based pricing. All major insurers perform credit checks in most states.
Some insurers provide auto insurance with no credit check, which might seem appealing if you have a poor credit history. But purchasing car insurance from a company that doesn't check credit doesn't necessarily mean you'll pay a lesser rate than you will with a company that checks your credit.
Yes, your credit history can affect the cost of your car insurance. If you have a poor credit history, some insurers consider you more likely to make insurance claims or to miss payments so you might face higher monthly premiums than someone with an excellent credit rating. Of course, this can vary by provider.
At Budget Direct Insurance we like to give you options and that includes how you pay for your insurance. You have the choice to pay for your Car, Motorcycle, Commercial Vehicle and Annual Travel insurance by 12 interest-free monthly instalments when you pay using a DBS/POSB credit card.
California
Insurance companies in California don't use credit-based scores or your credit history for underwriting or rating auto policies, or setting rates for homeowners insurance. As a result, your credit won't impact your ability to get or renew a policy, or how much you pay in premiums.
For most people, increasing a credit score by 100 points in a month isn't going to happen. But if you pay your bills on time, eliminate your consumer debt, don't run large balances on your cards and maintain a mix of both consumer and secured borrowing, an increase in your credit could happen within months.
In general, a good credit score is 670 or above, with scores above 800 considered excellent. If your score is in this range, you're likely receiving lower insurance rates based on your credit. If your credit score is under 580, on the other hand, your credit could be significantly raising the cost of coverage.
Your term insurance claim might get rejected due to false information, policy lapse, undisclosed medical history, inaccurate information about policies, nonpayment of premiums, and more. Insurers rely on the details you provide to measure risk and assess coverage accurately.
Auto insurance companies can cancel your insurance at any time. Insurers must provide some degree of notice when they decide to cancel your policy, but that amount of notice varies from state to state. Some states require 30 days, while others can provide as little as 20 days notice.
When you submit your information for a car insurance quote, the insurer will likely perform a 'soft' credit check. This doesn't impact your credit score like a 'hard' check does (more on this later), but it gives the insurer an understanding of your credit health. It's also used to verify your details.
While many insurance companies offer standard six-month policy options, choosing a 12-month term—considered a long-term policy (versus a short-term six-month policy)—allows you to lock in your rate for an entire year.
0% Instalment Payment Plan (0% IPP) is an instalment plan that allows you to split your retail purchases or services into monthly instalments with no interest charged.
Which plan is best for saving?
It's partly true: most negative items like late payments and collections are removed from your credit report after about seven years, but the underlying debt often still exists, and bankruptcies (Chapter 7) last 10 years, so your credit isn't entirely "clear" but mostly refreshed from old negatives. The 7-year clock starts from the date of the original delinquency, not when you paid it off or sent to collections, and the debt itself can still be pursued by collectors.
While major insurers including State Farm, GEICO, and Progressive use credit scores to determine rates, regional insurers CURE Auto Insurance (available in NJ, PA, MI) and Dillo Insurance (available in TX), do not. However, if you live in CA, HI, MA, or MI, laws prevent insurers from using credit to determine rates.
Both saving and debt repayment are critical for long-term financial health. An emergency fund should be established before aggressively paying off debt to protect against unexpected expenses. High-interest debt, such as credit cards or payday loans, often warrants faster repayment to save on interest.
Poor (300-579): 300 is the lowest credit score a person can have, and it's impossible to drop below that number. Fair (580-669): Lenders and banks will look at a Fair score more favorably, but their best offers may still be out of reach. Good (670-739): FICO® reported 715 as the average credit score in 2025.