Updated: April 21, 2026
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Auto-Owners earns Illinois’s top MoneyGeek score at 4.71/5, combining a perfect 5.00/5 customer experience score with minimum coverage at $31 per month.
GEICO earns the highest affordability score (5.00/5) in Illinois with minimum coverage at $30 per month, $1 per month cheaper than Auto-Owners for a clean-record adult driver.
Auto-Owners leads the MoneyGeek score across all 10 of Illinois’s most populous cities, including Chicago, where rates average $74 per month versus Champaign’s $47 per month with the same insurer.
Mark Fitzpatrick, Licensed Insurance Producer
I analyzed quotes from six Illinois insurers across every ZIP code in the state. Illinois requires both UM and UIM coverage (unlike most states that require only one), which adds to every driver's baseline cost. Chicago's density creates notable rate variation within the state, and Illinois allows credit scoring in rate-setting, which I factored into profile-level analysis.
My top picks for Illinois drivers are Auto-Owners, GEICO and Erie, each winning a distinct category in my analysis. Auto-Owners leads on overall score and customer experience, while GEICO leads on affordability. The $1 a month difference between them at baseline minimum rate makes this state's two top picks unusually close on price while being differentiated on service and coverage.
For a closer look at pricing, my cheapest car insurance in Illinois guide breaks it down in detail.
| Auto Owners | 4.71 | $54 | 1 | 6 |
| Geico | 4.57 | $50 | 6 | 7 |
| Travelers | 4.42 | $67 | 3 | 5 |
| Erie Insurance | 4.42 | $70 | 2 | 3 |
| Progressive | 4.12 | $82 | 4 | 2 |
Auto-Owners earns the top composite score in my Illinois analysis based on a perfect customer experience score and rates that stay competitive across nearly every profile I tested. At $31 per month minimum for a clean-record adult, it’s only $1 more than GEICO’s $30. This is a negligible difference that disappears entirely when you consider what Auto-Owners adds on top. It wins young drivers ($78 per month), speeding ticket holders ($37 per month), accident-affected drivers ($43 per month) and old-car drivers ($24 per month) on the full scoring analysis.
Auto-Owners holds a perfect customer experience score, the highest of any insurer I analyzed in Illinois. It ranks #1 on U.S. News’ auto insurer rankings and draws consistently positive reviews from long-term policyholders, particularly for local agent responsiveness during claims. Its add-on menu includes diminished value protection, which compensates you for the depreciation in resale value after a vehicle is repaired.
This is relevant in Illinois, where hail damage along the I-80 corridor can affect vehicle value even after a full repair. For most Illinois drivers, Auto-Owners offers the best combination of rate, service and coverage depth in the state.
Don’t pick Auto-Owners if you need gap insurance, accident forgiveness or rideshare coverage. Its four-add-on menu doesn’t include any of the three. Progressive offers nine add-ons, including all three, at $63 per month minimum, which is $32 more per month than Auto-Owners for a clean-record adult but the right call for drivers who need that coverage depth.
GEICO earns the highest affordability score among the Illinois insurers I analyzed and holds the lowest rates I found in the state for clean-record adults ($30 per month minimum), seniors ($37 per month) and low-income drivers ($57 per month).
At only $1 per month less than Auto-Owners for a clean-record adult, the rate gap is narrow, but it widens for specific profiles where GEICO’s cheaper rates make a clearer case. The trade-off is coverage depth and service.
GEICO ranks sixth on customer experience among the Illinois insurers I analyzed. Unlike Auto-Owners or Erie, which both operate through local agent networks and draw positive claims reviews, GEICO handles most interactions by phone and online, a model that consumer reviews consistently flag for slower claims response.
Its three-add-on options cover the basics only: no gap insurance, no accident forgiveness, no diminishing deductible. For Illinois drivers who file claims rarely and want the most competitive possible rate, GEICO is a defensible choice. For anyone who anticipates using their coverage, the $1 difference to Auto-Owners is not worth it.
Don’t pick GEICO if you need gap insurance or rideshare coverage, or if claims service matters to you. Auto-Owners’ perfect customer experience score and $31 per month clean-record rate cost just $1 more per month and offer better service and broader coverage depth.
Erie wins the bad credit and low income categories in my Illinois analysis on the combination of competitive rates and a set of coverage options I found genuinely distinctive. At $86 per month minimum for a bad-credit driver and $58 per month for a low-income driver, Erie is not the cheapest option for either profile.
GEICO runs lower on both. But Erie’s coverage depth sets it apart: its Erie Auto Plus endorsement adds a diminishing deductible, a $10,000 death benefit and personal item coverage as standard additions, not optional upgrades. That’s a more complete package than what most Illinois insurers include at any price point.
On customer experience, Erie ranks second among the Illinois insurers I analyzed, behind only Auto-Owners. Erie draws consistently positive reviews from long-term policyholders, particularly for its claims handling and rate stability, and its regional reputation in the Midwest reflects an insurer that treats individual accounts as relationships rather than transactions. For bad-credit and low-income drivers who often have the most at stake when a claim comes in, that distinction matters.
Don’t pick Erie if the lowest possible monthly rate is your priority. GEICO’s $30 per month clean-record minimum is $5 cheaper, and its bad-credit and low-income rates undercut Erie’s as well. Erie’s case is best for drivers who want above-average coverage depth and a local agent relationship.
For most Illinois drivers, I’d recommend Auto-Owners: the 4.71/5 MoneyGeek score, perfect 5.00/5 CX and competitive $31 a month minimum coverage make it the best all-around pick, and it earns the top score in every Illinois city in the table below. GEICO is the right call for drivers who want the lowest possible monthly payment.
At $30 per month, it beats Auto-Owners by $1 a month on minimum coverage, with a 4.57/5 composite score that reflects real quality alongside the price advantage. Erie is the pick for bad-credit and low-income drivers: its seven add-ons, including the Erie Auto Plus endorsement, offer added coverage depth that the other featured Illinois insurers don't match.
Explore more Illinois car insurance guides to find coverage that fits your situation.
My Illinois profile breakdown showed Auto-Owners and GEICO splitting the clean-record wins while Erie Insurance takes the profiles where coverage depth matters most. Illinois allows credit scoring in rate-setting, which affects premiums for drivers with poor credit history.
Illinois also requires UM/UIM coverage on top of standard liability, adding to baseline costs across every profile. Auto-Owners sweeps the violation and accident profiles, while Erie wins bad credit and low income on the strength of its seven add-ons and good service scores.
Adult drivers (26 to 64), clean record | Auto-Owners | $31 | $73 |
Senior drivers (65+) | GEICO | $37 | $77 |
After a speeding ticket | Auto-Owners | $37 | $84 |
After an at-fault accident | Auto-Owners | $43 | $97 |
Low income | Erie Insurance | $58 | $145 |
After a DUI | Progressive | $72 | $123 |
Young drivers (16 to 25) | Auto-Owners | $78 | $164 |
Bad credit | Erie Insurance | $86 | $226 |
Illinois requires both UM and UIM coverage, which means even minimum coverage here provides more financial protection than in states that don't require it, but also adds to the baseline cost.
Auto-Owners leads MoneyGeek score across all 10 of Illinois's most populous cities. The same perfect 5.00/5 customer experience score that drives its state-level ranking carries through at the city level. Chicago rates ($74 a month) are much higher than downstate cities like Champaign ($47 a month) because of traffic density, vehicle theft and claims frequency.
The table below covers the 10 most populous Illinois cities, all with Auto-Owners as the top-scoring insurer.
Champaign | Auto-Owners | 4.70 | $47 |
Auto-Owners | 4.70 | $54 | |
Auto-Owners | 4.70 | $56 | |
Aurora | Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $56 |
Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $74 | |
Elgin | Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $58 |
Joliet | Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $57 |
Naperville | Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $55 |
Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $55 | |
Waukegan | Auto-Owners | 4.80 | $57 |
Auto-Owners rates in Illinois vary by ZIP code within the same city. Chicago neighborhoods can differ by $10 to $20 per month depending on local vehicle theft rates and traffic data.
Illinois requires more coverage than most states, with UM and UIM on top of standard liability. The gap between GEICO at $30 per month and Progressive at $63 per month for minimum coverage adds up to nearly $400 a year. That spread makes shopping worth the time even among top-scored providers.
Illinois requires both uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage in addition to standard liability. The current minimums are 25/50/20. That required add-on coverage is a primary reason Illinois minimum rates run higher than neighboring states with no UIM mandate. Among major insurers, cheapest car insurance in Illinois shows GEICO at $30 per month is the lowest minimum coverage rate in the state.
Chicago drivers pay much more than downstate drivers. Auto-Owners averages $74 per month in Chicago versus $47 per month in Champaign, a $27 per month difference for the same insurer. Suburban and rural ZIP codes often run 20% to 40% below Chicago metro rates, so moving within Illinois is worth a fresh round of quotes. Explore home and auto bundle options in Illinois to cut the average total premium by 10% to 15%.
Illinois allows credit scoring in rate-setting. Erie’s bad credit minimum of $86 per month is nearly three times GEICO’s $30 per month clean-record baseline. If you want a clearer picture of how rates change by credit tier and violation type, the high risk car insurance in Illinois guide breaks it down.
Auto-Owners and GEICO are nearly tied at baseline ($31 versus $30 per month) but diverge after violations. GEICO’s post-accident rate runs higher than Auto-Owners’, which makes Auto-Owners the better pick for drivers with a recent claim. Make sure to take a closer look at low income car insurance options in Illinois to see how rates change by driver profile.
Illinois violations usually age off records after three to five years depending on the violation type. A DUI surcharge that raises Progressive’s minimum rate to $72 per month drops when the violation clears. Drivers who need an SR-22 can check SR-22 insurance in Illinois for insurer rates and filing requirements.
GEICO offers the cheapest minimum coverage in Illinois at $30 per month for a clean-record adult driver. For drivers with bad credit, Country Financial is the cheapest option at $97 per month, though Erie wins the best composite score for that profile.
Based on Quadrant Information Services data analyzed by MoneyGeek, the statewide average monthly premium across top Illinois insurers is approximately $64 per month for minimum coverage and around $120 per month for full coverage. Illinois rates run above many neighboring Midwestern states, driven by the UM/UIM coverage requirement and Chicago's elevated metropolitan rates. Chicago averages $74 per month even with the top-scoring insurer, while downstate cities like Champaign average $47 per month.
Illinois requires 25/50/20 liability coverage: $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 for property damage. Illinois also requires both uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, making it one of fewer than 10 states requiring both. Illinois is an at-fault state.
Yes. Illinois requires both uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage as part of every auto policy. UM coverage protects you when an uninsured driver causes an accident; UIM coverage applies when an at-fault driver's policy limits aren't enough to cover your damages.
Yes. Illinois permits auto insurers to use credit scores in rate-setting. Poor credit can raise premiums. In my analysis, bad credit minimum rates in Illinois were nearly three times the clean-record baseline with comparable insurers.
Auto-Owners ranks first for customer experience among Illinois’s analyzed insurers with a perfect 5.00/5 score. Erie ranks second at 4.90/5. Both are good choices for drivers who want reliable claims service alongside competitive rates.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident insurance expert. He has analyzed the insurance market for almost a decade, first with LendingTree and now with MoneyGeek, conducting original research on hundreds of insurance companies and millions of insurance rates for insurance shoppers.
He writes about economics and insurance on MoneyGeek, breaking down complex topics so people can have confidence in their purchase. Like all MoneyGeek analysts, Mark collects and analyzes independent cost and consumer experience data on insurance companies to provide objective recommendations in our content that are independent of any of MoneyGeek's insurance company partnerships.
His insights on products ranging from car, home and renters insurance to health and life insurance have been featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR, among others.
Mark holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He started his career working in financial risk management at State Street before transitioning to the analysis of the personal insurance market. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!
