How to Compare Car Insurance Rates 2024
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Cheap Car Insurance in Chicago (2024)

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Content was accurate at the time of publication.

Progressive and Travelers are the best companies for cheap car insurance quotes in Chicago. Progressive has the cheapest minimum-liability rates, but Travelers is cheapest for full coverage.

State Farm has the cheapest auto insurance for Chicago drivers with a ticket, accident or DUI.

Find the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Chicago

With rates that average $1,717 a year, or $143 a month, Travelers has the cheapest full-coverage car insurance quotes in Chicago.

The next-cheapest quotes come from State Farm, $1,931 a year, and Progressive, $2,183 a year. The average cost of full-coverage car insurance in Chicago is $2,772 a year, or $231 a month.

Full-coverage car insurance rates

CompanyAnnual rate
Travelers$1,717
State Farm$1,931
Progressive$2,183
Country Financial$2,290
American Family$2,293
City average$2,772
Geico$3,271
Allstate$3,799
Farmers$4,694

The actual rate each company charges varies by customer. This is why it’s important to compare car insurance quotes from multiple companies when you shop.

Progressive narrowly beats out Travelers for cheapest liability-only car insurance in Chicago. Progressive’s liability quotes average $773 a year, or $64 a month. This is only slightly less than Traveler’s rate of $776 a year.

Both companies’ rates are about 33% less than the city average for minimum liability.

CompanyAnnual rate
Progressive$773
Travelers$776
State Farm$825
Country Financial$846
American Family$908
City average$1,157
Geico$1,366
Allstate$1,642
Farmers$2,123

Liability insurance covers injuries and damage you cause to other people in a car accident. Full coverage includes collision and comprehensive, which cover damage to your car.

Country Financial and Travelers have the cheapest car insurance quotes for young drivers in Chicago. Country Financial has the cheapest liability-only rates, but Travelers is cheapest for full coverage.

Cheapest liability insurance for young drivers: Country Financial

Country Financial has the cheapest liability car insurance for 18-year-olds in Chicago. These rates average $2,174 a year, or $181 a month. This is 44% less than the city average or $3,897 a year.

CompanyAnnual rate
Country Financial$2,174
Travelers$2,433
State Farm$2,596
Progressive$2,605
Geico$3,144
American Family$3,549
City average$3,897
Allstate$3,992
Farmers$10,679

Cheapest full-coverage for young drivers: Travelers

Travelers has the cheapest full-coverage rates for 18-year-olds, charging an average of $5,153 a year, or $429 a month. Country Financial is next-cheapest with rates that average $5,509 a year.

CompanyAnnual rate
Travelers$5,153
Country Financial$5,509
State Farm$5,802
Geico$7,516
Progressive$8,133
City average$8,513
Allstate$8,544
American Family$8,630
Farmers$18,816

Find the Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Chicago

State Farm has the cheapest car insurance for Chicago drivers with a speeding ticket, charging $2,065 a year for full coverage.

The next-cheapest rate is $2,203 a year from Travelers. In Chicago, a speeding ticket increases the average cost of car insurance by 31% to $3,621 a year, or $302 a month.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$2,065
Travelers$2,203
American Family$2,725
Country Financial$3,037
Progressive$3,190
City average$3,621
Geico$3,827
Allstate$5,035
Farmers$6,888

State Farm has the cheapest car insurance quotes for Chicago drivers with a prior at-fault accident. These rates average $2,237 a year, or $186 a month.

Travelers is the next-cheapest option. It charges $2,448 a year, or $204 a month. An accident increases the cost of car insurance in Chicago by more than 56% to $4,333 a year, or $361 a month.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$2,237
Travelers$2,448
Country Financial$3,420
American Family$3,476
Progressive$3,791
City average$4,333
Geico$5,226
Farmers$6,979
Allstate$7,086

State Farm has the best car insurance rates for Chicago drivers with a DUI. Its rates average $2,065 a year for full coverage, or $172 a month. The next-cheapest company, Travelers, charges $2,580 a year, or $215 a month.

In Chicago, a DUI increases the average cost of car insurance by 51%.

CompanyAnnual rate
State Farm$2,065
Travelers$2,580
Progressive$2,692
Country Financial$3,588
American Family$4,128
City average$4,195
Geico$5,813
Allstate$6,065
Farmers$6,630

Best Chicago rates for bad credit: Travelers

Travelers has the best car insurance rates for drivers with bad credit. These rates average $2,654 a year for full coverage, or $221 a month.

A driver with bad credit pays an average of 90% more for auto insurance than a driver with good credit.

Car insurance rates for drivers with bad credit

CompanyAnnual rate
Travelers$2,654
Progressive$3,419
Country Financial$3,479
American Family$3,971
City average$5,259
Allstate$5,832
Geico$6,802
Farmers$7,581
State Farm$8,333

In Chicago’s neighborhoods, full-coverage car insurance rates range from $2,441 in Lakeview to $3,275 a year in Englewood. The difference works out to about $70 a month.

The average cost of car insurance in Lincoln Park is $2,443 a year, or $204 a month. In Hyde Park, the average rate works out to $245 a month.

Your ZIP code is among several factors insurance companies use to set your car insurance rate. You usually pay more if your ZIP code has higher crash rates and/or more vehicle thefts than average. You pay less in areas where these incidents are less common.

NeighborhoodZIP codeAnnual rateMonthly average
Albany Park60625$2,472$206
Ashburn60652$2,807$234
Austin60644$3,237$270
Avondale60618$2,666$222
Chicago Lawn60629$2,958$247
Edgewater60660$2,657$221
Edison Park60631$2,634$219
Englewood60621$3,275$273
Humboldt Park60651$3,186$265
Hyde Park60615$2,936$245
Lakeview60657$2,441$203
Lincoln Park60614$2,443$204
Logan Square60647$2,668$222
The Loop60602$2,491$208
Morgan Park60643$2,852$238
Pullman60628$3,106$259
Rogers Park60626$2,767$231
South Shore60649$3,121$260
Uptown60640$2,586$215
West Town60622$2,682$223

Illinois law requires you to have car insurance to drive legally in Chicago.

You need car insurance to register your vehicle. The state monitors your vehicle’s insurance status electronically after that. You also have to show proof of insurance to law enforcement during a traffic stop or at an accident scene.

The penalties for driving without insurance in Chicago include fines and a possible suspension of your license or registration.

Minimum coverage for car insurance in Chicago

The minimum car insurance coverages required for Chicago drivers include:

  • Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $20,000
  • Uninsured motorist: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

Bodily injury liability covers medical treatment for those you injure in a car accident. Property damage liability covers damage you cause. It applies to other people’s vehicles and to property such as fences, toll booths and light posts.

If an accident victim’s expenses exceed your liability limits, you have to cover the shortfall yourself. This is the main reason to choose higher liability limits.

Uninsured motorist insurance covers you and your passengers for injuries a driver with no insurance causes. About 16% of Illinois’ drivers do not have insurance, according to the Insurance Research Council.

You can add optional coverages to your policy for more protection. The most important ones to consider include:

  • Collision: Covers damage to your vehicle in an accident.
  • Comprehensive: Covers your car for theft and damage from non-collision causes such as fire, flood and vandalism.
  • Medical payments: Covers car accident injuries to you and your passengers, no matter who causes the accident.

SR-22 insurance in Chicago

You may have to get SR-22 insurance to reinstate a suspended license or registration.

An SR-22 is a certificate your insurance company files with the state. DUI, reckless driving and driving without insurance are among the offenses that lead to an SR-22 requirement.

You should let insurance companies know about your SR-22 requirement when you contact them for quotes. Some companies don’t insure SR-22 drivers. Those that do typically add a small filing fee to your rate.

The actual price you pay for SR-22 insurance depends largely on the offense that leads to the filing requirement. SR-22 usually costs more after a DUI than it does for driving without insurance. However, other factors, including your credit, age, ZIP code and vehicle also influence your car insurance rate.

The average cost of car insurance in Chicago is $1,157 a year for minimum liability, or $96 a month. Full coverage costs an average of $2,772 a year, or $231 a month.

If you’re moving to Chicago from another state, you’ll need new car insurance shortly after you arrive. You need Illinois-issued car insurance to register your vehicle, which you have to do within 30 days.

No. Illinois has traditional fault laws. If you cause a car accident, you are financially responsible for injuries and damage you cause to others. The amount you owe may be reduced if the other driver is partially at fault.

Methodology

LendingTree obtains rates from insurance company filings reported to Quadrant Information Services. Rates shown in this article are based on an analysis of car insurance quotes for sample drivers. Your rates may vary.

Unless stated otherwise, we used thousands of car insurance quotes from across Chicago for a 30-year-old man. Our sample driver has good credit and no tickets, accidents or DUIs. Our sample vehicle is a 2015 Honda Civic EX. Our sample teen driver is an 18-year-old male with a clean driving record.

Full-coverage policies include:

  • Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000
  • Uninsured motorist: $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
  • Collision: $500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: $500 deductible