How To Find My Exact Car Model

Cars are often identified by their make and model. Find out what those terms hateful and why your car's make and model matters.

What is the Make of a Automobile?
What is the Model of a Car?
What to Know About Trim and Body Style
How to Discover My Car's Make and Model
How Make and Model Affect Car Insurance
How to Buy Insurance for Your Make and Model
- Requesting an Motorcar Insurance Quote
- Customizing Your Quote with Coverages
- Applying for an Auto Insurance Policy

What Is the Brand of a Car?

The make of a car is the make that articles information technology. This includes companies like Ford, Honda, and Chevrolet.

Many manufacturers around the globe build cars. In the U.S., yous can buy vehicles fabricated by domestic, Japanese, Korean, and European machine manufacturers.

Some auto manufacturers produce two brands of vehicles: standard and luxury. For instance, Acura is made by Honda. Acura is the luxury brand, and Honda is the standard brand. Despite being manufactured past Honda, they are sold at carve up car dealerships.

As the machine's owner, you'll be asked for the vehicle's make and model when y'all:

Buy auto insurance or alter machine insurers
Service your vehicle
Need roadside assistance
Call the police to report your car stolen
Park information technology in a hotel lot when checking in
Want to sell your car

Learn near all the places you tin discover your make and model down beneath.

What Is the Model of a Car?

The model of a car is the specific product proper noun. For instance, a Corvette is a model fabricated by Chevrolet. For a Honda Accord, Honda is the brand and Accord is the model.

The model doesn't have to exist a word. In the case of the Audi Q3, it can be a combination of letters and numbers.

Domestic vehicles (those made in the U.South.) are the nearly popular cars in the nation. Asian imports come in second.

Identifying your car gets even more than specific. Motorcar models can come with different equipment and features. This is chosen the trim level. Larn more about the differences below.

What to Know About Trim and Body Style

With any machine, the base model is the trim level with the least equipment and features. A fully loaded model offers the most equipment and features. There are also trim levels in between.

Trim is usually designated past letters or numbers after the model proper noun. Some mutual ones are: DX, LS, or a series, like 300 or 500.

Trim levels can touch on:

Transmission: automatic, automatic manual, or all-bike bulldoze
Type of engine: powertrain and suspension
Safety options: blind-spot monitoring, fill-in camera
Interior features: material on the seats, navigation and entertainment systems, etc.

There can besides be model versions with unlike trunk styles. Body style refers to the shape of a car: coupe, sedan, SUV, etc. For example, the Mazda iii is available as a hatchback or a sedan.

How trim level affects pricing
Car trim levels significantly impact the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Cost (MSRP). A base model vehicle tin cost thousands less than one with a lot of features.

Here are some examples using the 2018 Honda Borough:

Honda Civic 60 (basic iv-door sedan): $twenty,635
Honda Civic EX-Fifty (well-equipped 4-door sedan): $24,895
Honda Borough Touring (loaded iv-door sedan): $27,695

How to Find My Car'south Make and Model

A vehicle's make and model is listed in several places. Here'due south how you lot can observe yours:

Exterior of Your Vehicle
The dorsum of your automobile should take the manufacturer'south proper noun on one side and the model on the other side. Plus, the auto maker's logo is unremarkably on the front and back of your car.

Owner's Transmission
The make and model of the vehicle is usually located on the cover of the possessor'south manual. Or, it can be found within its first few pages.

Title or Registration
Your car make and model is prominently displayed on both documents.

Use the Automobile's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
You can enter your VIN into the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's VIN Decoder web page. It'll reveal your car's make, model, and other details.

The VIN is a 17-digit code made upwardly of letters and numbers. It can be found:

On the driver'southward side of the dashboard where it meets the windshield
On the driver'south side door jamb
Printed on your vehicle's registration

Can a VIN tell you what model year a automobile is?
The 17-graphic symbol VIN identifies a lot near your car, including the model year. Hither's what each grapheme (a number or letter of the alphabet) represents, from left to right:

1st character: Land of manufacture
2d graphic symbol: Manufacturer
3rd character: Vehicle blazon
4th–eighth characters: Brand, body style, model, and series
9th graphic symbol: Security bank check number
tenth character: Model year
11th character: Associates found
12th–17th characters: Vehicle's serial number

Machine History Report
If your car was preowned, you can become its make and model past requesting a vehicle history report from your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). You will need the car's title, VIN, and proof of identification.

The car history study contains:

Record of past ownership
Vehicle'south championship
Odometer settings
Existing liens on the vehicle
Past maintenance

What automobile body way exercise you like the all-time?

Your car brand and model tells insurance companies a lot about your time to come driving behavior. See how it could impact your rates below.

Find Inexpensive Car InsuranceSelect your state to get started

How Make and Model Affect Auto Insurance

Do yous have expensive machine insurance? Information technology might have to do with your car. Auto insurance companies consider your auto when setting your premium.

Be sure to provide the entire model when you request an insurance quote. This includes all letters, numbers, and trim level indicators. Y'all don't desire rates for a college-priced model when you have a lower one.

Here are some means your car brand and model affect your rates:

Factors That Raise Insurance

The motorcar has a loftier value with higher costs for comprehensive and collision coverage.
Many claims are filed for that specific machine.
The vehicle does not have advanced safety features.

Factors That Lower Insurance

The vehicle has a high safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Assistants.
Avant-garde prophylactic features are equipped on the vehicle.
The make and model is equipped with anti-theft features.

Which car makes and models toll more to insure?

Performance or sports cars
Convertibles
High-end luxury cars
Exotic vehicles
Vintage or antique cars

For example, the MSRP for the Toyota Camry Hybrid LE is higher than the LE. Simply the Hybrid LE owner pays less for machine insurance because the Hybrid LE has more safe features.

Here's how annual insurance rates for a 2019 Toyota Camry stack up:

Model/Trim Level	MSRP	Annual Insurance Rate
Camry 50	$24,095	$one,944
Camry LE	$24,600	$2,405
Camry Hybrid LE	$28,400	$2,355
Camry SE	$25,800	$ii,395
Camry Hybrid SE	$30,100	$2,365
Camry XLE	$29,175	$2,403
Camry Hybrid XLE	$32,975	$2,380
Camry XLE V6	$34,300	$2,403
Camry XSE	$29,725	$2,405
Camry XSE V6	$34,850	$2,406

If y'all can't decide betwixt two types of cars, go auto insurance quotes for their make and model. The cost divergence simply might be the deciding car ownership factor.

How to Purchase Insurance for Your Brand and Model

To buy insurance, outset past getting a quote for your make and model. Y'all tin can practise this online, through an amanuensis, or by calling an insurance company directly.

Discover out below what information technology takes to get insured from start to finish.

Avoid This Machine Insurance Ruddy Flag

If you go a loyalty discount with your insurance visitor, you lot're probably overpaying. Insurance companies raise their prices every year. The only mode to get inexpensive insurance is to compare quotes from unlike companies.

Compare Quotes

Requesting an Car Insurance Quote

When applying for an auto insurance quote, you'll need to provide the post-obit information:

Make, model, and year of your car, including trim level and body mode
VIN
Your age and gender
Driver's license number of anyone who will be on the policy
Vehicle registration
Driving history
Credit history

An auto insurance policy only covers personal driving. It does not encompass the use of your car for commercial purposes, similar delivery driving or ride-sharing. Some auto insurance companies offer extended coverage for these purposes.

Customizing Your Quote with Coverages

Virtually U.S. states crave certain coverage minimums. Merely yous can purchase higher amounts. Your insurance amount should exist plenty to cover the cost of a serious blow.

Read on to learn the coverages yous should consider for your automobile insurance policy.

Mandatory Coverage (in most states)

Bodily injury liability pays for the costs of injuries and death caused by you or someone driving your car.
Property impairment liability pays for damages you cause to someone else'due south car or property, like a utility pole, fence, or edifice.
Medical payments and personal injury protection (PIP) pays your and your passengers' medical expenses in a auto accident. The coverage besides reimburses for lost wages and other expenses.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist covers you if y'all are in an accident acquired by an uninsured or underinsured motorist. It also applies to hit-and-run situations.

Optional Coverage

Collision insurance covers harm to your auto from a collision you caused. It applies whether you collide with another car or an object similar a guard rail.
Comprehensive covers theft and harm caused past something other than an accident. Some examples are:
- Tree falling on your machine
- Flood
- Fire
- Falling rocks
- Hail
- Vandalism
If you lot charter or finance your car, most lenders require you to purchase comprehensive coverage.
Drinking glass coverage deals with damage to your windshield, side and rear windows, and sunroof.
Gap coverage pays off what you owe your lender/leasing company if your car is stolen or totaled. Usually, this coverage is included in the lease amount of a auto.

Machine insurance covers you and other household members on your policy. It applies to your car or someone else's auto if you have permission to drive it. Information technology tin can also cover someone not on your policy if they have your consent to drive your car.

Applying for an Machine Insurance Policy

Once you receive quotes from at least 3 auto insurers, you lot can compare:

Coverage deductibles, limitations, and exclusions
Coverage corporeality
Discounts
Financial stability rating from Moody'southward or AM All-time
Customer service and claims ratings from J.D. Ability
Toll in relation to in a higher place factors

Next, select the all-time machine insurance company for your needs and consummate your application. The automobile insurer will review your awarding and give you the final price for your car insurance policy.

Bottom Line

Cars are identified by make and model. The brand identifies which auto manufacturer built it, while the model identifies the product line.

Some car models have several versions, each with added features or trim levels. A model of the same make might exist a coupe vs. a sedan, or a 6-cylinder vs. a iv-cylinder car.

It'due south important to know the make and model of your car. It'll come in handy for many purposes throughout your car'due south life. You lot'll need the data to register it, insure it, identify it, or sell it.

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