How much is car insurance in Iowa?
In Iowa, a full-coverage auto policy averaged $1,010 a year in 2023 (NAIC), 30% below the $1,439 national average (7th lowest in the US), or about $1,200 a year in Iowa today (about $100 a month as of August 2026). For Iowa drivers, the law asks for at least 20/40/15 liability, and liability-only coverage—the closest NAIC measure to a minimum policy—averaged $387 in 2023 (about $460 today).
What people pay in Iowa: 7th lowest average in the US
Typical Iowa full-coverage price today
about $1,200 a year in Iowa (about $100 a month)
Iowa's 2023 NAIC full-coverage average ($1,010) adjusted +18% to August 2026 using the US motor-vehicle insurance price index; your Iowa rate depends on your car, driving history, and coverage limits.
That $1,010 2023 full-coverage figure makes Iowa the 7th least expensive of the 50 states and DC (against $1,439 nationally), with 38% going to liability ($387, 4th lowest in the US) and 62% covering physical damage to your own vehicle. NAIC also tracks Iowa's average expenditure per insured vehicle—$873 in 2023 (4th lowest in the US, or about $1,030 today)—which sits 14% ($137) below Iowa's full-coverage average because many Iowa drivers drop collision or comprehensive on older cars.
How Iowa compares with Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and 3 more bordering states
A typical policy in Iowa ($1,010 in 2023) costs more than in Wisconsin and less than in Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Among Iowa's neighbors, Wisconsin had the lowest 2023 average ($1,000, moving to Iowa is about the same) and Missouri had the highest ($1,323, moving to Iowa is about $420 less a year).
| State | 2023 average | Moving to Iowa from there |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | $1,010 | Current state (Iowa) |
| Illinois | $1,257 | About $330 less a year |
| Minnesota | $1,223 | About $280 less a year |
| Missouri | $1,323 | About $420 less a year |
| Nebraska | $1,184 | About $230 less a year |
| South Dakota | $1,158 | About $200 less a year |
| Wisconsin | $1,000 | About the same |
| US average | $1,439 | US benchmark |
States with similar 2023 full-coverage averages: Hawaii ($998 in 2023, about $1,180 today), Indiana ($1,032 in 2023, about $1,220 today), New Hampshire ($1,032 in 2023, about $1,220 today), and Ohio ($1,038 in 2023, about $1,230 today).
Iowa: 20/40/15 minimums, with uninsured-motorist coverage unless rejected in writing
- Iowa liability (per person / per crash / property)
- $20,000 / $40,000 / $15,000
- Personal injury protection (PIP) in Iowa
- Not required
- Medical payments in Iowa
- Not required
- No-fault system in Iowa
- No
- Uninsured motorist in Iowa
- Included unless you decline in writing
- Underinsured motorist in Iowa
- Included unless you decline in writing
Set by Iowa Code 321A.1(11) (Iowa Code 2026), Iowa's 20/40/15 minimum pays up to $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash for injuries you cause to others, plus $15,000 for others' property—the legal floor in Iowa, not a coverage recommendation, and it excludes collision or comprehensive repairs on your own car.
Liability-only coverage in Iowa—the closest NAIC figure to what an Iowa minimum policy costs—averaged $387 in 2023 (about $460 in Iowa today), the 4th lowest of the 50 states and DC. That makes liability 38% of Iowa's full-coverage average ($1,010), while the remaining 62% goes toward collision and comprehensive coverage for your own car.
Iowa requires at least $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash for injuries, plus $15,000 for property damage. These are among the lowest in the country. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage are included unless you turn them down in writing.
What we couldn’t confirm: Bills to raise the minimums to 50/100/25 were pending in 2026 and show no passage, but we could have missed a late-session law; the 2026 Iowa Acts would confirm. We marked PIP and medical payments coverage not required because we found no law requiring them, not because a law says they're optional.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Uninsured motorist coverage (including hit-and-run) and underinsured motorist coverage are each included at no less than $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash. You can turn down both, or either one, by signing a separate written rejection.
- History and recent checks
- 20/40/15 applies as printed in Iowa Code 2026. Bills in the 91st General Assembly would raise it to 50/100/25 (SF 119, HF 6, SF 2073, HF 129 renumbered as HF 2352). HF 2352 was 'placed on calendar' on Feb. 9, 2026 with no later action shown. None enacted as of the bill-history pages checked.
- Checked
- September 22, 2026
- Sources
- Iowa Code 321A.1(11) (Iowa Code 2026)
in the amount of twenty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person ... forty thousand dollars ... fifteen thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property
- Iowa Code 321.20B (financial liability coverage required)
a person shall not drive a motor vehicle on the highways of this state unless financial liability coverage ... is in effect for the motor vehicle
- Iowa Code 516A.1 (UM/UIM in every liability policy; rejection)
the named insured may reject all of such coverage, or reject the uninsured motor vehicle or hit-and-run motor vehicle coverage, or reject the underinsured motor vehicle coverage, by written rejections signed by the named insured
- Iowa Legislature - bill history SF 119 / HF 6 / HF 129 / HF 2352 (91st GA)
A bill for an act relating to the minimum amounts required for motor vehicle financial responsibility ... February 09, 2026 Introduced, placed on calendar.
- Iowa Code 321A.1(11) (Iowa Code 2026)
Adding a 16-year-old driver in Iowa: about $790 more a year
Adding a 16-year-old to a Iowa policy
about $790 more a year
About $65 a month (+66% over a typical Iowa adult policy of $1,200), bringing the combined Iowa family policy to roughly $1,500–$2,650 a year.
On a separate Iowa policy of their own with the same car, a 16-year-old in Iowa would pay about $3,440 a year (roughly $2,600–$4,900), so sharing a parent's Iowa policy saves about $2,650 a year.
Our teen-driver multipliers come from California's published age-rating filings scaled to Iowa's baseline. How adding a teen driver works.
Cheapest cars to add a teen with in Iowa
In Iowa, the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek come out the same, the least of the 33 cars on the site's popular lists to add a teen with: about $710 more a year on an Iowa policy, versus about $1,190 more a year for the 2022 Tesla Model 3 at the top of Iowa's list.
| 2022 model | Added to a Iowa policy | Own Iowa policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Subaru Forester | +$710 in Iowa | $3,070 in Iowa |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | +$710 in Iowa | $3,070 in Iowa |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | +$710 in Iowa | $3,090 in Iowa |
| 2022 Honda CR-V | +$760 in Iowa | $3,300 in Iowa |
| 2022 Toyota RAV4 | +$770 in Iowa | $3,350 in Iowa |
The order is the same in every state, because our car data is national. What changes from state to state is the price level. See all 33 teen cars and how we rank them.
What popular cars cost to insure in Iowa
In Iowa, a 45-year-old with full coverage pays from about $1,300 a year for a 2024 Subaru Impreza to about $1,700 for a 2024 Cadillac Escalade on these Iowa sample models.
| Car | 45-year-old in Iowa | Adding a teen in Iowa |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Cadillac Escalade | about $1,700 a year | +$1,120 a year |
| 2024 Honda Civic | about $1,510 a year | +$1,000 a year |
| 2024 Toyota Corolla | about $1,460 a year | +$960 a year |
| 2024 Toyota Camry | about $1,470 a year | +$970 a year |
| 2024 Honda Accord | about $1,450 a year | +$960 a year |
| 2024 Mazda 3 | about $1,420 a year | +$940 a year |
| 2024 Subaru Impreza | about $1,300 a year | +$860 a year |
| 2024 Hyundai Elantra | about $1,570 a year | +$1,040 a year |
See all 121 popular cars, SUVs, pickups, and EVs.
Common questions about car insurance in Iowa
- How much is car insurance in Iowa?
- In Iowa, full-coverage car insurance averaged $1,010 a year in 2023 (the 7th least expensive of the 50 states and DC per NAIC), or about $1,200 a year ($100 a month) in Iowa as of August 2026. Iowa liability-only coverage averaged $387 in 2023 (38% of Iowa's full-coverage figure, or about $460 today), and Iowa drivers spent $873 per insured car across all policies.
- What are the minimum car insurance limits in Iowa?
- Under Iowa Code 321A.1(11) (Iowa Code 2026), Iowa requires 20/40/15 liability: $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $15,000 for property damage. 20/40/15 applies as printed in Iowa Code 2026. Bills in the 91st General Assembly would raise it to 50/100/25 (SF 119, HF 6, SF 2073, HF 129 renumbered as HF 2352). HF 2352 was 'placed on calendar' on Feb. 9, 2026 with no later action shown. None enacted as of the bill-history pages checked.
- How much does adding a 16-year-old teen driver cost in Iowa?
- Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's full-coverage policy in Iowa adds about $790 more a year ($65 a month), bringing the Iowa household policy to roughly $1,500–$2,650 a year versus about $3,440 a year (roughly $2,600–$4,900) on a standalone Iowa teen policy.
- Is Iowa a no-fault car insurance state?
- No—Iowa is a fault-based (tort) state where the at-fault driver's insurer pays for crash damages, and Iowa does not require personal injury protection (PIP). For uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in Iowa: Uninsured motorist coverage (including hit-and-run) and underinsured motorist coverage are each included at no less than $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash. You can turn down both, or either one, by signing a separate written rejection.
- How does Iowa's car insurance cost compare with Illinois?
- Iowa averaged $1,010 for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC) against $1,257 in Illinois (20% less than Illinois), and moving a sample policy from Illinois to Iowa today is about $330 less a year. Other bordering states averaged $1,223 in Minnesota, $1,323 in Missouri, $1,184 in Nebraska, $1,158 in South Dakota, and $1,000 in Wisconsin in 2023.
Sources for Iowa
- Iowa average premiums ($1,010 full coverage, $387 liability-only, $873 average expenditure): National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report (2023 data, trended to today with the BLS CPI motor-vehicle insurance series).
- Iowa minimum coverage statutes (Iowa Code 321A.1(11) (Iowa Code 2026); Iowa Code 321.20B (financial liability coverage required); Iowa Code 516A.1 (UM/UIM in every liability policy; rejection); Iowa Legislature - bill history SF 119 / HF 6 / HF 129 / HF 2352 (91st GA)), checked September 22, 2026. Page updated for Iowa. See methodology and all sources.
This is an estimate to help you plan, not a quote. We don't sell insurance, and nothing you type is sent to us. Only an insurer can give you a real price.