A motor vehicle record is a driver’s history as kept by a state’s motor vehicle agency. It typically shows license class and status, moving violations, at-fault accidents reported to the state, suspensions, revocations and DUI convictions. How far back it goes depends on the state; three to seven years is common for most violations, longer for serious ones.
Insurers order MVRs, usually through a consumer reporting agency, to rate and underwrite auto policies. Ordering an MVR is regulated by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and insurers need a permissible purpose.
How it shows up in an agency
Personal auto. A client says their 17-year-old has a clean record. The carrier orders MVRs at quote or at bind and finds a speeding ticket from four months ago. The premium goes up, and the agency has to explain the change before the first bill. Some carriers order MVRs only at bind, so a quote can change after the client says yes.
Commercial auto. Underwriters ask for a driver list with license numbers and run MVRs on every scheduled driver. A driver with a recent DUI or several violations may be excluded or may make the whole fleet ineligible. Agencies often ask clients to screen their own drivers’ MVRs before hiring, to keep the fleet insurable.
Carriers’ appetites are on our personal auto and commercial auto pages.
Common confusion
- MVR vs. CLUE. The MVR shows what the state recorded: violations and some accidents. A CLUE report shows insurance claims. A not-at-fault claim shows on CLUE but not the MVR.
- Accidents may not appear. Many accidents never generate a state report, so they show up only through claims history.
- Don’t run MVRs yourself without authority. Agencies need a permissible purpose and proper consent. Leave ordering to carriers or a compliant vendor.