By the Lapera Insurance Team · Reviewed by Joe Lapera, Licensed Illinois Insurance Agent (IL Lic #100722394)
You want to know how much car insurance costs in Illinois, and every website gives you a different number. Here is the most reliable Illinois figure, with its source and year, followed by the more useful part: which pieces of your driver profile push your price up or down, and which cost-cutting moves quietly leave you exposed.
Car insurance in Illinois cost an average of $1,153 per insured vehicle in 2023, according to the NAIC's 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (published June 2025), compared with $1,281 across the U.S. That average blends liability-only policies on older cars with full coverage on new ones. Your own price depends on your driver profile: age and experience, driving record, where the car is garaged, the vehicle, your credit-based insurance score, household drivers and the coverage you choose.
Here is the honest problem with any single number. A 17-year-old in a financed SUV, a retired couple with a paid-off sedan and a commuter with a speeding ticket all live inside the same Illinois average, and none of them pays it. So we start with sourced figures, then show which way each part of a driver profile pushes the price.
What Is the Average Cost of Car Insurance in Illinois?
TL;DR: The most reliable figure is $1,153 per insured vehicle in 2023, from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which is below the $1,281 national average but up from $941 in Illinois in 2019.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the organization of state insurance regulators, publishes the most defensible state figure we know of, built from premiums insurers actually wrote, not from sample quotes. In its 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (published June 2025), Illinois averaged $1,153.05 in auto insurance expenditure per insured vehicle in 2023. The countrywide average was $1,281.60.
The NAIC figure is total written premium for liability, collision and comprehensive divided by the number of insured vehicles, across every policy and coverage level in the state. It is not a quote or a typical driver's price, and it runs two to three years behind because regulators collect and audit the data first. The NAIC itself says direct comparisons between state results should be treated with a high degree of caution. Rate-comparison websites show different Illinois numbers because each prices its own sample driver, with its own limits, deductibles, car and ZIP codes. The only number that describes you is a quote on your own profile.
Two things stand out. Illinois has sat below the national average on this measure for years. And the Illinois figure still rose from $940.92 in 2019 to $1,153.05 in 2023, about 23%, with the whole increase coming in the last two years of the series. If your premium feels high, it is probably the change you feel, not the level.
Our breakdown of why Illinois auto premiums have climbed covers the causes. This guide answers the other question: given the market as it is, what does a driver like you pay, and what moves it?
Lapera Insurance Agency is a Farmers Insurance agency at 530 Barron Blvd in Grayslake, Illinois. Our team has been pricing Illinois auto policies for new drivers, growing families and retirees since 1993, with over 40 years of combined experience. We quote through Farmers and the Farmers family of carriers, with access to additional markets when a driver needs something different. Every guide on this site is reviewed by a licensed Illinois agent before it publishes.
How Much of the Illinois Average Is Liability, Collision and Comprehensive?
TL;DR: In 2023 the average Illinois liability premium was about $598, collision about $440 and comprehensive about $219, so a policy carrying all three averaged roughly $1,257 before any driver-specific factors.
The same NAIC supplement breaks the total into its three main coverage lines, which is where the average starts to become useful.
| Coverage (2023 average premium) | Illinois | U.S. | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability | About $598 | About $737 | Injuries and damage you cause to other people. Required by law. |
| Collision | $439.95 | $463.69 | Damage to your own car when you hit something or it rolls over. Optional by law, required by lenders. |
| Comprehensive | $218.74 | $238.21 | Theft, fire, glass, falling objects, flood, hail and deer. Optional by law, required by lenders. |
| All three combined | $1,256.66 | $1,438.46 | The NAIC combined average premium for a policy carrying all three coverages. |
| Average expenditure per vehicle | $1,153.05 | $1,281.60 | Total premium for the three lines divided by all insured vehicles, including liability-only cars. |
The combined figure is higher than the headline average because not every insured car carries collision and comprehensive. Liability-only cars pull the per-vehicle average down. If your car is newer or financed, the combined figure of about $1,257 is the closer starting point.
The split also shows where Illinois differs. The Illinois liability average ran well below the U.S. figure in 2023, while collision and comprehensive were much closer to it. The fastest-growing piece was comprehensive, which rose from $144.82 in 2019 to $218.74 in 2023, about 51%, on the NAIC's figures. That is the coverage that pays for deer, theft, glass and storm damage.
How Does Your Driver Profile Change What You Pay in Illinois?
TL;DR: Your price is built from the rating factors the Illinois Department of Insurance lists, including age, driving record, location, vehicle, mileage, household drivers, coverage limits and credit information, and each one pushes the price higher or lower.
The Illinois Department of Insurance auto shopping guide (accessed September 2026) lists the characteristics that affect what you pay: age, gender and marital status; the coverage limits you select; your driving record; information about other drivers in your household; where you live; the type of vehicle; annual mileage and commute distance; and credit information. The Insurance Information Institute adds that not all companies use the same parameters, which is why two carriers can price the same driver differently.
Rather than invent dollar figures for each profile, which would be wrong for most readers, here is which direction each common profile pushes an Illinois premium, and what usually helps.
| Driver profile | Price pressure | Why | What usually helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newly licensed teen on a family policy | Higher | Least experience; crash rates peak in the late teens | Good student and training discounts, car assignment |
| Driver in their early 20s | Higher | Limited experience; eases with clean years | Continuous coverage, telematics |
| Experienced adult, clean record | Lower | Lowest expected claim cost | Bundling, paid-in-full, annual review |
| Driver over 55 after an approved course | Lower | State-required reduction for 3 years | Retake before it expires |
| Recent at-fault accident or major violation | Higher | Surcharge for several years | Clean record, review when it drops off |
| Car garaged in a dense urban area | Higher | More crashes and theft per car | Accurate garaging details |
| Car garaged in the suburbs or a smaller town | Moderate | Lower density, but deer and commutes count | Accurate mileage, telematics |
| Newer or financed vehicle | Moderate | Lender requires full coverage; costly repairs | A deductible you can pay |
| Older paid-off car, liability only | Lower | No collision or comprehensive premium | Keep liability and UM strong |
| Weaker credit-based insurance score | Higher | Legal rating factor in Illinois | Request a re-rate as it improves |
| Recent gap in coverage | Higher | Continuous coverage is a positive factor | Never let a policy lapse |
| Multi-car household, bundled | Lower | Multi-car and multi-policy discounts | Bundle the right limits |
Most households are a mix of these rows. A suburban two-car family with clean records and a bundle has several lower markers working for it; add a 16-year-old and one strong higher marker can outweigh them all. That is why a neighbor's premium tells you little about yours.
How Do Age and Driving Experience Affect Car Insurance Cost in Illinois?
TL;DR: Age is one of the heaviest rating factors because crash involvement peaks among teens and young adults and falls steadily through middle age, so teens and young adults pay the most and experienced adults generally pay the least.
Insurers are not guessing about age. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation's 2024 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics, in 2024 18- and 19-year-olds were involved in crashes at roughly 77 to 78 per 1,000 licensed drivers, compared with about 46 to 49 per 1,000 for drivers aged 45 to 54 and about 30 per 1,000 for drivers aged 65 to 69. The Insurance Information Institute puts it simply: mature drivers have fewer accidents than less experienced drivers, particularly teenagers.
Teen drivers (16 to 19)
The largest single increase most families see. Our guide to what adding a teen driver really costs walks through the levers.
Young adults (20 to 25)
Pricing usually eases year by year with a clean record. Compare staying on a parent's policy with moving to your own.
Experienced adults (25 to 64)
Usually the most favorable bands. Record, vehicle, ZIP code and coverage do most of the work here.
Drivers over 55
Illinois law requires a premium reduction for 3 years after an approved defensive driving course. The insurer sets the amount.
Drivers in their 70s and 80s
Rating plans vary by carrier. Low mileage, telematics and the course reduction can help.
Household drivers
Licensed household members may need to be listed. A driver left off can become a claim problem.
The over-55 reduction is written into Illinois law. Under 215 ILCS 5/143.29, auto liability rates must include an appropriate reduction, as determined by the insurer, for an insured over 55 who completes the National Safety Council's Defensive Driving Course or another approved accident prevention course. It lasts 3 years from completion, so calendar the retake. Our guide to every Illinois auto discount worth asking about covers the details.
How Much Do Your Driving Record and ZIP Code Matter?
TL;DR: A recent at-fault accident or serious violation is one of the most expensive things that can happen to a premium, and where the car is garaged matters because crash density varies widely across Illinois.
Your driving record is the factor most people already understand: the better your record, the lower your premium. What people underestimate is how long a surcharge lasts. It is not a one-renewal event; it typically stays on the policy for several years. Our guide to how an at-fault accident moves your Illinois rate explains how fault and surcharges work, and when a crash you did not cause should not count against you.
Territory feels least fair, and it is real, because claims are not evenly spread. IDOT's 2024 crash data recorded 303,913 motor vehicle crashes in Illinois, and 164,559 of them, about 54%, happened in Cook County. Cook County is home to about 41% of Illinois residents, based on the U.S. Census Bureau July 2025 population estimates. More crashes per resident, plus theft and repair exposure, is why Chicago ZIP codes generally price higher than the collar counties, which generally price higher than much of downstate.
Rural drivers still face longer commutes, and IDOT counted 14,426 crashes involving deer in Illinois in 2024.
Your policy must be rated where the car is actually kept. Listing a relative's suburban address for a car that lives in the city can give a carrier grounds to deny a claim or rescind the policy.
A gap in coverage counts too: carriers generally treat continuous insurance as a positive. If you have already had a gap, our guide to getting insured again after a lapse covers the steps.
Can Illinois Insurers Use Your Credit to Price Car Insurance in 2026?
TL;DR: Yes, Illinois still allows a credit-based insurance score as one rating factor under 215 ILCS 157, with consumer protections, and the 2026 reform law did not ban it.
Illinois regulates, rather than prohibits, the use of credit in personal auto insurance through the Use of Credit Information in Personal Insurance Act (215 ILCS 157). The Department of Insurance shopping guide says many companies assess your credit information and may charge higher premiums depending on it. The Insurance Information Institute describes a credit-based insurance score as a statistical tool that predicts the likelihood of a claim and its likely cost.
The Act gives you real protections, and most people never use them:
- Credit cannot be the only reason. An insurer cannot deny, cancel or nonrenew a policy, or base a renewal rate, solely on credit information without considering other underwriting factors.
- Some things cannot be counted. A score cannot be calculated using income, gender, address, ethnic group, religion, marital status or nationality, and inquiries you did not initiate or medical collection accounts cannot be treated negatively.
- You can ask to be re-rated. On request, an insurer must re-underwrite and re-rate at annual renewal, with limited exceptions such as when you are already in the best tier.
- Life events can be considered. If your credit was hurt by a catastrophic illness or injury to you or an immediate family member, the death of a spouse, child or parent, involuntary job loss of 3 months or more, identity theft or divorce, you can send the insurer a written, signed explanation, and it must review and consider an exception.
What about proposals to ban it? A 2025 Senate bill, SB 268, would bar auto insurers from using non-driving factors such as credit score, occupation and education level; as of our September 2026 review it had not advanced out of committee. The reform law that did pass, Senate Bill 714, does not prohibit the use of ZIP codes or credit scores, as Capitol News Illinois reported in May 2026. Illinois has not banned credit-based pricing.
How Do Your Coverage Choices Change the Price, and Where Should You Not Cut?
TL;DR: Deductibles and optional coverages on an older car are sensible places to adjust price, but dropping liability to the 25/50/20 state minimum or leaving uninsured motorist at 25/50 saves little and can cost you far more after one bad crash.
Coverage is the one rating factor that is completely yours. The Department shopping guide recommends considering higher limits because the state minimums may not be enough to protect you from lawsuits. Illinois requires at least 25/50/20 liability, meaning $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $20,000 for property damage, plus uninsured motorist bodily injury of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. Our guide to what Illinois requires and what each coverage does explains every line.
- Deductibles: a reasonable lever. Raising collision and comprehensive deductibles lowers the premium without lowering your limits. Only choose a deductible you could pay tomorrow without borrowing.
- Collision on an older car: worth a yearly look. When a car's value falls close to a year or two of collision premium plus the deductible, dropping collision can make sense, if you could replace the car yourself.
- Liability limits: not the place to cut. The minimum is a legal floor, not a recommendation, and a serious injury claim can pass $25,000 quickly. Ask us to price a higher limit side by side before you decide.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist: not the place to cut either. The Insurance Research Council estimated 15.2% of Illinois drivers were uninsured in 2023, roughly 1 in 7 (via the Insurance Information Institute). Our in-depth look at whether uninsured motorist coverage is required in Illinois explains why matching it to your liability limits matters.
A driver trims a renewal by dropping from 100/300/100 to the Illinois minimum 25/50/20, then runs a red light and hits a newer SUV. Illustrative figures: the SUV is a $42,000 total loss and its driver has $61,000 in medical bills and lost wages. The policy pays its $20,000 property damage limit and $25,000 per-person injury limit, leaving about $58,000 that can be pursued against the driver personally. These figures are illustrative, not a quote, a premium or a coverage determination; real outcomes depend on the policy language and the facts.
If you have a home, savings or income to protect, go the other direction: limits that match your assets, possibly with an umbrella. Our overview of personal umbrella coverage explains how the layers fit together.
Discounts first, deductibles second, optional coverage on an older car third. Never liability or uninsured motorist limits first. A price that leaves you personally liable after a crash is not a bargain.
What Changed for Illinois Car Insurance Prices in 2026?
TL;DR: Governor Pritzker signed Senate Bill 714 on August 4, 2026, giving the Department of Insurance authority to object to unfair auto rates and requiring advance notice of large increases starting July 1, 2027, but it does not lower anyone's current premium.
The biggest change this year was legal, not a price. The Governor signed Senate Bill 714 on August 4, 2026: insurers must justify proposed rates, and the Department of Insurance may object to rates that are excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory. According to Capitol News Illinois, the law also requires at least 30 days' notice of an auto rate increase greater than 10%, bars insurers from passing out-of-state disaster costs on to Illinois customers, and expands access to the defensive driving courses older drivers use for the premium reduction. None of it applies yet: the law takes effect July 1, 2027.
It does not change the 25/50/20 minimum, roll back any rate, or ban credit or ZIP code as rating factors. Your 2026 price is still built from the driver profile above. For the full story, see what drove the Illinois auto rate increases.
Why Do Online Illinois Rate Estimates Disagree, and What Beats Them?
TL;DR: Online estimates disagree because each site prices its own sample driver with its own limits, deductibles, car and ZIP codes, so the only number that describes you is a real quote on your own profile and coverage.
If you have searched this question, you have seen Illinois averages that differ by hundreds of dollars from page to page, most well above the NAIC number. They are not necessarily wrong. They answer a different question.
A sample driver, not you
Most rate sites price one modeled driver, often a clean-record adult with good credit.
Their own coverage levels
One site's full coverage is 100/300/100 with a $500 deductible, another's 50/100/50 with $1,000.
Their own ZIP code mix
A figure weighted toward Chicago differs from one weighted downstate.
Their own sample car
An old sedan and a new SUV do not price alike.
Quotes, not policies
New-business quotes are not premiums actually paid.
Different months
A figure pulled in January can be stale by September.
The alternative is free: a quote on your actual profile, with the limits you want. The Illinois Department of Insurance advises asking each company for the same coverages and limits. Have these ready:
- Your current declarations page, so we match or improve your limits.
- Every licensed driver in the household, with dates of birth and license numbers.
- Each vehicle's VIN, where it is garaged, whether it is financed, and your annual mileage.
- Recent tickets, accidents and claims, so the quote holds after the driving report.
- Other policies you could bundle, such as home, renters or condo. Our guide on whether bundling home and auto makes sense covers when it helps.
For drivers comfortable being measured, the Farmers Signal app rewards safe driving habits. Farmers notes that riskier driving behavior could raise the premium at renewal, so we will tell you honestly whether it fits you.
Want a number that is actually yours? Visit our Illinois auto insurance page or request an auto quote, and our Grayslake team will price your real profile through Farmers and additional markets.
The Bottom Line
The most reliable figure says Illinois drivers spent an average of $1,153 per insured vehicle in 2023, below the $1,281 U.S. average, according to the NAIC. That number is a useful reading on the state and a poor predictor of your bill. Your price comes from your driver profile: age and experience, record, where the car sleeps, the vehicle, credit, household drivers and, above all, the coverage you choose.
Some of those you cannot change this year. The ones you can, discounts, deductibles, a clean record, continuous coverage and a credit re-rate, are where to look first. The one to leave alone is your liability and uninsured motorist protection. Send us your declarations page or call (847) 223-4747, and we will show you which parts of your profile are driving the number and what can honestly move it.
Related Questions
Why do Illinois car insurance cost averages differ so much between websites?
Each rate website prices its own sample driver, car, limits, deductibles and ZIP code mix, usually from quotes rather than premiums actually paid. The NAIC figure of $1,153 per insured vehicle in 2023 is built from premiums written across all Illinois policies, including liability-only ones, so it runs lower than most full-coverage estimates.
How much of an Illinois car insurance premium goes to liability versus collision?
According to the NAIC 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement, the average Illinois liability premium was about $598 in 2023, collision was $439.95 and comprehensive was $218.74. A policy carrying all three averaged $1,256.66. Your own split depends on your limits, deductibles, vehicle and driver profile.
Does living in Chicago make car insurance cost more than living downstate?
Generally, yes. Insurers rate by where the car is garaged, and dense areas see more crashes and theft. IDOT recorded about 54% of Illinois crashes in Cook County in 2024, while the county holds about 41% of state residents per Census estimates.
Can a job loss or divorce be excluded from my Illinois credit-based insurance score?
You can ask. Under the Illinois Use of Credit Information in Personal Insurance Act, if your credit was hurt by involuntary job loss of 3 months or more, divorce, identity theft, a catastrophic illness or injury, or the death of a spouse, child or parent, you can send the insurer a written, signed explanation, and it must review and consider an exception. It is not required to grant one.
How far does the Illinois 25/50/20 minimum go after a serious crash you cause?
Not far. It pays up to $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per accident for injuries and $20,000 for property damage, which one serious crash can exceed, and the rest can be pursued against you personally. The Illinois Department of Insurance recommends considering higher limits, so discounts and deductibles are safer ways to lower the cost.
How much has Illinois car insurance cost changed since 2019?
On the NAIC measure, average Illinois auto insurance expenditure per insured vehicle was $940.92 in 2019 and $1,153.05 in 2023, an increase of about 23%. The figure dipped slightly in 2020 and 2021, so the whole increase came in 2022 and 2023. Comprehensive grew fastest, about 51% over the same period.
Last reviewed September 2026 by Joe Lapera, Licensed Illinois Insurance Agent (IL Lic #100722394). Figures verified against the sources linked above on that date.