Illinois Car Insurance Calculators: Cost & Coverage

• Our Illinois rate data comes from Quadrant Information Services, which pulls premium data directly from insurer filings with state regulators. Every rate filed in Illinois is a matter of public record.
• We track every residential ZIP code in Illinois and update rates monthly.
• Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, authors and Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute reviews all content on this page.
• Our editorial standards keep our recommendations free from any influence by carrier relationships. Our rating guidelines apply the same criteria to every insurer we analyze.

Only 10 insurance companies sell car insurance in Illinois, and the ones most drivers skip are the ones that can beat those prices. GEICO charges $69 per month for full coverage for an adult driver with no accidents or tickets on their record. Allstate charges $144 for the same coverage. That's $75 per month more, or $900 extra per year, for the exact same protection. 

COUNTRY Financial doesn't run TV ads, which is why most drivers have never gotten a quote from them. It consistently charges less for drivers without perfect credit or a history of accidents, which is exactly the kind of option that national comparison websites tend to show only the more expensive companies. 

Start with MoneyGeek's cheapest car insurance in Illinois to find the lowest price for your situation, including insurance companies the major comparison websites leave out.

Insurance companies decide how much you pay each month based on the ZIP code where your car is parked overnight, not where you work or drive. The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro ranked third in the country for vehicle theft volume in 2023, with 36,272 vehicles stolen per the National Insurance Crime Bureau. That theft rate is built into the prices charged in Chicago ZIP codes, so if your car is parked there at night, your insurance company charges you for that risk, whether your specific block has had thefts or not. The most basic level of insurance the state requires (minimum coverage) costs an average of $76 per month in Chicago and $46 in Champaign for the same driver and car, a $30-per-month difference or $360 a year. If you recently moved out of a Chicago ZIP code, call your insurance company and give them your new address. Most drivers don't do this until their insurance comes up for renewal, but your insurance company is charging you based on whatever address they have on file, even if you've moved. Get exact car insurance rates for your address with MoneyGeek's Chicago rates by ZIP.

Illinois charges young drivers 2.5 times what an adult pays: $256 per month compared to $102 for an adult with no accidents or tickets, a difference of $154 per month or $1,848 a year. Most drivers assume 25 is when they start saving money, and they're right that prices go down. But because most drivers stay with the same company, they only get part of the savings they could get. Most drivers turning 25 pay for another year with the same insurance company, get the lower price that comes with turning 25, and stop there. 

In Illinois, the cheapest insurance company charges $75 per month less than the most expensive company for the exact same coverage, and that price difference exists at every age, including 25. A driver who gets new quotes when they turn 25 and switches to a cheaper company gets both the lower price that comes with turning 25 and the savings from switching companies at the same time. Staying with the same company means you get one of those savings but not both, and miss out on up to $900 a year. 

Start with MoneyGeek's cheapest Illinois car insurance to see how much more you could save by switching companies on top of the lower price you already get for turning 25.

Drivers with a low credit score pay $306 per month for full coverage in Illinois. Drivers with a high credit score pay $111 per month. That $195-per-month difference, or $2,340 a year, is four times bigger than the difference between buying the most basic coverage and buying full coverage. This means your credit score affects your price more than your coverage choice does. When your credit score improves, your insurance company will charge you a lower price at your next renewal. Your insurance company updates your price to match your new credit score level. But that lower price only applies inside your current company's pricing. They may still charge more than a competitor would for the same coverage. 

Getting new quotes from other companies at that same renewal lets you benefit from both your better credit score and the $75-per-month price difference between Illinois's cheapest and most expensive insurance companies, instead of just one of those savings. For your new quotes, MoneyGeek's Illinois rates by credit score explains how improving your credit score and switching to a cheaper company saves more money than switching from full coverage to minimum coverage would.

If you get a speeding ticket, your insurance price goes up by $28 per month above what a driver with a clean record pays. If you cause an accident, your price goes up by $51 per month, or $612 a year. Getting a DUI adds $83 per month, or $996 a year. If you get a DUI, the Illinois Secretary of State requires an SR-22, which is a form your insurance company sends to the state to prove that your car insurance is active and paid up. You must keep the SR-22 on file for 3 years from the day your driver's license is given back to you, but the DUI itself stays in your insurance history, meaning companies can still use it to charge you a higher price, for 4 to 5 years.

Get new quotes from other insurance companies as soon as the SR-22 requirement ends. That is 37 months from the day you get your driver's license back. Your second chance at a lower price comes when the DUI is no longer visible in your insurance history, so companies can no longer use it to charge you more. That happens between month 49 and month 61 after you were convicted.

Compare prices now with MoneyGeek's Illinois DUI insurance rates. Most Illinois drivers with a DUI wait until the DUI disappears from their record entirely before looking for a lower price. But getting new quotes when the SR-22 requirement ends means they save money sooner.

Full coverage averages $102 in Illinois. Minimum coverage averages $51. Those savings are real, but the $75 price difference between the cheapest and most expensive insurance company in Illinois is bigger than the price difference between full and minimum coverage. Switching from Allstate to GEICO for full coverage saves more than dropping from full to minimum. In Illinois, if you cause a car accident, you are personally responsible for paying any costs that your insurance doesn't cover. 

Let's say, if the damage is $40,000 but your insurance only pays $20,000, you owe the other $20,000 yourself. Illinois only requires your insurance to cover up to $20,000 in damage to someone else's car or property, but a newer car costs more than $20,000, so that minimum may not be enough. If you're still making car payments, the bank or finance company that gave you the loan requires you to carry full coverage until the loan is paid off. If you own your car with no loan, use the coverage calculator to decide which coverage level is right for you.

The Chicago metro had 36,272 vehicle thefts in 2023, third-highest in the country by volume per the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Comprehensive insurance pays for theft, flood, fire, and weather damage to your car. If the amount you pay for comprehensive coverage in a full year is less than 10% of what your car is worth today, it may not be worth paying for. But because Chicago has so many car thefts, you're more likely to need to use your comprehensive coverage here than the 10% rule assumes. So even if the math says drop it, Chicago drivers should think twice. Compare what you pay for comprehensive coverage each year against what your car is currently worth before you cancel it.

Under the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/7-601), every Illinois car insurance plan must include at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in uninsured motorist coverage. This pays your medical costs when the driver who hit you has no insurance. The Insurance Research Council found that 15.2% of Illinois drivers carried no insurance in 2023, meaning roughly 1 in 6 drivers on the road has nothing to pay if they hit you. If you increase your uninsured motorist coverage above the minimum amount required by law, Illinois automatically gives you underinsured motorist coverage at the same level, at no extra charge.

Underinsured motorist coverage pays when the driver who hit you has some insurance, but not enough to cover all your costs. Illinois law treats these two as a package: if you raise your protection for drivers with no insurance, the state automatically matches it for drivers with not enough insurance. MoneyGeek's uninsured motorist coverage guide breaks down when this coverage pays your medical bills versus when it covers the remaining costs if the other driver doesn't have enough.

Illinois requires your insurance to pay at least $25,000 per injured person and $50,000 total per accident for medical and other costs when you cause a crash. The minimum amount your insurance must cover for damage to someone else's car or property is $20,000. One seriously injured person can easily have more than $25,000 in hospital bills. A newer car costs more than $20,000 to replace. If you're still making car payments, the bank or finance company requires you to carry full coverage until the loan is paid off. Drivers who own their cars outright should use MoneyGeek's coverage guide to figure out how much coverage you need to protect everything you own.

If you cause a crash, you must personally pay for any costs that are higher than what your insurance covers. If the injured person takes you to court and wins, a judge can order your employer to take money out of your paycheck, or force you to use the value in your home to pay the damages. The $25,000 minimum is often not enough to cover the full cost of a serious injury in a real crash today. Drivers who own a home, have savings, or carry retirement accounts should carry at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident.

Pays the medical bills and lost wages of people you injure when you're at fault. The law requires at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. One hospitalized person can easily exceed those amounts in medical bills alone. Drivers who own a home, have savings, or carry retirement accounts need at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident; raising your limits from the minimum to that level adds roughly $15 to $30 per month to your bill.

Pays for damage you cause to other people's cars, buildings, and property when you're at fault. Illinois requires at least $20,000. The average new vehicle now exceeds $40,000, meaning the minimum doesn't cover a totaled newer car. If the damage costs more than what your insurance covers, you pay the extra amount out of your own pocket. Illinois's $20,000 minimum covers less than half the cost of an average new vehicle. Property damage liability explains what happens to your personal money and property when the damage costs more than your insurance pays.

Pays your medical bills and car repair costs when the driver who hit you has no insurance. The Insurance Research Council found 15.2% of Illinois drivers were uninsured in 2023. If you increase your uninsured motorist coverage above the required minimum, Illinois automatically adds the same amount of coverage for drivers who have some insurance but not enough, at no extra charge. MoneyGeek's guide on what uninsured motorist insurance covers shows when this coverage pays your bills if the other driver has no insurance versus when it covers the remaining costs if the other driver doesn't have enough.

Collision pays for damage to your own car in a crash, regardless of fault. In Illinois, comprehensive coverage is where the Chicago factor shows up: it covers theft, fire, flood, and weather damage, and the Chicago metro's 36,272 vehicle thefts in 2023 are why comprehensive coverage costs more in those ZIP codes than anywhere else in Illinois. If you're making car payments or leasing your car, the bank or finance company requires you to carry both collision and comprehensive coverage. If you own your car with no loan, use this test: add up what you pay for comprehensive coverage in a full year. If that total is less than 10% of what your car is worth today, many experts say you can drop comprehensive and save that money instead. Although, because Chicago has so many car thefts, your comprehensive coverage is likely to pay off here than in most other parts of Illinois. Be careful before dropping it.

Gap insurance pays the difference between what your car is worth right now and what you still owe on the loan if it's totaled. If you owe more on your car loan than your car is currently worth, you should add gap insurance. New cars lose value fast, and the difference between what you owe and what your car is worth can be several thousand dollars in the first few years.

An SR-22 is a document filed with the Illinois Secretary of State that proves your car insurance is currently active. It is not insurance itself. It is just the paperwork that proves your insurance exists and is currently paid and active. The Illinois Secretary of State requires an SR-22 after a DUI, after your license has been taken away, or after a crash where you had no insurance, per ilsos.gov. If your coverage lapses for even one day, you must start the full 3 years over again from the beginning. Not every insurance company files SR-22 certificates. High-risk car insurance in Illinois lists the insurance companies that will both sell you a policy and file the SR-22 for you.