Illinois law (625 ILCS 5/7-203) requires Bodily Injury (BI) limits of at least $20,000 per person per accident and $40,000 total per accident.
According to the IL Division of Insurance bodily injury liability pays for costs due to injury or death to a pedestrian(s) or person(s) in another car. It may also cover your passengers' injury costs as long as they are not members of your household.
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury and Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury are also required in Illinois.
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UM) coverage covers you for your bodily injury caused by a hit-and-run driver or an at-fault driver who has no auto liability insurance. Currently, Illinois law (215 ILCS 5/143a) requires uninsured motorist limits of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident. For an additional premium, you may buy higher limits to pay for claims that exceed those amounts.
Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UIM) insurance pays the difference between your UIM limits and the liability limits of the at-fault driver, if lower than your UIM limits. Illinois law requires this type of coverage if you purchase higher limits of uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage (UM).
Illinois state insurance laws also require that Property Damage (PD) liability also be purchased. PD pays for damage to another person's car or property such as fences, buildings, utility poles, signs, and trees. Illinois law requires PD liability limits of at least $15,000 per accident.
The Illinois insurance regulator notes that you may want to consider buying higher limits of BI and PD liability because the state minimums may not be enough to fully protect you from lawsuits. Many vehicles today are worth more than $15,000 and medical bills for injuries could easily exceed $20,000 for one person. If you are found negligent in an accident and the damages exceed your insurance limits, you can be sued in court for those amounts not covered by your Illinois car insurance.