Wisconsin car insurance

Full coverage car insurance in Wisconsin averages about $180 a month, while state-minimum coverage runs about $48.

Wisconsin requires 25/50/10 liability plus uninsured motorist coverage and handles crashes on an at-fault basis.¹

In this article, you’ll learn how car insurance laws in Wisconsin work, what the minimum requirements are, and how to shop for the best value.

Wisconsin drivers pay about $180 a month, or $2,155 a year, for full coverage, and about $48 a month, or $573 a year, for state-minimum coverage. 

Full coverage costs more because it adds collision and comprehensive coverage to Wisconsin's required liability and uninsured-motorist coverage. But in return for that extra premium, a full coverage policy protects you against collisions, theft, vandalism, animal collisions, floods, fires, and other non-collision hazards.

Wisconsin drivers generally must carry at least $25,000 in bodily injury liability protection per individual, $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 in property damage liability protection (25/50/10).

Wisconsin insurers must also include 25/50 uninsured motorist coverage.¹ This coverage kicks in if you are struck by a driver with no insurance. 

Wisconsin’s $10,000 property damage liability minimum is also among the lowest in the country, and it works against you as the at-fault driver. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average new car sold for nearly $50,000 in mid-2026.² If you damage or total someone’s late-model car, you are personally liable for anything above your limit, so carrying more than the $10,000 minimum is worth considering.

Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) pays for your injuries when an at-fault driver’s bodily injury limits run out. It’s optional in Wisconsin, but if you buy it, it starts at 50/100, and your insurer must offer it.¹

The Insurance Research Council estimated 15.4 percent of U.S. drivers were uninsured in 2023.³ Wisconsin’s uninsured motorist requirement covers your injuries; to protect your car’s value against an uninsured driver, you need collision coverage.

Because the state minimum bodily injury liability is only 25/50, a serious injury can easily exceed what an at-fault driver carries, and UIM covers that gap.

Is Wisconsin a no-fault or at-fault state?

Wisconsin is an at-fault, or tort, state. The driver who causes a crash pays for the resulting injuries and damage through their own liability insurance.¹

Wisconsin adheres to a modified comparative negligence standard:

• Fault can be split up among multiple drivers.

• The damages you can collect from the other party’s insurance are reduced by your share of the fault.

• You can recover from another party only if your negligence is not greater than that party's.¹

In a two-car crash, being 51 percent at fault generally means you can collect nothing from the other driver. But the other driver could collect 49 percent of their damages from your insurance company, up to your policy limits.

Medical payments coverage pays your medical expenses if you are injured in a car accident, regardless of who’s at fault. It’s optional in Wisconsin.

MedPay starts at $1,000, though a $10,000 MedPay benefit is common. MedPay isn’t enough by itself to cover all your medical bills for a serious injury.

But because MedPay isn’t contingent on a fault determination, benefits can be paid quickly. That money can help pay your deductible, copays, and other out-of-pocket costs your health insurance doesn’t cover. Your major medical policy can pick up the rest. 

If you choose to add MedPay, check your health insurance deductible, copay, and out-of-pocket maximum first. Carry enough MedPay to pay all these costs until your major medical policy benefits kick in with 100 percent coverage.

USAA and GEICO are the two low-cost carriers in Wisconsin, averaging $102 per month. USAA membership is limited to U.S. military servicemembers, veterans, and select family members, so for most drivers, GEICO, Nationwide, and the regional carrier West Bend are the next cheapest carriers.

Wisconsin has a high number of strong regional insurers. West Bend, Acuity, and Erie sit in the middle of the pack on price. Luva compares regional and national carriers with your details all in one place.

Wisconsin insurers base pricing mostly on your driving record, age, credit history, location, your vehicle, and how much you drive.¹

Driving record

Speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and OWI (operating while intoxicated) convictions all increase future premiums. See below for how each affects your premiums.

An OWI can keep your premiums high for years. In Wisconsin, a first-offense OWI does not require an SR-22, but a repeat offense, driving uninsured, or a damage judgment can. 

An SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files with the Wisconsin DMV to confirm you carry the required liability coverage; if the policy lapses, the DMV suspends your license until a new filing is made, and it must stay in place for three years.⁴

Age

Premiums are highest for teenagers, but rates fall for drivers in their 20s and further into adulthood. After about age 70, premiums increase slightly.

Location

Milwaukee, Madison, and other metro areas cost more than Wisconsin’s rural counties.¹

Vehicle

Some vehicles cost more to repair, or are more frequently stolen than others. Also, some cars are safer than others for drivers and passengers in a crash. All these factors are reflected in premiums.

Mileage

The more miles you drive, the higher your premiums are likely to be. Low-mileage discounts are common.¹

Credit

Carriers charge Wisconsin drivers with poor credit about $368 a month on average. Drivers with very good or excellent credit pay an average of $143. However, Wisconsin restricts insurers from using customer credit as the sole reason to refuse, cancel, or non-renew a policy.¹

Deer give Wisconsin drivers a strong, state-specific reason to consider comprehensive coverage. The state recorded more than 17,000 deer crashes in 2025, killing six people and injuring 720.⁵

Damages from animal collisions are paid under comprehensive coverage, not collision. Comprehensive covers animal strikes, theft, fire, vandalism, hail, flooding, and falling objects, minus your deductible.⁶ If you take only the state minimum policy, without comprehensive or full coverage, you have no protection against any of these hazards. 

Comprehensive is worth carrying if any of these fit:

• You drive rural or wooded roads, where deer are most active at dawn and dusk.⁵

• Your car is financed or leased; your lender will typically require it.

• You could not easily afford to replace the car if it were totaled.

To shop for cheap auto insurance in Wisconsin, get quotes from several carriers at once. Here are some tips:

• Get quotes from at least five companies on identical limits and deductibles. Luva pulls quotes from multiple Wisconsin insurers on matching coverage, for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

• Include a regional insurer or two, like West Bend, Acuity, or Erie, alongside the national names. These regionals might cost more than the low-cost providers, but they tend to shine on claims service when it matters most.

• Explore available discounts, such as for bundling home and auto with the same insurance company, as well as multi-vehicle, good-student, low-mileage, and pay-in-full discounts.¹

• Choose a higher deductible. Increasing your deductible from $500 to $1,000 for collision and comprehensive can significantly lower your premiums. But don’t increase them so much that you would have a hard time recovering from a collision or other covered loss.¹

• Don’t let coverage lapse. A break in coverage can significantly increase premiums in the future.

• Recheck rates yearly and after a move, marriage, or new car.