Where to Buy Cheap Car Insurance in Wisconsin
If you’re looking for the cheapest car insurance rates in Wisconsin, your best bets include USAA and a mix of regional and national carriers. Whether you are a longtime Badger State resident or a newcomer, here’s what you need to know about shopping for car insurance in Wisconsin.
In this article:
How much is car insurance in Wisconsin?
A typical Wisconsin driver pays an average $47 a month for minimum car insurance coverage and $108 a month for full coverage, according to the latest QuoteWizard research.
A minimum-coverage policy meets the state’s basic requirements for liability and uninsured motorist coverage. Full coverage includes collision and comprehensive coverages.
Our research also shows how certain blemishes on your driving record can impact your rates.
The average rate for a Wisconsin driver with a speeding ticket, for example, is $140 a month, and a person with a prior accident pays $172 per month. Meanwhile, a violation of the state’s operating while intoxicated (OWI) law brings the average monthly rate to $171.
| Policy type | Average monthly rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum coverage | $47 | |||
| Full coverage | $108 | |||
| Speeding ticket | $140* | |||
| Accident | $172* | |||
| Operating while intoxicated (OWI) | $171* | |||
|
*Rate shown is for full coverage. Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. |
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When we analyzed rates by age, we found that the average monthly rate for a typical 25-year-old Wisconsonite with full coverage is $125. This drops to $108 for a 30-year-old and $102 for a 40-year-old. On average, a 60-year-old pays $95 a month, but the rate rises to $98 a month for a 70-year-old.
| Age | Average monthly rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $125 | |||
| 30 | $108 | |||
| 40 | $102 | |||
| 50 | $97 | |||
| 60 | $95 | |||
| 70 | $98 | |||
| Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||||
Which carriers offer cheap car insurance in Wisconsin?
USAA offers the cheapest rates for minimum and full-coverage insurance, followed by American Family, Erie and West Bend, though not always in the same order.
However, USAA car insurance policies are only available to current and former military members and their families.
Erie charges an average $31 a month for minimum coverage in Wisconsin, while American Family’s average monthly rate is $34. West Bend Mutual charges $43. USAA beats all three with an average monthly rate of $25.
The spread widens for full coverage, with USAA’s $62 monthly rate beating out American Family’s $76 rate, West Bend Mutual’s $91 rate and Erie’s $95 rate.
| Carrier | Average monthly rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | $25 | |||
| Erie | $31 | |||
| American Family | $34 | |||
| West Bend Mutual | $43 | |||
| Progressive | $46 | |||
| State average | $47 | |||
| State Farm | $47 | |||
| Acuity Mutual | $57 | |||
| GEICO | $60 | |||
| Allstate | $77 | |||
| Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||||
| Carrier | Average monthly rate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | $62 | |||
| American Family | $76 | |||
| West Bend Mutual | $91 | |||
| Erie | $95 | |||
| Progressive | $106 | |||
| State average | $108 | |||
| State Farm | $110 | |||
| Acuity Mutual | $118 | |||
| GEICO | $134 | |||
| Allstate | $184 | |||
| Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||||
American Family offers the best rate, after USAA, for drivers with a speeding ticket, at $76 a month. But Erie offers the best non-USAA rate to drivers with an accident, at $115 a month. And Progressive offers the best non-USAA rate to those with an OWI violation, $117 a month.
| Carrier | Speeding | Accident | OWI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acuity Mutual | $171 | $221 | $259 | |
| Allstate | $226 | $319 | $235 | |
| American Family | $76 | $133 | $139 | |
| Erie | $95 | $115 | $135 | |
| GEICO | $168 | $244 | $241 | |
| Progressive | $136 | $173 | $117 | |
| State Farm | $120 | $130 | $120 | |
| USAA | $73 | $87 | $113 | |
| West Bend Mutual | $192 | $129 | $180 | |
| State average | $140 | $172 | $171 | |
| Note: Average rates are based on non-binding estimates provided by Quadrant Information Services. Your rates may vary. | ||||
In addition to your age and driving history, insurance companies also evaluate your credit history, your vehicle’s value and safety features, and your ZIP code, along with other factors, to determine your rate.
Since each insurance company weighs each rate factor differently, it’s best to review quotes from multiple carriers to find the one whose rating system works best for you.
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What are Wisconsin’s auto insurance statutes?
Wisconsin requires motorists to carry insurance coverage for bodily injury liability, property damage liability and uninsured motorist coverage, with limits of at least the following:
- Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability: $10,000
- Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident.
Bodily injury liability covers medical treatment to others hurt in an accident you cause, and property damage liability pays for repairs to other vehicles or property you damage.
Uninsured motorist coverage pays medical bills for you and your passengers if you are hurt in an accident caused by a driver who does not have insurance.
Wisconsin also has a comparative negligence law that evaluates each driver’s share of responsibility for an accident. If another driver is found to have a greater share of responsibility for an accident than you, he or she will be held liable for damages. However, the amount you can collect from the other person is reduced by your own share of responsibility.
If, for example, you are rear-ended while stopped at a red light, the other driver is likely to be 100% responsible for your medical and car repair bills.
However, if another car causes a crash while you are speeding or making an unsafe lane change, the other driver’s comparative negligence might be found to be less than 100%. If you are considered 25% responsible for causing the accident, the other driver will only be responsible for 75% of your medical and repair bills.
What is Wisconsin’s OWI law?
Wisconsin’s OWI law punishes motorists for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
A motorist over 21 years of age is in violation of Wisconsin’s OWI law if her or she:
- Has a blood/breath alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 or greater.
- Is under the influence of any intoxicate
- Has a detectable amount of a restricted controlled substance in their blood.
- Is under the influence of any other drug.
The allowable BAC limit is lower for those with three or more OWI convictions. It is illegal for those under 21 years old to drive with any amount of alcohol in their system.
Optional insurance coverages in Wisconsin
There are several reasons to consider purchasing insurance coverage that exceeds the state’s minimum requirements.
For example, if the medical bills of a person you injure in a crash exceed the $25,000 minimum limit, the injured person could sue you for the rest. This could put your personal assets or future earnings at stake.
Meanwhile, if you financed your vehicle, your lender will likely require you to purchase collision and comprehensive coverages. There are also other types of coverage available.
| Coverage | What it does | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Underinsured motorist | Increases your uninsured motorist coverage to at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident, but higher limits are available. | If you or your passengers have medical bills that exceed the at-fault driver’s liability limits. |
| Medical payments | Pays to treat injuries that you and/or passengers suffer in an accident, regardless of fault, plus funeral expenses. This also covers you and your family while riding in other vehicles or as pedestrians. | If you are partially or fully responsible for an accident, this covers medical bills for you and your passengers, including health insurance deductibles and copayments. |
| Collision | Replaces or repairs your vehicle after a collision with an object or another vehicle. In Wisconsin, this also covers hit-and-run damage. | If you are partially or fully responsible for an accident, or if your car is damaged by a hit-and-run driver. |
| Comprehensive | Repairs or replaces your car if it is stolen or damaged by causes such as vandalism, falling objects, fire, flood or collision with an animal. | If you need to repair or replace glass, or if your car is damaged by a cause other than a collision. |
Here are a few more things to know about car insurance in Wisconsin:
- An insurance company must offer medical payments coverage to you, but you can decline it.
- Insurance companies must also let you know that underinsured motorist coverage is available, but they cannot require you to purchase it.
- Wisconsin does not require insurance companies to offer underinsured motorist protection for damage to your car. Instead, vehicle damage caused by someone who is uninsured or underinsured, or a hit-and-run driver, is usually treated as a collision claim.
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