Illinois car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Illinois drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $20,000 of property damage liability, plus uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. In 2023, insured drivers in Illinois spent an average of $1,153.05 on car insurance, 10% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Illinois the 24th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.
Minimum car insurance required in Illinois
| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $25,000 |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $20,000 |
| Uninsured motorist (UM) | Required |
| Underinsured motorist (UIM) | Required |
You'll often see this written as 25/50/20. The first two numbers are the bodily injury limits in thousands of dollars (per person and per accident), and the last is property damage. Those amounts are the most the policy pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Anything above them can come back to you personally.
Is Illinois a no-fault state?
No. Illinois isn't one of the 12 no-fault states listed by the Insurance Information Institute, so the driver who causes a crash, and their insurer, is generally responsible for the other people's injuries and damage. That's why the liability limits above matter so much.
SR-22 rules in Illinois
Illinois requires "proof of financial responsibility for the future," known as an SR-22, before you can reinstate after a safety responsibility suspension, an unpaid-judgment suspension, a revocation or a mandatory insurance suspension (625 ILCS 5/7-301). Your insurer sends it to the Secretary of State, and it must stay in place for three years.
If you've moved out of Illinois and are insured in your new state, you generally don't need to file the SR-22 (625 ILCS 5/7-316.1).
Read more: what an SR-22 is and how it works.
What drives car insurance costs in Illinois
Average spending in Illinois rose 23% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:
| Year | Illinois average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $940.92 | $1,075.08 |
| 2020 | $915.53 | $1,047.76 |
| 2021 | $918.74 | $1,060.23 |
| 2022 | $993.88 | $1,124.45 |
| 2023 | $1,153.05 | $1,281.60 |
The NAIC's "average expenditure" is total written premium divided by insured vehicles. It isn't a quote, and your own price depends on your driver profile and the coverage you choose.
- Uninsured drivers. An estimated 15.2% of drivers in Illinois were uninsured in 2023, lower than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 17th highest rate among the 50 states and D.C. When more drivers are uninsured, insured drivers' own uninsured motorist coverage pays more claims, which pushes up its price.
- Crash deaths. Illinois recorded 1,177 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.13 per 100 million miles driven, lower than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 21st lowest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
- Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 32% of Illinois's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 36% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 18% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
Ways to save on car insurance in Illinois
- Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Illinois can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
- Check your uninsured motorist limits anyway. Even at 15.2%, uninsured and underinsured drivers are common, and UM coverage is usually inexpensive. How UM coverage works.
- Shop at every renewal. Prices in Illinois rose faster than the national average from 2019 to 2023, so a renewal increase is a good reason to compare.
- Pick a deductible you can actually pay. Raising it lowers your premium, but only if you could cover it after a claim. How deductibles work.
- Ask about discounts. Common ones include safe driver, multi-car, bundling, paying in full, good student and usage-based programs. They're not always applied automatically.
See other states in our car insurance guides by state.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, Automobile Financial Responsibility Limits and Enforcement by State (as of July 2024)
- NAIC, 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2025), Table 4: average expenditure
- Insurance Information Institute, Background on: No-fault auto insurance
- Illinois Legal Aid Online, Safety responsibility law and remedies available
- Insurance Information Institute / Insurance Research Council, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2023 estimates)
- IIHS-HLDI, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state
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