Coverage lists are where most comparisons start, and they are where most people waste time. A provider can have a detailed contract and still turn down your car. Before you read a single component line, find out whether the car is eligible at all. This is the gate, and it sits in front of everything else.
What the gate usually checks
Providers commonly set a maximum vehicle age and a maximum odometer reading. Some limit the make or model, some exclude vehicles used for commercial work, and some decline a car with a salvaged, rebuilt, or branded title. Some require an inspection or a service record before they accept the car. The rules differ by provider and can change, so read the eligibility wording in the contract or the provider's own published terms rather than relying on memory.
Pin down when the limit is measured
Ask whether the age and mileage limit applies on the day you sign, on the day the contract starts, or on the day you bought the car. A car that clears the limit at the counter may not clear it at activation if the odometer moves in between. Ask what the provider reads from the odometer, who records the reading, and what proof it accepts.
Find out what happens after you are in
Eligibility at signing is not always eligibility for the whole term. Ask whether a car that passes the odometer limit during the contract loses coverage, loses only the right to renew, or keeps a claim already in progress. Ask whether a claim denied for an ineligible vehicle is treated differently from one denied for an excluded part. The answer tells you how much the gate protects you after the paperwork is done.
Compare the gate before the coverage
Write your car's age, mileage, make, and title status on a single line. Then check each provider's limits against that line before you open the coverage section. A provider that accepts your car can then be compared on coverage, price, and claims route. A provider that refuses your car drops out, however strong its brochure reads. The high-mileage page on this site lists providers by their published maximum vehicle age, which is a useful starting filter if your car is older.
Questions to ask before you sign
Ask what the maximum age and mileage are at signing and at the contract start. Ask whether the limit is measured by the odometer at the counter or at activation. Ask whether a make, model, or title status excludes the car. Ask whether an inspection or service record is needed and who pays for it. Ask what happens to an open claim if the car passes a limit during the term.