# Garaging address

> What your garaging address is, why insurers price car insurance by where the car is kept, and why giving a false address can be treated as fraud.

Canonical page: https://statecover-guide.com/glossary/garaging-address/  
Last reviewed: October 28, 2026 by the StateCover Guide editorial team  
General information, not legal or insurance advice.

## Quick answer

Your garaging address is the place where your car is principally kept and driven from, usually where it is parked overnight. Insurers use it to price your policy, because the risk of crashes, theft and vandalism varies from place to place.

## How it works

Rates are based on where a car is usually located, so the garaging address is a standard rating factor. It can differ from your mailing address, for example when a student takes a car to college or a car is kept at a second home. Check that both addresses are correct on your policy, and tell your insurer when either one changes, such as after a move.

Giving a cheaper address than the one where the car is really kept is misrepresentation. New York's insurance regulator, for example, has required insurers to report cases where policyholders misstated the place their vehicles are principally driven and garaged, as part of its fraud reporting. An insurer that discovers fraud or a material misstatement on an application can cancel the policy mid-term, and fraud can also bring criminal charges. A wrong address can also cause trouble when you make a claim.

## Related terms

- [Rating factors](https://statecover-guide.com/glossary/rating-factors/)
- [Insurance fraud](https://statecover-guide.com/glossary/insurance-fraud/)
- [Underwriting](https://statecover-guide.com/glossary/underwriting/)
- Guide: [ZIP code and car insurance](https://statecover-guide.com/costs/zip-code/)

## Sources

- [New York Department of Financial Services, Auto Insurance](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/auto_insurance) — checking your garaging address, cancellation for fraud or material misstatement
- [New York Department of Financial Services, Data Call on Garaging Misrepresentations](https://www.dfs.ny.gov/apps_and_licensing/insurance_companies/fraud_reporting_and_information/data_call_letter_sect_308) — misrepresenting where vehicles are principally driven and garaged
- [Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/pubs/consumer/cb020.html) — rates based on where a car is usually located