Illinois insurance for new drivers

Coverage requirements

• Bodily injury liability: at least $25,000 for injury or death of one person in one crash.

  Applies to: Ordinary vehicles subject to Illinois mandatory liability insurance.

  Source 1Source 2

• Bodily injury liability: at least $50,000 total for injury or death of two or more people in one crash, subject to the one person limit.

  Applies to: Ordinary vehicles subject to Illinois mandatory liability insurance.

  Source 1Source 2

• Property damage liability: at least $20,000 for other people's property in one crash.

  Applies to: Ordinary vehicles subject to Illinois mandatory liability insurance.

  Source 1Source 2

• Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage is required at the minimum liability injury limits. Higher uninsured limits are included up to your bodily injury liability limits unless you reject the additional coverage in writing.

  Applies to: Auto policies covered by sections 143a and 143a-2. Only the additional limits may be rejected.

  Source 3Source 4

• Underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage is required when your uninsured motorist limits exceed the state minimum injury limits.

  Applies to: Policies with uninsured motorist coverage above $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash.

  Source 4Source 1

• Carry evidence of liability coverage in the vehicle or with the driver and show it when requested by law enforcement. An insurance card may be paper or displayed on a phone or other portable device.

  Applies to: Drivers of vehicles subject to the liability requirement.

  Source 10

What can happen when you drive uninsured

• The ordinary conviction fine is more than $500 and no more than $1,000. A third or later violation carries a $1,000 fine. A qualifying first case with proof of current coverage at court instead carries $100 and court supervision.

  Applies to: Section 3-707 distinguishes convictions, court supervision and bodily harm cases; bodily harm can bring additional penalties.

  Source 5

• A conviction also brings a three month license or permit suspension and a $100 reinstatement fee. Driving uninsured during that suspension adds six months and a reinstatement fee.

  Applies to: Convictions under section 3-707(c-1).

  Source 5

• Certain license revocations trigger proof of future financial responsibility. The cited statute requires maintaining that proof for three years after the first filing.

  Applies to: Revocations described in sections 7-304 and 7-305; this is not a filing requirement for every uninsured incident.

  Source 6Source 7

What to do after a crash

1. Stop at the scene or as close as possible, return if needed and remain to give information and help. For a property only crash, move out of traffic to a nearby safe place when possible and remain there.

   Applies to: Injury or death, or damage to an attended vehicle.

   Source 18Source 19

2. Give your name, address, registration number and vehicle owner's name. Show your driver license on request if available, and provide reasonable assistance to anyone injured.

   Applies to: Crash involving injury, death or damage to an attended vehicle.

   Source 8

3. If the crash injures or kills anyone, or property damage is over $1,500 ($500 if any vehicle involved is uninsured), and no officer is present, notify local police by the fastest available means within a municipality, or otherwise the nearest county sheriff or Illinois State Police office.

   Applies to: Injury or death, or damage to any person's property over $1,500. The threshold is over $500 if a vehicle subject to mandatory insurance is uninsured. Special school bus triggers also apply.

   Source 9

4. Immediate police notice also applies to a school bus crash with any damage or injury, and to a crash within 50 feet of a bus that injures or kills someone preparing to board or just leaving it.

   Applies to: School bus situations described in section 11-407(a)(3) and (4).

   Source 9

Talk through the family policy

• Before supervised practice, tell the insurer that your teen has a permit. Ask who is covered, whether the teen must be listed, and whether any driver is excluded. Check again when the teen becomes licensed. Ask for the answer in writing.

  Applies to: Family planning checklist, not a universal enrollment deadline. Policy terms vary.

  Source 12

• Read the family policy together. Confirm the drivers, vehicles, uses, limits and exclusions. A permit and a driver license are different stages; do not assume the policy treats them the same.

  Applies to: Questions to ask your insurer about your own contract.

  Source 12

• The Illinois consumer guide describes adding a teen to a parent's vehicle or, when a parent is on the title, adding the teen's vehicle to the parent's policy. Discuss the actual policy terms together.

  Applies to: Families considering a shared policy; confirm eligibility with the insurer.

  Source 11

Questions about cost factors

• Ask whether good student status or completed driver education affects your policy, what proof is needed and when eligibility ends. These are questions to check, not a promise of a discount or savings.

  Applies to: General planning questions. The cited New York consumer guide describes examples, not a benefit required in every state.

  Source 16

• Keep a clean driving record and ask how tickets and crashes affect your policy. A clean record does not promise a particular price.

  Applies to: General planning guidance; the insurer and policy determine the result.

  Source 17

Five terms to know

Premium

The amount you pay for an insurance policy. Source 13

Deductible

The part of a covered loss you must pay yourself when that coverage has a deductible. Source 13

Liability

Responsibility for harm to other people or their property. Liability coverage helps pay covered losses you cause. Source 14

At fault

Responsible for causing a crash. Responsibility can be shared. Source 15

Coverage

The protection a policy provides, subject to its limits and exclusions. Source 12

Check your understanding

Practice questions are being reviewed.

Official sources

Each rule above links to its evidence below. Check the agency source for the full rule and exceptions.

1. Illinois Vehicle Code: liability limits

   625 ILCS 5/7-203. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

2. Illinois Vehicle Code: mandatory liability

   625 ILCS 5/7-601(a). Reviewed 2026-11-03.

3. Illinois Insurance Code: uninsured motorists

   215 ILCS 5/143a(1). Reviewed 2026-11-03.

4. Illinois Insurance Code: additional uninsured protection

   215 ILCS 5/143a-2. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

5. Illinois Vehicle Code: uninsured operation penalties

   625 ILCS 5/3-707(c), (c-1), (c-5). Reviewed 2026-11-03.

6. Illinois Vehicle Code: future proof trigger

   625 ILCS 5/7-304. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

7. Illinois Vehicle Code: future proof duration

   625 ILCS 5/7-305. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

8. Illinois Vehicle Code: information and aid

   625 ILCS 5/11-403. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

9. Illinois Vehicle Code: immediate notice

   625 ILCS 5/11-407(a). Reviewed 2026-11-03.

10. Illinois Vehicle Code: insurance evidence

    625 ILCS 5/7-602. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

11. Illinois Department of Insurance: teen drivers

    Family policy and crash checklist. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

12. California Department of Insurance: policy basics

    Your Auto Policy and Compare Policies. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

13. California Department of Insurance: insurance terms

    Auto Insurance Costs. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

14. California Department of Insurance: liability

    Liability Coverage. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

15. California Department of Insurance: glossary

    Comparative negligence. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

16. New York Department of Financial Services: policy questions

    Discounts and driver training. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

17. New York Department of Financial Services: driving record

    Driving Record. Reviewed 2026-11-03.

18. Illinois Vehicle Code: stopping after injury or death

    625 ILCS 5/11-401(a). Reviewed 2026-11-03.

19. Illinois Vehicle Code: stopping after property damage

    625 ILCS 5/11-402(a). Reviewed 2026-11-03.