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

Requirements for car insurance will vary if you move from Illinois to Wisconsin or vice versa. For example, Illinois and Wisconsin have the same coverage limits for bodily injury liability, but different coverage limits for property damage. Illinois also requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which is not required in Wisconsin.

MoneyGeek compared car insurance in Illinois vs. Wisconsin by analyzing costs, finding the cheapest companies and looking into state requirements and laws.

Illinois and Wisconsin have the same coverage requirements except for differing property damage liability limits. Car insurance laws in Illinois require liability coverage of 25/50/20, while car insurance laws in Wisconsin require liability coverage of 25/50/10. Illinois also requires an additional coverage for uninsured/underinsured motorists as part of its minimum coverage policies.

The average cost of a minimum coverage policy in Illinois is $582 per year while it is $496 per year in Wisconsin. The more expensive minimum coverage in Illinois can be attributed to the state’s higher property damage liability limit and additional uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

Illinois and Wisconsin are tort states or “at-fault” states. In a tort state, the driver who caused the accident pays for the damages or the expenses incurred by the injured party. The expenses are often taken from the liability insurance coverage of the at-fault driver.

The at-fault driver will only have to pay for damages when the fault has been proven. In some cases, this occurs after a lawsuit, although states have different ways of executing these rules.

The cheapest company for minimum coverage in Illinois and Wisconsin is GEICO with the following rates:

• Cheapest in Illinois: GEICO ($366 per year)
• Cheapest in Wisconsin: GEICO ($311 per year)

In Wisconsin, eligible drivers can receive an even cheaper policy from USAA at an average cost of $201 per year. However, only current or former members of the U.S. military and their families are eligible to be USAA members.

While GEICO is the cheapest company in both states, the cost of their policies is different. This shows how car insurance cost can vary within providers on a state by state basis.

Regardless of coverage amount, the average cost of car insurance is higher in Illinois than Wisconsin. The average annual cost of minimum coverage in Illinois and Wisconsin is $582 and $496, respectively. For a full coverage policy, the average annual cost is $1,134 in Illinois and $933 in Wisconsin.

Car insurance prices vary due to several factors, so cost differences cannot be attributed to a single reason. In addition to coverage limit requirements, population density also impacts the cost of car insurance in an area.

The denser the population is an area, the more likely accidents are to occur. Illinois has a higher population density than Wisconsin which contributes to its higher car insurance rates.

The cost of car insurance also varies by city. In Illinois, you’ll find the cheapest minimum liability insurance in Peoria, with policies costing an average of $419 per year. Chicago drivers will pay the most expensive policies in the state, at an average of $582 per year. As for Wisconsin, you can get the cheapest minimum liability insurance in Green Bay for $338 per year and the most expensive in Milwaukee at $582 per year.

Car insurance requirements do not affect the cost of car insurance in a particular city because they are consistent in the entire state. The most significant contributor to cost is most likely the population density of an area.

Whether you’re moving from Illinois to Wisconsin or vice versa, you are required to transfer your driver’s license and registration. You can also stay with your current insurer if it offers car insurance in the state you’re moving to, but your rates may change depending on your new state’s laws and requirements.

If you need help finding a new insurer, MoneyGeek provided resources to guide you to the best company for your driving background:

Car insurance in Illinois vs. Wisconsin differ from each other in terms of prices, state requirements and laws. Below, MoneyGeek answered the frequently asked questions about car insurance in Illinois and Wisconsin.

To calculate average car insurance rates by company and across Illinois and Wisconsin, 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.