The time is now: Let’s raise Iowa’s minimum car insurance coverage

By Accountable Iowa

February 1, 2026

Iowa’s minimum car insurance coverage hasn’t been updated since 1983. That’s right, a whopping 43 years ago.

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.

The good news? The Iowa Senate is finally taking action.

A bill (SF 119) to update Iowa’s outdated minimum car insurance requirements has already passed unanimously out of a Senate subcommittee with bipartisan support. That sends a clear message: lawmakers from both parties agree this law is overdue for an update.

Now the bill is before the Senate Commerce Committee, and your voice matters more than ever. Click here to take action.

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. And it’s not fair.

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.