Car Insurance in Florida vs. Illinois: Costs, Laws and Resources

If you are considering moving from Illinois to Florida or vice versa, you will need to keep in mind that car insurance requirements vary. In Florida, you are only required by state law to carry property damage liability and personal injury protection. Illinois requires drivers to have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in addition to liability coverage.

MoneyGeek analyzed costs to find the cheapest companies and compared requirements for car insurance in Florida vs. Illinois.

Florida car insurance laws require drivers to carry property damage liability and personal injury protection. Car insurance laws in Illinois require drivers to have personal and property damage liability plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Rates can vary between the two states, with a minimum coverage policy costing an average of $1,123 per year in Florida and $582 per year in Illinois. Factors such as population density and frequency of accidents can cause rates to be higher in Florida compared to Illinois.

Florida is a no fault state, so you are required to file a claim with your insurer regardless of who is at fault for an accident. No-fault states also require you to carry personal injury protection as part of your minimum insurance coverage, so they tend to have higher car insurance premiums.

Illinois is a tort-state or at-fault state, meaning the driver who causes the accident is financially responsible for the damages.

On average, the cheapest companies for minimum coverage car insurance in Florida and Illinois are:

• Cheapest in Florida: GEICO ($590 per year)
• Cheapest in Illinois: GEICO ($366 per year)

If you have a military background, USAA may be the cheapest option for you in Florida at roughly $406 per year.

Although GEICO is the cheapest insurer in both states, their policy costs around $224 more in Florida. This shows that rates can vary between states even when buying a policy from the same company.

Your coverage level is one of the key factors that impact the cost of car insurance in Florida and Illinois. For a minimum coverage policy, the average annual cost is $1,123 in Florida and $582 in Illinois. In both states, you will pay significantly higher rates for full coverage car insurance at approximately $2,208 per year in Florida and around $1,134 per year in Illinois.

When comparing auto insurance in Florida vs. Illinois, premiums in Florida are typically much higher. This could be due to a variety of factors. Florida, for instance, has a higher highway density and a higher rate of uninsured motorists compared to Illinois, meaning the risk factors for the insurer are more substantial in Florida. This contributes to higher premiums.

Car insurance rates in Florida and Illinois can differ significantly within the state depending on where you live.

On average, the cheapest and most expensive cities in Florida for state minimum car insurance are:

• Cheapest city: Gainesville ($693 per year)
• Most expensive city: Hialeah ($1,461 per year)

The cheapest and most expensive cities in Illinois for state minimum car insurance are, on average:

• Cheapest city: Peoria ($419 per year)
• Most expensive city: Chicago ($582 per year)

Car insurance requirements are the same within a state, so this is not the reason rates vary between cities. However, factors like population density may differ across cities within a state, causing car insurance premiums to be higher in some cities.

After you move from Florida to Illinois or vice versa, you will need to transfer your driver’s license and registration. If you’re happy with your current insurer and they provide coverage in your new state, you can stay with that insurer. However, your premiums may change to reflect the risks and coverage requirements in your new state.

MoneyGeek has the resources to help you find the best insurer based on your driving background.

Auto insurance in Florida and Illinois differs in terms of rates and state requirements. We answered some frequently asked questions about car insurance in Florida vs. Illinois to help you learn more.

To calculate average car insurance rates by company and across Florida and Illinois, MoneyGeek collaborated with Quadrant Information Services to collect auto insurance quotes from both locations. We used a sample profile for a 40-year-old driver with a clean driving record and minimum coverage unless modified by criteria like coverage level, age, driving offenses and credit score. Learn more about how costs are calculated in our MoneyGeek car insurance methodology.

Minimum car insurance requirements by state were sourced from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of the respective state.