DUIs and Car Insurance in Illinois: A Complete Guide (2026)

Key Takeaways

Your driving record is permanently affected by a DUI in Illinois, while insurers raise rates for three to five years (read more).

Illinois requires an SR-22 form after DUI conviction, which your insurer submits to the DMV for three years (read more).

At $129 per month, Travelers provides the most affordable DUI coverage, making comparison shopping worthwhile (read more).

How Long Does a DUI Affect Car Insurance in Illinois?

Most Illinois drivers pay higher insurance premiums for three years after a DUI conviction, though the conviction itself stays on your driving record permanently. Insurers set their own timelines for how long they factor a DUI into pricing, and your overall driving history affects the final risk calculation.

Clean-record drivers in Illinois pay around $99 a month for coverage. Drivers with a DUI pay approximately $181 a month, nearly double the cost. Comparing quotes from multiple insurers is the best way for drivers with a DUI to find cheap rates.

Illinois requires an SR-22 filing to prove you carry the state's minimum liability coverage: 25/50/20, meaning $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident and $20,000 for property damage. See the full cost breakdown for DUI insurance in Illinois.

Insurance Requirements After a DUI in Illinois

In Illinois, you'll need to file an SR-22 for three years, and that clock starts from your reinstatement date, not your conviction date. Your insurance company handles filing the SR-22 with the state, which proves you're carrying the coverage you're required to have. If your policy lapses or gets canceled during that three-year window, your insurer has to notify the DMV right away, and that can mean your license gets suspended.

How Much Does Insurance Cost After a DUI in Illinois?

A DUI conviction hits Illinois drivers hard. Someone with a clean record pays $99 a month for full coverage, but that jumps to $181 a month after a DUI, an 83% increase.

Nationally, the jump is a bit smaller. Drivers with a DUI pay $219 a month on average compared to $122 for a clean record, an 80% increase. Illinois's 83% jump is higher than the national average, so a DUI costs you more here than it would in most other states.

Data filtered by:


Illinois	$99	$181
National	$122	$219

Find out more: The average cost of car insurance in Illinois

Best Cheap DUI Car Insurance Companies

Travelers offers both the cheapest car insurance and the top overall score among best car insurance providers for Illinois drivers with a DUI, according to MoneyGeek's scoring system. Few insurers combine affordability and quality this way.

Travelers charges $129 a month for DUI drivers, $52 less than the state average of $181. Over a year, that gap adds up to $624 in savings.

Travelers earns a 4.81 out of 5 rating from MoneyGeek, based on a formula that weighs affordability alongside customer experience and coverage quality. At $129 a month, Travelers pairs competitive pricing with strong service and coverage.


Erie Insurance	4.42	$186
Country Financial	4.23	$146
AAA	4.08	$194
Allstate	3.91	$229
Nationwide	3.9	$261
Farmers	3.77	$288
Travelers	4.81	$129
Progressive	4.8	$134
Auto Owners	4.74	$137
Geico	4.43	$147

Can You Get an Insurance Rate Reduction if You Don't Have a DUI?

Don't fall for ads promising special payouts for maintaining a clean driving record. Facebook ads claiming cash back for DUI-free driving are common scam tactics designed to steal your personal information. Insurance companies don't offer rebate programs for avoiding DUIs. Insurers price policies based on risk assessment, so drivers without DUI convictions pay lower premiums because they're safer to insure, not because of any bonus program.

Additional Costs to Consider After a DUI in Illinois

A DUI raises your insurance, sure, but in Illinois, the costs don't stop there.

Court penalties. You'll owe court-ordered fines, plus administrative fees and other court costs, usually $500 to $2,500, depending on your case and any past offenses.
Getting your car back. Towing costs $100 to $250, and the impound lot charges $20 to $40 a day you leave it there. Pick it up fast to keep storage fees down.
Education and treatment. Most offenders need a substance use assessment and a DUI education course, and some need treatment on top of that. Total cost: $150 to $1,500.
License reinstatement. Getting your license back means paying the state $100 to $500, depending on what happened and what kind of license you have.
A lawyer. Most people don't handle a DUI case alone. Attorneys run $1,500 to $5,000, depending on how complex your case is.
Ignition interlock. If your conviction requires one, installation costs $70 to $150, then $60 to $100 a month after that.
Probation. Monthly supervision and testing fees add up to $20 to $50 a month for the length of your probation.

How to Get the Best Cheap Illinois Car Insurance With a DUI

If standard insurers won't offer coverage, backup options include the following:

1
Understand Your Coverage Needs
If you've had a DUI, consider carrying more than Illinois' minimum coverage. The right amount depends on your income, where you live and how much you drive. You're already required to carry liability insurance in Illinois, and a DUI is going to raise what you pay regardless, so it's worth weighing whether more coverage makes sense for you. An auto insurance coverage needs calculator can help you figure out what's right for your situation.
2
Research Costs and Discounts
Car insurance prices in Illinois vary by city, driving history and whether you have a DUI on your record, whether you're in Chicago, Springfield or anywhere else in the state. Insurers won't give you a DUI-specific discount, but some do offer savings for getting a quote online or paying your policy in full. Completing a state-approved defensive driving course can also help bring your rate down after a DUI.
3
Compare Multiple Providers
Get quotes from several companies and compare them side by side, using the same coverage limits each time. Rates for drivers with a DUI in Illinois can vary a lot from one insurer to the next, so keep checking around even after you find a rate that seems reasonable.
4
Use State High-Risk Programs
A DUI can make some insurers refuse to cover you at all. That's where the Illinois Automobile Insurance Plan comes in. Administered by the Illinois Department of Insurance, it's built for high-risk drivers like you, so if no standard insurer will write you a policy, you can still get the coverage you need to legally drive.
5
Make Lifestyle Changes
In Illinois, your credit history plays a role in your car insurance rate too. Poor credit combined with a DUI means you'll pay more than drivers with better credit scores. If you're looking to cut costs after a DUI, consider switching to a cheaper car to insure, like a dependable used car instead of something newer or flashier.
6
Consider Nontraditional Coverage Types
Drive less than 7,000 miles a year? Pay-per-mile insurance might be worth a look. Plenty of insurers also run usage-based programs that reward good driving habits through telematics. Some automakers sell their own insurance too, and it can sometimes beat a traditional policy's price, even for Illinois drivers with a DUI on their record.

DUI Insurance in Illinois: FAQ

MoneyGeek's experts answer your most common questions about getting car insurance after a DUI in Illinois.

Illinois drivers with a DUI pay the lowest rates with Travelers, Progressive and Auto-Owners, which offer the most affordable coverage options in the state.

A DUI in Illinois raises your insurance rates by 83%, making coverage nearly twice as expensive. Full coverage costs $181 per month with a DUI conviction compared to $99 for drivers with clean records.

How We Chose the Cheapest Car Insurance for Illinois's DUI Drivers

MoneyGeek reviewed records from state insurance departments and Quadrant Information Services to find the best providers for Illinois drivers with DUIs. We examined financial stability, customer satisfaction, claims handling and affordability across companies.

These rates represent a 40-year-old male driver with both a clean record and a DUI conviction operating a 2012 Toyota Camry LE driven 12,000 miles annually. We created variations of this base profile for additional rate comparisons.

About Mark Fitzpatrick

Mark Fitzpatrick is a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer and MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. In nearly a decade covering the insurance market at LendingTree and MoneyGeek, he's analyzed hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.

His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships affect his recommendations.

Mark studied at Boston College and later earned a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. He worked in financial risk management at State Street before joining MoneyGeek. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.

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DUI Car Insurance in Illinois