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If you’re shopping around for or researching car insurance rates in Chicago, here you’ll find average Chicago car insurance rates listed by ZIP code and company. We’ll also explain how coverage works, and how much car insurance you need.
Chicago drivers pay the highest Illinois car insurance rates in the state. No matter where in the Chicago area you live, car insurance rates vary -- even within the same ZIP code. Because each insurer uses its own formula to set rates, and assesses risk differently, the cheapest insurer often will offer you a rate that is half or less of the most expensive. That’s why you can save a lot of money if you compare rates before you buy. To see how other Chicago car insurance rates compare, use our average rates tool below. Enter a ZIP code and it will show the average rate, as well as the highest and lowest, for your location for six age groups and three different coverage levels.
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to provide a report of average auto insurance rates for a 2016 Honda Accord for nearly every ZIP code in the United States. We calculated rates using data for up to six large carriers (Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm).
Averages for the default result are based on insurance for a married 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/100 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $100,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage.
Averages for customized rates are based on drivers ages 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 for the following coverage levels: state minimum liability, liability of 50/100/50 and 100/300/100 with $500 deductible on comprehensive and collision. These hypothetical drivers have clean records and good credit. Average rates are for comparative purposes.
Your own rate will depend on your personal factors and vehicle.
State Minimum:
Required liability coverage to drive legally in your state; some states mandate additional coverage, such as personal injury protection, uninsured motorist, underinsured motorist.
Liability Only 50/100/50:
$50,000 per person/$100,000 maximum per accident for bodily injury; $50,000 for property damage. Liability pays for injuries/damage you cause others.
Full Coverage 100/300/100:
$100,000 per person/$300,000 maximum per accident for bodily injury; $100,000 for property damage; comprehensive and collision coverage with $500 deductible. Liability pays for injuries/damage you cause others. Comprehensive and collision pay for damage to your car.
60636- CHICAGO: $1,69360624- CHICAGO: $1,67960621- CHICAGO: $1,67860644- CHICAGO: $1,65861761- NORMAL: $81861822- CHAMPAIGN: $82761821- CHAMPAIGN: $84061801- URBANA: $844Here's how Chicago’s highest average rate ($1,693) compares to others, assuming full coverage:
You’ll see in the chart below the most and least expensive ZIP codes for car insurance in Chicago, and that regardless of where you live, you can save about $1,000 to $1,800 by comparing quotes.
| Most expensive car insurance rates in Chicago | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ZIP code | Average annual rate | Highest rate | Lowest rate |
| 60636 | $1,693 | $2,479 | $976 |
| 60624 | $1,679 | $2,581 | $868 |
| 60621 | $1,678 | $2,427 | $976 |
| 60644 | $1,658 | $2,528 | $868 |
| 60623 | $1,655 | $2,581 | $868 |
| Least expensive car insurance rates in Chicago | |||
| ZIP code | Average annual rate | Highest rate | Lowest rate |
| 60657 | $1,109 | $1,656 | $611 |
| 60614 | $1,121 | $1,656 | $611 |
| 60601 | $1,137 | $1,656 | $611 |
| 60602 | $1,140 | $1,655 | $611 |
| 60661 | $1,151 | $1,657 | $672 |
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services to run auto insurance rates for a 2016 Honda Accord for more than 30,000 ZIP codes in the United States using six large carriers -- Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm. (In cases where an insurer’s rate wasn’t available, another major carrier's rate was substituted.) Averages are based on insurance for a single 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/100 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $100,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. This hypothetical driver has a clean record and good credit. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage. Average rates are for comparative purposes. Your own rate will depend on your personal factors and vehicle.
Chicago car insurance requirements | |
|---|---|
| Illinois state law requires the following minimum car insurance coverage: | |
| Minimum bodily injury liability | $25,000/$50,000 |
| Minimum property damage liability | $20,000 |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $25,000/$50,000 |
The lowest liability car insurance limits your insurer offers is the cheapest policy you can buy. This will be the state minimum required to drive legally. In Illinois (written as 25/50/20), that means your liability car insurance would pay up to:
In Illinois, you must also have uninsured motorist and underinsured motorist coverage. This pays for medical bills, lost wages and funeral expenses if you are hit by a driver without insurance, or with bare-bones coverage. You need to carry the same amounts as bodily injury liability, so that means $25,000 for injuries in an accident, up to $50,000 per accident.
The best car insurance coverage usually isn’t the cheapest. You may be sued if you’re in an accident and your insurance doesn’t cover all of the damages. That means your home or savings could be in jeopardy. To protect your assets, you should buy liability insurance in the following amounts:
You should also consider buying these optional coverages:
Comprehensive insurance and collision coverage don’t cost that much and are a good idea if you have a newer model car. In Illinois, comprehensive costs $116 and collision costs $278, on average per year, for drivers, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Unlike liability insurance, these optional coverages come with a deductible. That’s the amount you pay before your insurance company pays. Typical deductibles amounts are $1,000, $500 and $250 – you choose which one you want. The higher the deductible is, the lower your rate will be.
To jump up to higher protection limits, Illinois drivers won't pay that much more. On average, increasing your coverage to higher liability limits from the state minimum costs just $20 more a year, less than $2 monthly, as you'll see from the average state rates listed below for different levels of protection. Going from state minimum to full coverage is double the amount, but still only $52 a month.
Below you'll see how major insurers rank on price for three different coverage levels.
| Company | State minimum |
|---|---|
| State Farm | $327 |
| Geico | $365 |
| Progressive | $484 |
| Nationwide | $588 |
| Allstate | $711 |
| Farmers | $912 |
| Company | 50/100/50 |
| State Farm | $382 |
| Geico | $392 |
| Progressive | $525 |
| Nationwide | $632 |
| Allstate | $738 |
| Farmers | $921 |
| Company | 100/300/100 |
| Geico | $744 |
| Nationwide | $1,066 |
| State Farm | $1,098 |
| Progressive | $1,526 |
| Farmers | $1,657 |
| Allstate | $2,028 |
Drivers in Chicago can expect to pay, on average, from about $170 to $400 more a year for car insurance after a minor violation such as speeding or tailgating, and twice that for more serious infractions, such as a DUI or reckless driving. Minor traffic violations typically stay on your record for about three years, and you can expect to see the rate hike upon your policy renewal date.
| Violation | Rate after violation | Dollar increase | Percentage increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| DUI/DWI third offense | $5,445 | $4,148 | 320% |
| DUI/DWI second offense | $3,891 | $2,594 | 200% |
| DUI/DWI first offense | $2,413 | $1,116 | 86% |
| Reckless driving | $2,197 | $899 | 69% |
| Operating a vehicle in a race (highway racing) | $1,981 | $684 | 53% |
| Careless driving | $1,771 | $474 | 37% |
| Speeding 16 to 30+ over limit | $1,699 | $401 | 31% |
| 2 speeding tickets 11 mph or over | $1,679 | $382 | 29% |
| Lapse of coverage for 60 days | $1,645 | $348 | 27% |
| Following too closely | $1,634 | $337 | 26% |
| Driving without a license or permit | $1,630 | $332 | 26% |
| Failure to stop or yield | $1,630 | $332 | 26% |
| Improper turn | $1,630 | $332 | 26% |
| Improper/illegal pass | $1,624 | $326 | 25% |
| Driving without insurance | $1,615 | $317 | 24% |
| Speeding ticket 1-15 MPH over limit | $1,572 | $275 | 21% |
| Lapse of coverage for 7 to 30 days | $1,464 | $167 | 13% |
*Methodology:
CarInsurance.com commissioned Quadrant Information Services in 2019 to field rates from up to six major insurers for 10 ZIP codes in the city for the following driver profile: male, age 40, good credit, clean driver record, driving 2017 Honda accord. We compared the clean record driver rate to the rate for various tickets and accident claims to get the average percentage and dollar increase, for the coverage level of 100/300/50; with comprehensive and collision and $500 deductible. These are estimates; your actual rate will depend on your personal rating factors.
When you file a claim for an accident that's your fault, typically your car insurance rates will increase. The table below shows how much for drivers in Chicago can expect to pay for common car insurance claims.
| Accident claim | Rate after claim | Average dollar increase | Average percentage increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 At-fault property damage accident over $2k | $3,247 | $1,950 | 150% |
| Hit and run - injury or property damage | $2,458 | $1,161 | 89% |
| 1 At-fault property damage accident | $1,701 | $404 | 31% |
| At-fault bodily injury accident | $1,701 | $404 | 31% |
| 2 comprehensive claims for over $2k | $1,437 | $140 | 11% |
| 1 comprehensive claim | $1,363 | $66 | 5% |
Teen drivers are inexperienced, and are involved in more accidents than older drivers, so they cost more to insure. In Chicago, adding a 16-year-old daughter to your policy will hike your rates by $2,000 annually, or 157 percent. It's more for boys. Insuring your 16-year-old son will increase your yearly rate by $2,670, or 206 percent, according to CarInsurance.com rate data. If you're insuring a teen driver of any age, you can get expert tips and more rate data by reading the "Parents guide to insuring a teen driver."
Having a low credit score and poor credit history significantly increases how much you pay for car insurance, unless you live in Hawaii, California or Massachusetts where the practice is banned. Illinois ranks seventh among the worst states for drivers with bad credit. Chicago drivers with bad credit can expect rates to go up by $1,110, or 86 percent, on average, yearly. Even with bad credit, you can still save money on car insurance, as some insurance companies will increase rates higher than others for those with less than perfect credit. That's why it's always prudent to compare car insurance quotes at least once a year.
If you're convicted of a serious offense, such as DUI or reckless driving, you may be required to have your insurance company file an SR-22 form on your behalf. An SR-22 is a car insurance company’s guarantee to the state that you are carrying the legally mandated coverage. If you are required to have an SR-22 filed, your car insurance rates will increase. CarInsurance.com data show that for drivers in Chicago, your rate will go up by an average of $1,157, or 89 percent.
Traffic in Chicago: The city and nearby areas came in first (tied with Washington, D.C.) for the worst traffic in the country in a recent report by USA Today, which noted that drivers spend more than 80 hours a year stuck in traffic.
Car crashes: Major accidents have resulted in an average of about 130 deaths a year in recent years (2012-2014).
Commuting: The average commute in Chicago lasts 27.9 minutes.
Public transportation: The U.S. Census Bureau says that the majority of riders in Chicago who commute to work by public transportation are white (about 43 percent), Hispanic (about 21 percent) and black (about 28 percent). The bureau notes that commuting is the main reason people use mass transit.
Smog rules: Chicago residents much have vehicles that are four years old and older tested for emissions at a licensed smog testing center every two years to renew registration. New Chicago residents must have an initial smog inspection shortly after registering a vehicle.
Bad intersection: The Chicago Sun-Times says the intersection at Stony Island Avenue and South Chicago Avenue may be the city's most dangerous, with about 60 accidents a year.
The information was gathered from various sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, state transportation departments and city police departments.
