Best Car Insurance in Illinois

Whether you’re headed to Chicago to catch a Cubs game or check out the Shedd Aquarium, taking a hike out to Utica to see the Starved Rock State Park, or traveling to Springfield to learn about the state’s history, residents of the Prairie State must have a car insurance policy that fulfills the state’s requirements before hitting the open road. Finding the best Illinois insurance policy for your needs can take a bit of research, but we’re here to help.

Searching for the best policy and insurer can be daunting and overwhelming, as it’s difficult to parse the good from the rest. Knowing what to look for while researching is essential to finding the best policy for your needs. We’ll help you determine how to narrow your search for the best policy, price, and insurer in the Prairie State.

Car insurance in Illinois is subjective to each driver, whether it’s the insurer, coverage, or cost. Each driver has their own values they must translate into their policy. The search for the best policy often comes down to two deciding factors: cost and coverage. 

Drivers who value cost over coverage will likely want a policy with minimum coverage from the insurer with the lowest base rates and the most options for stackable discounts. In contrast, drivers who value coverage over cost will likely want a full coverage policy from an insurer with various additional optional coverage options.

However, some drivers value cost and coverage equally. Drivers who want excellent coverage but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on their premiums will likely want a full coverage policy from an insurer that offers low base rates and plenty of stackable discounts. 

Car insurance laws in Illinois mandate all drivers to have at least $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 of bodily injury liability per accident, and $20,000 of property damage liability per accident, often expressed as 25/50/20 liability coverage. All drivers in the Prairie State must have uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UMBI/UIMBI) with a minimum limit of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident. Those who lease or finance their vehicles are often legally required to carry collision and comprehensive coverages on their policies. 

Illinois is unique in that liability coverage and uninsured motorist (UM) coverage aren’t exclusive coverages, and policies with liability coverage automatically have UM coverage too. This means drivers who value cost over coverage and opt for a minimum coverage policy will have 25/50/20 liability coverage and 20/40 UMBI/UIMBI coverage. 

While the short-term savings of a minimum coverage policy are tempting, a policy with such minimum coverage may not be the best for every driver. Illinois’s average premium for a full coverage policy is about $1,500 annually, about 10% cheaper than the national average of about $1,670 annually. Doing your due diligence makes it possible to lower your premiums even further while still getting the right amount of coverage for your needs. Let’s check out how you can get an affordable policy from one of the best insurers in the state while keeping your safety and savings intact.

While comparing the insurance companies in Illinois, it may be challenging to be sure you’re binding a policy with the insurer that’s right for you. Once you’ve decided whether you value coverage or cost more (or if you value them equally), your next course of action is to get quotes from several insurers to decide which company gives you the most bang for your buck.

It’s essential to remember that just as values in a policy vary from person to person, so do premiums. Insurers use factors like your age, gender, type of car you drive, ZIP code, and several other factors to determine your rates. In some states, using these “non-driving factors” like gender and ZIP code in determining premiums is prohibited, but this practice is permitted in the Prairie State.

Insurers use factors like your ZIP code to determine your premiums because they help your insurer determine the risk they take by binding a policy with you. For example, drivers in big cities like Chicago typically pay higher premiums because they’re statistically higher-risk drivers who are more likely to get into an accident and file a claim with their insurer. This is due to the higher number of drivers on the road in a city compared to a suburban or rural area. 

If the factors determining your rates drive up your premiums, don’t say goodbye to great coverage or savings just yet. Plenty of insurers in the state offer lower-than-average base rates and several opportunities for discounts to help you lower your premiums while maintaining a full coverage policy.

Once you’ve determined what you value in a policy, you’ll need to gather quotes from several insurers to compare rates and coverages to ensure you get the best Illinois auto insurance for your needs. While it’s essential to get a policy with great coverage, getting a full coverage policy at a lower-than-average rate is like the cherry on top. 

Let’s look at some of the top insurers in the Prairie State that offer competitive base rates for full coverage policies, various stackable discounts, and plenty of additional optional coverages. 

Our partner, Progressive, earns its title as one of the top insurers in the Prairie State because they offer low base rates for all types of drivers, whether new, young, or high-risk drivers. The average full coverage policy in the state with Progressive is about $1,530 annually, only about 2% higher than the state average and still nearly 10% lower than the national average. Progressive offers a bounty of discounts, ranging from standard to enrollment-based. They have discounts for those who bundle multiple policies, young drivers who earn good grades in school, and may even reward policyholders each time they go six months accident-free with a lower premium. 

Many drivers in Illinois have a policy with Nationwide because of their competitive base rates and variety of coverage options. A full coverage policy with this insurer costs about $1,340, on average, which is about 10% lower than the state average and about 20% cheaper than the national average. Nationwide offers excellent discount opportunities, like its enrollment-based telematics programs for those who practice safe driving habits on the road or drive under the national average of 12,000 miles annually. 

Travelers, another of our partners, is a top choice among Illinoisans for its great coverage options and low base rates. The average premium for a full coverage policy with Travelers is about $1,290 annually, or about 15% lower than the state average and about 35% lower than the national average. The average base rate alone is enough reason to bind a policy with this insurer, but the good things don’t stop there. Travelers offers many standard discounts that only require policyholders to meet specific criteria, like having multiple cars on one policy or driving a hybrid or electric vehicle. Plus, Travelers is renowned for having excellent customer service. 

State Farm is another Prairie State insurer offering excellent coverage with extremely low base rates. A full coverage policy with this insurer costs about $1,000 annually, over 30% cheaper than the average full coverage policy in the state and about 40% cheaper than the national average rate. State Farm offers a variety of additional coverages for those who want to tailor their policies precisely to their needs. This insurer offers plenty of standard, criteria-based discounts, like those for students who earn good grades or who have anti-theft features on their vehicles. State Farm also offers an enrollment-based telematics program to incentivize drivers to practice safe driving habits in exchange for lower premiums. 

Geico reigns as the insurer to beat in Illinois because of its incredibly low base rates and many stackable discounts. On average, a full coverage policy with Geico costs about $990 annually, just over 30% less than the average full coverage premium in the state and over 40% cheaper than the national average. Geico offers low base rates for all types of drivers, whether young or old, good or bad, city-based or suburban. Not to be outshone by the low base rates, Geico also offers plenty of optional additional coverage options so each policyholder can tailor their policy to their needs and many discounts for its policyholders to stack to reduce their premiums further.

While the best car insurance rates in Illinois will be found with a minimum coverage policy, many companies offer low base rates for full coverage policies in the state. Policies with insurers like Geico or State Farm are, on average, over 30% cheaper than the average full coverage premium in the state, which costs about $1,500 annually. 

When looking for the insurer with the best liability coverage in the state, it’s essential to see a rating of auto insurance companies in Illinois to make an informed decision. If you value cost over coverage in your car insurance policy, you may select an insurer that offers low base rates and plenty of discounts, like Geico or State Farm.

However, having a liability-only policy isn’t the only way to reduce your premiums. Getting a policy from one of the state’s top insurers that offers low base rates and stackable discounts for a full coverage policy may give you more bang for your buck. In many cases, it’s better to pay a bit more for a significant increase in coverage than cash in on the short-term savings of a minimum coverage policy and risk financial ruin amid a bad accident. 

Finding the best insurance company in Illinois is a personal journey, as much of the search is subjective to each driver. However, there are indisputable facts regarding which insurers stand out from the rest. If you’re ready to start getting and comparing quotes from these undeniably great insurers, you’re exactly where you need to be.

Here at Clovered, we have a free quoting tool you can use to compare quotes from the state’s top insurers in minutes. If you have any questions about your quote or how to find the best insurer for you, contact us at 833-255-4117 or email us at [email protected].