Iowans deserve better than 43-year-old car insurance coverage
On your way to work, on a family trip, or on the road to your big moment, we count on our cars and trucks to get us there safely. But if you’re in an accident, hit by someone who has minimum car insurance, an outdated Iowa law means you’ll likely pay for most of the damage yourself.
Iowa’s car insurance requirements haven’t changed since 1983. Until lawmakers update the law, we pay the price.
Contact your legislator today! Encourage them to do their job and advance legislation that modernizes Iowa’s car insurance minimums.
For more than four decades, Iowa families have been stuck with minimum car insurance limits that simply don’t reflect today’s reality. Medical care costs more. Vehicles cost more. Repairs cost more. Yet the protection the law requires hasn’t changed at all.
When minimum coverage is too low, real people pay the price, starting with their car or truck. Today’s vehicles cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair or replace, and even a relatively minor crash can total a modern pickup or SUV. The average used car cost in Iowa is over $35,000, yet Iowa law still only requires $15,000 in property damage coverage. That amount can be exhausted almost instantly after a crash. When the at-fault driver carries only the legal minimum, the rest of the cost lands on you, your deductible, or your personal savings. And when those losses spill beyond the vehicle itself, struggling hospitals and taxpayers are left to pick up the tab.
That’s not personal responsibility.
Updating Iowa’s minimum car insurance coverage is a common-sense step that protects families, strengthens our rural hospitals, and ensures accountability on the road. It’s about making sure Iowa law reflects Iowa life in 2026, not 1983.