Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published August 4, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

Do car insurance claims follow you in Texas? How claim history works

If you have filed a car insurance claim, you may wonder where the record goes, how long it stays, and who can read it. This guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) say about each of those questions.

The short version. Car insurance claims in Texas can be reported to CLUE, which TDI says in How to get a CLUE about your claims history shows the claims filed for any house or car for the past seven years. TDI's Auto insurance guide says most companies use CLUE to learn your claims history, and that a company can charge you more or refuse to sell you a policy based on the report.

Here's what we'll cover: what the CLUE report is, what is and isn't reported to it, how a company can use your claims history, what the sources say about credit scores and lawsuits, and how to request and correct your own report.

What TDI says about the CLUE claims report

CLUE is the claims report that Texas insurers can check when you apply for car insurance. TDI's Auto insurance guide (last updated 12/11/2025) says: "Most companies use the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) to learn your claims history."

TDI's tip sheet How to get a CLUE about your claims history (last updated 10/14/2024) describes what the report holds: "A CLUE report shows the claims filed for any house or car for the past seven years. It lists claims on your home or vehicle, even if you weren't the owner at the time." That tip sheet is written mainly about home insurance, though its description of the report covers cars as well.

The CFPB's listing for LexisNexis C.L.U.E. & Telematics OnDemand describes CLUE as a claims information exchange that collects and reports up to seven years of auto insurance claims to help inform pricing and underwriting decisions for the insurance industry.

Taken together, these pages describe a report kept outside any single insurance company. Because TDI says most companies use CLUE, a claim you filed with one company can be visible to another company you apply to later. And because TDI says the report lists claims on a vehicle even if you weren't the owner at the time, a used car can come with claims you did not file.

What gets reported — and what doesn't

A CLUE report records a short list of details about a filed claim, and TDI draws a line between a claim and a question. TDI's How to get a CLUE about your claims history says insurance companies can report information to CLUE when you file a claim, and that they report:

• Date of loss
• Loss type
• Amount paid on the claim

The same page says the report will include the policy number, claim number, and insurance company.

On questions, the tip sheet says: "Companies aren't supposed to report any questions you ask about your policy or deductible." It then suggests that when you're talking to your agent, you make sure you're clear about whether you're filing a claim or just asking a question about your policy.

In plain terms, TDI describes a filed claim as the thing that can be reported, and a question about your policy or deductible as something that isn't supposed to be. If you have had an accident, TDI's Auto insurance guide says to tell your company about the accident as soon as possible, and notes that most companies have deadlines for filing claims.

How your claims history gets used

Car insurance claims history in Texas can affect what you pay, whether a company sells you a policy, and whether a company renews one. TDI's Auto insurance guide says of the report: "A company can charge you more or refuse to sell you a policy based on the information in your CLUE report."

Premiums. The same guide lists your driving record and claims history among the things most companies consider when deciding your auto insurance premium. It says insurance companies will charge you more if you've had accidents or gotten tickets, and that some companies might refuse to sell you a policy. The guide gives no figure for how much.

Nonrenewal and claims. The tip sheet Was your auto insurance not renewed or canceled? (last updated 1/15/2026) lists reasons a company might not renew an auto policy. Two of them are that you caused multiple accidents or got multiple driving tickets, and that you filed a lot of claims, especially for crashes you caused.

The Auto insurance guide also lists claims a company can't use as the reason to nonrenew an auto policy:

• Weather damage.
• Damage from hitting an animal.
• Accidents or incidents that can't reasonably be blamed on you, unless you have more than one of these claims in 12 months.
• Damage from flying gravel or other flying or falling objects, although the guide says the company can raise your deductible if you have three of these claims in 36 months.
• Towing and labor, although the guide says the company can refuse to renew your towing and labor coverage if you have four of these claims in 36 months.

You may have heard of a three-claims rule. The version TDI describes is about home insurance. TDI's Home insurance guide, which covers home policies and not auto policies, says a company may nonrenew a home policy if you file three or more nonweather-related claims in three years. It adds that if you file two nonweather-related claims, the company must tell you that you're in danger of nonrenewal, and that if it doesn't, it can't refuse to renew your policy because of a third claim. The same paragraph of the home guide says the first two appliance-related water damage claims don't count if you've fixed the damage and it's passed inspection by a qualified inspector. The auto guide's list above is what TDI says about car policies.

Notice periods. TDI's two auto pages give different nonrenewal notice periods. The tip sheet Was your auto insurance not renewed or canceled? says a company must give you at least 60 days' notice of a nonrenewal. The Auto insurance guide says a company must give 60 days' notice of a nonrenewal if you bought or renewed your policy in 2024, unless you don't cooperate in a liability claim, and 30 days' notice if you bought or renewed in 2023 or earlier.

On cancellation, the tip sheet says a company must give you 10 days' notice before it cancels your policy. It says a company can cancel in the first 60 days for any reason, unless the cancellation violates a law. After 60 days, it says a company can cancel if you stop paying your premiums, you file a fraudulent claim, or your driver's license or car registration is suspended or revoked. On that last reason, the tip sheet adds that the company may not cancel if you agree to stop coverage for the driver with the suspended or revoked license.

The reason for a decision. According to the same tip sheet, your company must give you the reason for a nonrenewal if you ask. The page goes on: "If you were declined a policy or your policy was canceled or not renewed after Jan. 1, 2026, your company must give you a written statement telling you why they declined, canceled, or nonrenewed your policy."

If claims history is the reason a company gives, you can compare that statement with your own CLUE report. If you get a nonrenewal or cancellation notice, both TDI pages suggest you start shopping for new insurance right away and have a new policy in place before the old one ends.

Does filing a claim hurt your credit score?

TDI's Auto insurance guide treats car insurance claims history and credit score as two separate items, and none of the pages cited in this guide says that filing a claim changes a credit score. In its list of things most companies consider when deciding your premium, the Auto insurance guide lists your driving record and claims history as one item and your credit score as another. Of the second, it says some companies use your credit score to decide what to charge you.

The same guide lists things an insurance company may not do. One of them is: "Turn you down or charge you more only because of your credit score."

The CFPB lists LexisNexis C.L.U.E. among consumer reporting companies under the category of personal property insurance. The same CFPB page says requesting copies of your own consumer reports does not hurt your credit scores.

So there are two different questions here. One is what an insurer can read about your claims, which is what the CLUE pages describe. The other is what goes into a credit score, which these sources do not cover.

Do car insurance claims go to court?

The sources in this guide do not say how many car insurance claims in Texas lead to a lawsuit, so this guide can't give a number. TDI's Auto insurance guide mentions lawsuits in more than one place. Two of them concern your own policy and are covered here.

First, in explaining liability coverage, the guide says that if you don't have enough liability coverage to pay for the damages and injuries you cause, you might have to pay the rest out of your own pocket, and that the other driver could sue you.

Second, the guide's table of what most policies do and don't cover includes this under what most policies cover: "Your attorneys' fees if you're sued because of an accident." The guide introduces that table by saying coverages vary by policy and depend on the types of coverages you choose, and it suggests reading your policy or talking to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

This guide does not give advice about fault or legal action, and your own policy is the place to see what it says about being sued.

How to read your own CLUE report

You can request your own CLUE report and check what it says about your car insurance claims. TDI's How to get a CLUE about your claims history says you can get a free copy of your report each year by contacting LexisNexis, and that you can contact LexisNexis to dispute wrong information or to add an explanation.

The CFPB's LexisNexis C.L.U.E. listing (page last modified May 20, 2025) says of the company: "This company will provide one free report every 12 months if you request it."

The pages give different phone numbers for LexisNexis. TDI's Auto insurance guide gives 866-312-8076, and the CFPB listing gives 866-897-8126.

TDI's blog post Get a free clue about your insurance claims history (August 5, 2024) says you can get a report on any property you own by contacting LexisNexis. It adds that if you're buying a home or car, you can ask the current owner for the report.

The request and any dispute go to LexisNexis, the company TDI and the CFPB both point to. Reading the report before you apply for a policy lets you see what a company may see. If you're buying a used car, the blog post says you can ask the current owner for the report.

The seven-year window in a CLUE report

TDI describes a CLUE report as covering a fixed stretch of time for a car or a home. Its tip sheet How to get a CLUE about your claims history says the report shows the claims filed for the past seven years, and the CFPB's listing says CLUE collects and reports up to seven years of auto insurance claims.

Neither page says on what date a particular claim stops appearing. The practical way to find out what your report shows today is to request a copy, which TDI says you can do for free each year by contacting LexisNexis.

A claims history can therefore change over time as older claims fall outside the period the report covers. The TDI pages cited here do not describe how individual companies weigh a claims history.

What to do with this

These are steps you can take with your car insurance claims history in Texas. The facts inside each step come from the pages linked above.

• Read your CLUE report. A free copy is available each year by contacting LexisNexis, according to TDI.
• Check it for errors. TDI says you can contact LexisNexis to dispute wrong information or to add an explanation.
• Be clear when you call. TDI suggests making sure you're clear about whether you're filing a claim or asking a question about your policy. If you have had an accident, TDI's Auto insurance guide says to tell your company as soon as possible.
• Ask for the reason. If a company declines, cancels, or doesn't renew your policy, TDI's tip sheet describes a written statement of the reason for decisions after Jan. 1, 2026. You can compare it with your report.
• Keep your notices. TDI's tip sheet says you can find your policy's end date on a notice of nonrenewal or ask your company, and it suggests shopping right away so a new policy is in place before the current one expires.

Key facts

• TDI's How to get a CLUE about your claims history says a CLUE report shows the claims filed for any house or car for the past seven years, and lists claims on a vehicle even if you weren't the owner at the time.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says most companies use CLUE to learn your claims history, and that a company can charge you more or refuse to sell you a policy based on the information in the report.
• The same TDI tip sheet says companies can report the date of loss, loss type, and amount paid when you file a claim, and that companies aren't supposed to report questions you ask about your policy or deductible.
• TDI's Was your auto insurance not renewed or canceled? says a company must give at least 60 days' notice of a nonrenewal, while TDI's Auto insurance guide says 60 days applies if you bought or renewed your policy in 2024, unless you don't cooperate in a liability claim, and 30 days if you bought or renewed in 2023 or earlier.
• The same nonrenewal tip sheet says that if you were declined a policy, or your policy was canceled or not renewed, after Jan. 1, 2026, your company must give you a written statement of the reason.
• TDI's Auto insurance guide says some companies use your credit score to decide what to charge you, and lists turning you down or charging you more only because of your credit score among the things an insurance company may not do.
• The CFPB's LexisNexis C.L.U.E. listing says the company will provide one free report every 12 months if you request it, and TDI's tip sheet says you can contact LexisNexis to dispute wrong information or to add an explanation.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, How to get a CLUE about your claims history, Auto insurance guide, Was your auto insurance not renewed or canceled?, Get a free clue about your insurance claims history and Home insurance guide; Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, LexisNexis C.L.U.E. & Telematics OnDemand. This page is general information, not legal advice. For questions about your legal rights, check your policy or contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

Take the next step

Before you compare car insurance, it can be useful to know what your CLUE report shows. Our related guides cover how a car insurance claim works in Texas, how to get car insurance in Texas, how car insurance quotes work in Texas, and can you switch home insurance companies in Texas.

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