What car insurance costs in South Carolina

South Carolina's bill against the U.S.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) collects what insurers charge per insured car in every state. Its 2023 figures, the most recent by state, put South Carolina's average expenditure at $1,367, up 13% from $1,205 in 2022. That number blends cars with liability only and cars with full coverage. A car insured for liability, collision and comprehensive cost $1,517 on average.

Liability ran $142 above the national average, while collision was $78 below it and comprehensive about $13 above. In other words, the extra cost sits in the coverage that protects other people, which every South Carolina driver has to carry. Your driving record is one of the main inputs into that line; see how tickets and accidents raise a premium.

Coverage South Carolina builds in

South Carolina Code § 38-77-140 sets the liability floor at $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injuries to two or more people in one accident and $25,000 for property damage. Insurers may write higher limits, and you can ask for them on any quote.

• Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory. Under § 38-77-150, every policy must include it at limits no lower than the liability minimums, including at least $25,000 for property damage, though the first $200 of a property loss may be excluded.
• Higher limits and underinsured motorist coverage must be offered to you, up to your liability limits, under § 38-77-160. They are optional.
• Collision and comprehensive aren't required by the state, but a lender or leasing company will usually require them.

The Insurance Research Council estimates that 10.3% of South Carolina drivers were uninsured in 2023, below the U.S. rate of 15.4%. Underinsured motorist coverage, which pays when the at-fault driver's limits run out, is the optional piece worth pricing. Our page on limits and deductibles covers the trade-off.

How rate changes are approved

South Carolina uses a band. Under § 38-73-905, an insurer can raise or lower its overall average rate level for car insurance, all coverages combined, by up to 7% on a file-and-use basis, without prior approval, and no more than twice in any 12 months. Any other increase is subject to prior approval by the director of the Department of Insurance.

That doesn't cap your own bill: a rate level is an average, and your premium can still move with a new car, a claim or a change in your household. If your renewal jumps, our guide to why a premium goes up lists the questions to ask.

On credit, state law (§ 38-73-740) says that when an insurer uses a credit report to set an auto applicant's classification or premium, it must keep the report on file for at least three years and let the applicant inspect it on request. More on credit-based insurance scores.

High-risk drivers and group policies

A driver who is legally entitled to car insurance but can't get a liability policy can turn to the Associated Auto Insurers Plan, the residual market set up in Chapter 77 of Title 38. Applicants can ask the director of the Department of Insurance to have their risk assigned to an insurer. Ask for regular quotes again as tickets and accidents age off your record.

State law also gives groups a price break: under § 38-77-130, a group auto policy written for a group of 20 or more must carry a rate at least 5% below the individual rate for a substantially similar policy. If your employer or an association offers group auto coverage, ask whether it is written this way; see group and affinity discounts.

Lowering a South Carolina premium

1. 1 Get quotes from two or three companies on the same liability, uninsured and underinsured limits, since the liability line is where South Carolina prices run high.
2. 2 Look at your deductibles. Collision averaged less here than nationally. Before raising the deductible, check the trade-off with the deductible break-even calculator.
3. 3 Ask about group coverage through an employer, union or association, and whether the state's 5% group rule applies.
4. 4 Take a dispute to the South Carolina Department of Insurance if your insurer won't resolve it.

Questions drivers ask