Mileage and years on a form only help if the form describes the car in your driveway. Before you read a single term, match the names and identifiers on the page to the paperwork that proves who owns the vehicle.
Match the vehicle identifier first
The Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is the long code that identifies one specific car. Compare the code on the form with the code on the plate visible through the windshield, the sticker on the driver door frame, the registration card, and the title. A single wrong character can attach the contract to a different car, and it can cause trouble at the first check of the paperwork.
Match the buyer to the title
The name on the contract should match the name on the title, or the person who is the registered owner. If a lender holds the title or has a lien on the car, ask whether the contract needs the lender named, whether the lender must sign or receive a copy, and what happens to the paperwork when the loan is paid off and the title moves. The company and the lender can answer those questions in writing. This page does not give legal advice, so a lawyer is the right person for questions about ownership disputes.
Check the mileage line
The odometer figure on the form is the starting point the company will use. Ask who wrote it down, whether it was read from the dashboard at signing, and whether the company accepts a photograph of the dashboard as proof. Write the figure in your own notes too. If the form and the dashboard disagree, stop before you pay and get the form corrected.
Ask these before you pay
Ask the company which name it records as the contract holder. Ask what documents it wants on file at the start, and which ones you must send back. Ask whether the contract is tied to the vehicle, the person, or both. Then ask for the copy you will keep, and check that it carries the same identifier and the same mileage line as the one you signed.
Common mismatches
A car bought from a relative, a car registered in a spouse's name, a car taken in on trade, and a car bought with a loan each put a different name on different papers. None of those is wrong by itself. The trouble starts when the contract names one person, the title names another, and nobody has written down how the two connect.
What to bring to the quote
Bring the title, the registration card, the loan statement if one exists, and a photograph of the dashboard odometer and the VIN plate. The ranking table on the front page shows which companies publish their own mileage acceptance. Ask each company the same questions from this page, and compare the written answers side by side. Nothing on this site tells you that any company will pay a claim, so read each answer in writing before you decide.