How much is car insurance in South Carolina?
Drivers in South Carolina paid an average of $1,517 a year for full-coverage car insurance in 2023 (NAIC), 5% above the $1,439 US average, or about $1,800 a year in South Carolina today (about $150 a month through August 2026). In South Carolina, the law asks for at least 25/50/25 liability, and South Carolina's 2023 liability-only average—the closest NAIC benchmark to a minimum policy—was $879 (about $1,040 today).
Average car insurance cost in South Carolina: 5% above the US average
Typical South Carolina full-coverage price today
about $1,800 a year in South Carolina (about $150 a month)
South Carolina's 2023 NAIC full-coverage average ($1,517) adjusted +18% to August 2026 using the US motor-vehicle insurance price index; your South Carolina rate depends on your car, driving history, and coverage limits.
That $1,517 2023 full-coverage figure makes South Carolina the 14th most expensive of the 50 states and DC (against $1,439 nationally), with 58% going to liability ($879, 10th highest in the US) and 42% covering physical damage to your own vehicle. Counting every insured car in South Carolina—both full-coverage and liability-only policies—South Carolina drivers spent $1,367 per vehicle on average in 2023 (15th highest in the US, about $1,620 today), or 10% ($150) less than South Carolina's full-coverage combined average.
How South Carolina compares with Georgia and North Carolina
A typical policy in South Carolina ($1,517 in 2023) costs more than in North Carolina and less than in Georgia. Among South Carolina's neighbors, North Carolina had the lowest 2023 average ($1,097, moving to South Carolina is about $560 more a year) and Georgia had the highest ($1,746, moving to South Carolina is about $310 less a year).
| State | 2023 average | Moving to South Carolina from there |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | $1,517 | Current state (South Carolina) |
| Georgia | $1,746 | About $310 less a year |
| North Carolina | $1,097 | About $560 more a year |
| US average | $1,439 | US benchmark |
States with similar 2023 full-coverage averages: Connecticut ($1,508 in 2023, about $1,790 today), Arizona ($1,505 in 2023, about $1,780 today), Delaware ($1,569 in 2023, about $1,860 today), and Michigan ($1,573 in 2023, about $1,860 today).
South Carolina: 25/50/25 minimums since 2006, with mandatory uninsured-motorist coverage
- South Carolina liability (per person / per crash / property)
- $25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000
- Personal injury protection (PIP) in South Carolina
- Not required
- Medical payments in South Carolina
- Not required
- No-fault system in South Carolina
- No
- Uninsured motorist in South Carolina
- Required
- Underinsured motorist in South Carolina
- Not required
Set by S.C. Code 38-77-140, South Carolina's 25/50/25 minimum pays up to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries you cause to others, plus $25,000 for others' property—the legal floor in South Carolina, not a coverage recommendation, and it excludes collision or comprehensive repairs on your own car.
Liability-only coverage in South Carolina—the closest NAIC figure to what a South Carolina minimum policy costs—averaged $879 in 2023 (about $1,040 in South Carolina today), the 10th highest of the 50 states and DC. That makes liability 58% of South Carolina's full-coverage average ($1,517), while the remaining 42% goes toward collision and comprehensive coverage for your own car.
South Carolina requires at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage. Uninsured-motorist coverage is mandatory. Underinsured-motorist coverage must be offered to you but is optional.
What we couldn’t confirm: We marked PIP not required because we found no law requiring it. Medical payments coverage is optional: the law describes it as offered "at the option of the insured."
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Uninsured motorist coverage is required, at no less than $25,000/$50,000 for injuries and $25,000 for property damage (the first $200 of property loss may be excluded). Insurers must offer more, and must offer underinsured motorist coverage, up to your liability limits, but underinsured coverage is optional.
- History and recent checks
- 25/50/25 since 2006 Act No. 395, for policies issued or renewed on or after Jan 1, 2007. Uninsured motorist coverage minimums raised by 2013 Act No. 47, effective Jan 1, 2014. The option to pay a fee and register an uninsured vehicle (56-10-510) was removed by 2023 Act No. 51, effective July 1, 2024.
- Checked
- September 22, 2026
- Sources
- S.C. Code 38-77-140
(1) twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to one person ... (2) fifty thousand dollars because of bodily injury to two or more persons ... (3) twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property
- S.C. Code 38-77-150
No automobile insurance policy or contract may be issued or delivered unless it contains ... the uninsured motorist provision" / "no less than twenty-five thousand dollars' coverage for injury to or destruction of the property
- S.C. Code 38-77-160
Such carriers shall also offer, at the option of the insured, underinsured motorist coverage up to the limits of the insured liability coverage
- S.C. Code 56-10-10 and 56-10-510
Every owner of a motor vehicle required to be registered in this State shall maintain the security required" / "Reserved by 2023 Act No. 51, SECTION 5, eff July 1, 2024.
- S.C. Code 38-77-140
Adding a 16-year-old driver in South Carolina: about $1,190 more a year
Adding a 16-year-old to a South Carolina policy
about $1,190 more a year
About $100 a month (+66% over a typical South Carolina adult policy of $1,800), bringing the combined South Carolina family policy to roughly $2,200–$3,950 a year.
On a separate South Carolina policy of their own with the same car, a 16-year-old in South Carolina would pay about $5,160 a year (roughly $3,950–$7,350), so sharing a parent's South Carolina policy saves about $3,970 a year.
Our teen-driver multipliers come from California's published age-rating filings scaled to South Carolina's baseline. How adding a teen driver works.
Cheapest cars to add a teen with in South Carolina
In South Carolina, the 2022 Subaru Forester and Outback come out the same, the least of the 33 cars on the site's popular lists to add a teen with: about $1,060 more a year on a South Carolina policy, versus about $1,790 more a year for the 2022 Tesla Model 3 at the top of South Carolina's list.
| 2022 model | Added to a South Carolina policy | Own South Carolina policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Subaru Forester | +$1,060 in South Carolina | $4,600 in South Carolina |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | +$1,060 in South Carolina | $4,620 in South Carolina |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | +$1,070 in South Carolina | $4,630 in South Carolina |
| 2022 Honda CR-V | +$1,140 in South Carolina | $4,950 in South Carolina |
| 2022 Toyota RAV4 | +$1,160 in South Carolina | $5,040 in South Carolina |
The order is the same in every state, because our car data is national. What changes from state to state is the price level. See all 33 teen cars and how we rank them.
What popular cars cost to insure in South Carolina
In South Carolina, a 45-year-old with full coverage pays from about $1,680 a year for a 2024 GMC Acadia to about $2,160 for a 2024 Jeep Compass on these South Carolina sample models.
| Car | 45-year-old in South Carolina | Adding a teen in South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GMC Terrain | about $1,900 a year | +$1,260 a year |
| 2024 GMC Acadia | about $1,680 a year | +$1,110 a year |
| 2024 GMC Yukon | about $1,820 a year | +$1,200 a year |
| 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee | about $2,040 a year | +$1,350 a year |
| 2024 Jeep Compass | about $2,160 a year | +$1,420 a year |
| 2024 Nissan Pathfinder | about $2,000 a year | +$1,320 a year |
| 2024 Nissan Murano | about $2,040 a year | +$1,350 a year |
| 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan | about $1,900 a year | +$1,250 a year |
See all 121 popular cars, SUVs, pickups, and EVs.
Common questions about car insurance in South Carolina
- How much is car insurance in South Carolina?
- In South Carolina, full-coverage car insurance averaged $1,517 a year in 2023 (the 14th most expensive of the 50 states and DC per NAIC), or about $1,800 a year ($150 a month) in South Carolina as of August 2026. South Carolina liability-only coverage averaged $879 in 2023 (58% of South Carolina's full-coverage figure, or about $1,040 today), and South Carolina drivers spent $1,367 per insured car across all policies.
- What are the minimum car insurance limits in South Carolina?
- Under S.C. Code 38-77-140, South Carolina requires 25/50/25 liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. 25/50/25 since 2006 Act No. 395, for policies issued or renewed on or after Jan 1, 2007. Uninsured motorist coverage minimums raised by 2013 Act No. 47, effective Jan 1, 2014. The option to pay a fee and register an uninsured vehicle (56-10-510) was removed by 2023 Act No. 51, effective July 1, 2024.
- How much does adding a 16-year-old teen driver cost in South Carolina?
- Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's full-coverage policy in South Carolina adds about $1,190 more a year ($100 a month), bringing the South Carolina household policy to roughly $2,200–$3,950 a year versus about $5,160 a year (roughly $3,950–$7,350) on a standalone South Carolina teen policy.
- Is South Carolina a no-fault car insurance state?
- No—South Carolina is a fault-based (tort) state where the at-fault driver's insurer pays for crash damages, and South Carolina does not require personal injury protection (PIP). For uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in South Carolina: Uninsured motorist coverage is required, at no less than $25,000/$50,000 for injuries and $25,000 for property damage (the first $200 of property loss may be excluded). Insurers must offer more, and must offer underinsured motorist coverage, up to your liability limits, but underinsured coverage is optional.
- How does South Carolina's car insurance cost compare with Georgia?
- South Carolina averaged $1,517 for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC) against $1,746 in Georgia (13% less than Georgia), and moving a sample policy from Georgia to South Carolina today is about $310 less a year. Other bordering states averaged $1,097 in North Carolina in 2023.
Sources for South Carolina
- South Carolina average premiums ($1,517 full coverage, $879 liability-only, $1,367 average expenditure): National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), 2022/2023 Auto Insurance Database Report (2023 data, trended to today with the BLS CPI motor-vehicle insurance series).
- South Carolina minimum coverage statutes (S.C. Code 38-77-140; S.C. Code 38-77-150; S.C. Code 38-77-160; S.C. Code 56-10-10 and 56-10-510), checked September 22, 2026. Page updated for South Carolina. See methodology and all sources.
This is an estimate to help you plan, not a quote. We don't sell insurance, and nothing you type is sent to us. Only an insurer can give you a real price.