Iowa Car Insurance Quotes & Rates (2026)

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For a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, Iowa car insurance averages about $196 a month ($2,348 a year) for full coverage, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026. That’s 16% below the national average in our data. It’s about the same as in Illinois and South Dakota, higher than in Wisconsin and lower than in Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska. Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the four major insurers we compared (Farm Bureau Financial Services, Grinnell Mutual, IMT Insurance and Progressive), at about $126 a month.

Iowa car insurance: key numbers

• Full coverage: about $196 a month ($2,348 a year)
• Liability only (20/40/15): about $35 a month
• Lowest-priced insurer: Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the four major insurers we compared, at about $126 a month
• Recent price change: +3.7% for full coverage (same insurers and ZIP codes)
• Most and least expensive counties: Madison County (about $245 a month) and Johnson County (about $169)

Where you live matters. Southern Iowa costs the most in our data: Page County averages about $244 a month for full coverage, Montgomery County $243 and Mills County $242, and Madison County, southwest of Des Moines, $245. Johnson County, home to Iowa City and the University of Iowa, costs the least, at $169. Use these averages as a benchmark for where you live, then compare quotes for your own car and address.

_{Cost data comes from the auto rates insurers file with state regulators, priced across 146 Iowa ZIP codes, compiled by Quadrant Information Services and updated as new rates are filed.}

Rates as of Aug. 31, 2026. Page reviewed Oct. 7, 2026.

What’s the Average Cost of Car Insurance in Iowa per Month?

The average cost of car insurance in Iowa is about $196 a month ($2,348 a year) for full coverage and $35 a month ($420 a year) for liability-only coverage at the 20/40/15 state minimum. That’s for a 40-year-old driver with a clean record, based on the rates insurers had filed with state regulators as of Aug. 31, 2026.

Full coverage in Iowa averages $2,348 a year, or about $196 a month, for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage at Iowa’s 20/40/15 minimum averages $420 a year ($35 a month), and 50/100/50 liability with comprehensive and collision averages $2,478 ($207 a month).

• Full coverage (100/300/100, $500 deductibles): $2,348 a year ($196 a month)
• 50/100/50 with $500 deductibles: $2,478 a year ($207 a month)
• Liability only (20/40/15): $420 a year ($35 a month)
• Des Moines: $2,408 a year ($201 a month) for full coverage
• Cedar Rapids: $2,334 a year ($195 a month) for full coverage
• Davenport: $2,349 a year ($196 a month) for full coverage
• National average: $2,806 a year ($234 a month) for full coverage

How Iowa Compares With Neighboring States

Iowa’s average is about $5 a month below Illinois’, $27 below Minnesota’s, $7 below Missouri’s, $28 below Nebraska’s, $2 above South Dakota’s and $12 above Wisconsin’s. It’s the 23rd-lowest of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in our data.

Cheapest Car Insurance in Iowa: Companies Compared

• Lowest average among these four insurers, full coverage: Progressive, at about $126 a month ($1,508 a year).
• Next lowest: IMT Insurance, at about $176 a month, then Farm Bureau Financial Services at $230.
• Liability only (20/40/15): about $17 to $64 a month across the four insurers.
• State Farm (Nov. 2025 rates)*: about $148 a month for full coverage, from its November 2025 rates.
• Also on our list: Travelers at about $126 a month, USAA at $128, West Bend at $145, Auto-Owners at $150 and GEICO at $172 (USAA sells only to military families).
• Most expensive in our data: Grinnell Mutual, at about $251 a month for full coverage, $1,502 a year more than Progressive.

Progressive has the lowest full-coverage average among the four insurers in our Iowa rate data. The recent published statewide Iowa rate studies we reviewed most often rank Travelers cheapest for full coverage: five of the six we checked put it first and one ranks Progressive, apart from USAA, which sells only to military families. For liability-only coverage at 20/40/15 limits, averages run from about $17 to $64 a month; the lowest is far enough below the rest that we don’t name a cheapest insurer for that coverage level.

These are statewide averages for our benchmark driver. See how we calculated these rates. Your own price depends on your car, driving record and coverage, so compare auto insurance quotes before you buy.

See What You’d Pay in Iowa

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Rates change by city and ZIP code across Iowa. Enter yours to compare quotes.

How Iowa’s Major Car Insurers Compare

Here’s where each insurer in our rate data lands for our benchmark driver, and how its price has moved over the past nine months.

Are Car Insurance Rates Going Up in Iowa?

Yes, for our benchmark driver. Comparing the same insurers in the same Iowa ZIP codes, full coverage averaged $2,265 a year nine months earlier and $2,348 in rates as of Aug. 31, 2026, a 3.7% increase. Progressive raised its average 28.2%, while Farm Bureau Financial Services’, Grinnell Mutual’s and IMT Insurance’s averages were unchanged. State Farm’s latest rates are from November 2025, so it’s left out of this comparison. Liability-only coverage at 20/40/15 limits rose 3.4%, led by Progressive, which raised its liability-only average 35.9%.

Because insurers change their rates on their own schedules, the cheapest company for you can change from one renewal to the next.

What to Know About Iowa Car Insurance Costs

Iowa’s full-coverage average is the 23rd-lowest of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., in our data. Three things stand out in our numbers and in state law.

• Southern Iowa. Several of the most expensive counties in our data are in the southwest and south-central part of the state, and Council Bluffs averages $230 a month. Des Moines averages $201, Cedar Rapids $195 and Iowa City $158.
• Low liability minimums. Iowa’s 20/40/15 minimum is low, and liability-only coverage at that minimum averages about $35 a month in our data. It leaves less protection if you cause a serious crash.
• How rates are set. Iowa law generally lets insurers in a competitive market use their rates first and file them with the Insurance Division within 15 days after they take effect, under Iowa Code 515F.24, and the division can disapprove a filing later.

Iowa Car Insurance Rates by City

Among cities with at least three ZIP codes in our data, Sioux City is the most expensive, at $211 a month for full coverage, followed by Des Moines at $201 and Davenport at $196. Iowa City is the least expensive, at about $158. Across all 113 cities and towns we price, averages run from about $255 in Clarinda to $156 in Coralville.

The table lists all 113 Iowa cities and towns in our data, using each place’s own ZIP codes, from most to least expensive. Search it for your town.

Iowa City Car Insurance Guides

Each city guide has local prices, how the insurers compare there and, for cities where prices vary by ZIP code, a ZIP code table.

Iowa Car Insurance Rates by County

Madison County is the most expensive county in our data, at about $245 a month for full coverage, followed by Page County ($244) and Montgomery County ($243). The least expensive are Johnson County ($169), Carroll County ($174) and Story County ($175). We price 70 of Iowa’s 99 counties.

Does Better Coverage Cost More in Iowa?

Full coverage at 100/300/100 limits costs less on average than 50/100/50 statewide in our data: $2,348 a year compared with $2,478, with the same $500 deductibles. Across the four insurers, the change runs from $509 less a year (Grinnell Mutual) to $31 more (Farm Bureau Financial Services). The full-coverage package doubles the per-person injury limit, triples the per-crash limit and doubles the property damage limit, and it raises uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to 100/300. Grinnell Mutual and IMT Insurance charge less for 100/300/100 than for 50/100/50 for our benchmark driver. Liability-only coverage is far cheaper, but it has no comprehensive or collision, so it won’t pay to fix or replace your own car.

Iowa Car Insurance Rules at a Glance

What Car Insurance Is Required in Iowa?

Iowa drivers must carry liability insurance, according to the Iowa Insurance Division. The minimum policy is:

• $20,000 per person and $40,000 per crash in bodily injury liability.
• $15,000 in property damage liability.

Under Iowa Code 516A.1, every policy also includes uninsured, hit-and-run and underinsured motorist coverage unless you reject it in writing on a separate signed form. The Insurance Division notes that the right amount of coverage for many drivers may be above the state minimums.

Iowa uses a modified comparative fault rule: under Iowa Code 668.3, you can’t recover damages if you’re more at fault than the other parties combined, and otherwise your recovery is reduced by your share of the fault.

Driving uninsured carries a scheduled fine of $325, or $645 if it’s tied to a crash, under Iowa Code 805.8A. An officer can also remove your plates and impound your car under Iowa Code 321.20B, and you can show proof of insurance on paper or on your phone. After a suspension, the Iowa DOT requires proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22) for two years.

How to Lower Your Car Insurance Rate in Iowa

1. Quote several insurers. Statewide, the lowest and highest insurer averages are about $125 a month apart for the same driver and car.
2. Compare Progressive and IMT Insurance first. They have the two lowest full-coverage averages among the four major insurers we compared in Iowa, about $126 and $176 a month.
3. Keep uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Iowa policies include it unless you reject it in writing, and it pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance, too little or drives off.
4. Keep comprehensive coverage. The Iowa Insurance Division says animal collisions make up 13.8% of reported crashes in Iowa, and hitting a deer is a comprehensive claim. Swerving into something else instead is a collision claim.
5. Carry proof of insurance. Without it, an officer can remove your plates and impound your car under Iowa Code 321.20B, and getting it back takes proof of coverage plus the fine, towing and storage costs.
6. Know how credit is used. Iowa insurers can use credit information, but under Iowa Code 515.103 they can’t deny, cancel or refuse to renew a policy based solely on credit information.
7. Compare at every renewal. Over the past nine months, Progressive has raised its average 28.2%, so the order in our table can shift.
8. Ask about discounts and check your deductible. Many insurers lower rates for a clean driving record, paying in full or insuring more than one car, so ask which auto insurance discounts you qualify for. Our full-coverage prices use $500 deductibles. A higher deductible lowers your premium but means you pay more yourself after a claim; see how deductibles affect your rate.
9. Insure your car and home together. A multi-policy discount is a common way to save, so check average home insurance rates in Iowa and our home insurance guides for Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, and compare home insurance quotes alongside your car quotes. Renting? A renters insurance policy can qualify too.

Compare Iowa Car Insurance Quotes

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How We Calculated Iowa Car Insurance Rates

Insurers must file their rates and rating rules with each state’s insurance regulator. Quadrant Information Services uses those filings to calculate what each insurer would charge a specific driver, and InsuranceQuotes analyzes those prices. This page uses rates in effect on Aug. 31, 2026.

• Sample: 584 full-coverage premiums from four insurers across 146 Iowa ZIP codes, plus the same number of liability-only and 50/100/50 premiums.
• Insurer count: our Iowa averages come from four insurers, fewer than in most states, so they can move more when one insurer changes its prices. We publish them as calculated, without adjustment.
• Driver: a single 40-year-old driver, licensed 24 years, with good credit and no accidents or violations, driving a 2024 Toyota Camry LE they own, for personal use.
• Coverage: full coverage is 100/300/100 liability with $500 comprehensive and collision deductibles and 100/300 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. We also price 50/100/50 with the same deductibles, and liability-only coverage at Iowa’s 20/40/15 minimum, with 20/40 uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and no comprehensive or collision.
• Calculation: for each insurer we take its lowest eligible price in each ZIP code and average those prices across the ZIP codes. The overall average is the mean of every insurer-and-ZIP price. Monthly figures are annual premiums divided by 12 and rounded.
• Rankings: we name a cheapest insurer only where it’s priced in at least half the ZIP codes and its lead over the next insurer isn’t so wide that it looks like an outlier. Annual prices within 3% of each other are called effectively tied.
• Rate changes: we compare the same insurer in the same ZIP codes, for the same driver and coverage, in rates as of Nov. 30, 2025, and Aug. 31, 2026. State Farm isn’t in the August 2026 rates, so it’s left out of rate-change comparisons; the other four insurers are in both sets of rates. Rate-change percentages are calculated from the annual premiums shown; other percentages use the rounded monthly figures.
• Insurers marked *: priced from recent published Iowa rate studies, scaled to our benchmark driver. They aren’t included in our averages or rankings. The State Farm row shows its November 2025 rates, so it isn’t included in our averages or rankings.
• What this isn’t: a quote. These are modeled prices for one driver profile, calculated from insurers’ rate filings. Your price depends on your ZIP code, vehicle, driving record, coverage choices and discounts.

Coverage requirements come from Iowa law and the Iowa Insurance Division. We refresh these figures when new rate data is released.

More Iowa Car Insurance Breakdowns

The table in this section comes from an additional InsuranceQuotes rate analysis. It uses its own driver profile and mix of insurers, so its prices differ from the averages above. Use it to compare vehicle types with each other.

Iowa Car Insurance Rates by County and Vehicle Type

In this analysis, an SUV is the least expensive vehicle type to insure and a hybrid the most expensive in all 99 counties. A hybrid costs about 32% more than an SUV on average.

Iowa Car Insurance FAQ