How much is car insurance in South Dakota?
Car insurance in South Dakota cost an average of $1,158 a year for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC), sitting 20% below the $1,439 national average and coming to about $1,370 a year in South Dakota today (about $115 a month in August 2026 dollars). In South Dakota, the law asks for at least 25/50/25 liability, while South Dakota liability-only policies—the closest NAIC figure to minimum coverage—averaged $378 in 2023 (about $450 today).
Average car insurance cost in South Dakota: 20% below the US average
Typical South Dakota full-coverage price today
about $1,370 a year in South Dakota (about $115 a month)
South Dakota's 2023 NAIC full-coverage average ($1,158) adjusted +19% to August 2026 using the US motor-vehicle insurance price index; your South Dakota rate depends on your car, driving history, and coverage limits.
In 2023 NAIC data, South Dakota was the 12th least expensive of the 50 states and DC for full coverage ($1,158 vs $1,439 nationally), while ranking lower on liability alone (2nd lowest in the US at $378) because 67% of a full-coverage South Dakota premium goes to collision and comprehensive coverage on your own car. NAIC also tracks South Dakota's average expenditure per insured vehicle—$937 in 2023 (10th lowest in the US, or about $1,110 today)—which sits 19% ($221) below South Dakota's full-coverage average because many South Dakota drivers drop collision or comprehensive on older cars.
How South Dakota compares with Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, and 3 more bordering states
A typical policy in South Dakota ($1,158 in 2023) costs more than in Iowa and North Dakota and less than in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Among South Dakota's neighbors, North Dakota had the lowest 2023 average ($961, moving to South Dakota is about $260 more a year) and Minnesota had the highest ($1,223, moving to South Dakota is about $90 less a year).
| State | 2023 average | Moving to South Dakota from there |
|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | $1,158 | Current state (South Dakota) |
| Iowa | $1,010 | About $200 more a year |
| Minnesota | $1,223 | About $90 less a year |
| Montana | $1,184 | About the same |
| Nebraska | $1,184 | About the same |
| North Dakota | $961 | About $260 more a year |
| Wyoming | $1,180 | About the same |
| US average | $1,439 | US benchmark |
States with similar 2023 full-coverage averages: Kansas ($1,182 in 2023, about $1,400 today), Kentucky ($1,208 in 2023, about $1,430 today), Tennessee ($1,212 in 2023, about $1,440 today), and North Carolina ($1,097 in 2023, about $1,300 today).
South Dakota: 25/50/25 minimums since 1992, with mandatory uninsured-motorist coverage
- South Dakota liability (per person / per crash / property)
- $25,000 / $50,000 / $25,000
- Personal injury protection (PIP) in South Dakota
- Not required
- Medical payments in South Dakota
- Not required
- No-fault system in South Dakota
- No
- Uninsured motorist in South Dakota
- Required
- Underinsured motorist in South Dakota
- Required
Set by SDCL 32-35-70, South Dakota'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 Dakota, not a coverage recommendation, and it excludes collision or comprehensive repairs on your own car.
Liability-only coverage in South Dakota—the closest NAIC figure to what a South Dakota minimum policy costs—averaged $378 in 2023 (about $450 in South Dakota today), the 2nd lowest of the 50 states and DC. That makes liability 33% of South Dakota's full-coverage average ($1,158), while the remaining 67% goes toward collision and comprehensive coverage for your own car.
South Dakota requires at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage. Every policy must also include uninsured and underinsured-motorist coverage at the same limits as your injury liability.
What we couldn’t confirm: The legislature's statute pages load with JavaScript, so we read the same text through its data feed. We marked PIP and medical payments coverage not required because we found no law requiring them, not because a law says they're optional.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage must each match your injury liability limits, up to $100,000/$300,000 unless you ask for more, and you can't turn them down. At the $25,000/$50,000 minimum, you carry $25,000/$50,000 of each.
- History and recent checks
- Statute source notes show no amendments to 32-35-70 since 1992 or to 58-11-9.4 since 1997; no 2024-2026 change found.
- Checked
- September 22, 2026
- Sources
- SDCL 32-35-70
twenty-five thousand dollars because of bodily injury to or death of one person ... fifty thousand dollars ... twenty-five thousand dollars because of injury to or destruction of property
- SDCL 32-35-113
Every driver or owner of a motor vehicle shall at all times maintain in force one of the forms of financial responsibility
- SDCL 58-11-9
unless coverage is provided therein ... in limits for bodily injury or death equal to the coverage provided by such policy for bodily injury and death
- SDCL 58-11-9.4
unless underinsured motorist coverage is provided therein at a face amount equal to the bodily injury limits of the policy
- SDCL 32-35-70
Adding a 16-year-old driver in South Dakota: about $910 more a year
Adding a 16-year-old to a South Dakota policy
about $910 more a year
About $75 a month (+66% over a typical South Dakota adult policy of $1,370), bringing the combined South Dakota family policy to roughly $1,700–$3,000 a year.
On a separate South Dakota policy of their own with the same car, a 16-year-old in South Dakota would pay about $3,940 a year (roughly $3,000–$5,600), so sharing a parent's South Dakota policy saves about $3,030 a year.
Our teen-driver multipliers come from California's published age-rating filings scaled to South Dakota's baseline. How adding a teen driver works.
Cheapest cars to add a teen with in South Dakota
In South Dakota, the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek come out the same, the least of the 33 cars on the site's popular lists to add a teen with: about $810 more a year on a South Dakota policy, versus about $1,360 more a year for the 2022 Tesla Model 3 at the top of South Dakota's list.
| 2022 model | Added to a South Dakota policy | Own South Dakota policy |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Subaru Forester | +$810 in South Dakota | $3,510 in South Dakota |
| 2022 Subaru Outback | +$810 in South Dakota | $3,520 in South Dakota |
| 2022 Subaru Crosstrek | +$810 in South Dakota | $3,540 in South Dakota |
| 2022 Honda CR-V | +$870 in South Dakota | $3,780 in South Dakota |
| 2022 Toyota RAV4 | +$890 in South Dakota | $3,840 in South Dakota |
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 Dakota
In South Dakota, a 45-year-old with full coverage pays from about $1,400 a year for a 2024 Volkswagen Atlas to about $1,760 for a 2024 Ram 1500 on these South Dakota sample models.
| Car | 45-year-old in South Dakota | Adding a teen in South Dakota |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Volkswagen Atlas | about $1,400 a year | +$930 a year |
| 2024 Volkswagen Taos | about $1,460 a year | +$960 a year |
| 2024 Buick Encore GX | about $1,530 a year | +$1,010 a year |
| 2024 Buick Enclave | about $1,480 a year | +$980 a year |
| 2024 Dodge Durango | about $1,650 a year | +$1,090 a year |
| 2024 Mitsubishi Outlander | about $1,670 a year | +$1,100 a year |
| 2024 Chevrolet Silverado | about $1,720 a year | +$1,130 a year |
| 2024 Ram 1500 | about $1,760 a year | +$1,160 a year |
See all 121 popular cars, SUVs, pickups, and EVs.
Common questions about car insurance in South Dakota
- How much is car insurance in South Dakota?
- In South Dakota, full-coverage car insurance averaged $1,158 a year in 2023 (the 12th least expensive of the 50 states and DC per NAIC), or about $1,370 a year ($115 a month) in South Dakota as of August 2026. South Dakota liability-only coverage averaged $378 in 2023 (33% of South Dakota's full-coverage figure, or about $450 today), and South Dakota drivers spent $937 per insured car across all policies.
- What are the minimum car insurance limits in South Dakota?
- Under SDCL 32-35-70, South Dakota requires 25/50/25 liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. Statute source notes show no amendments to 32-35-70 since 1992 or to 58-11-9.4 since 1997; no 2024-2026 change found.
- How much does adding a 16-year-old teen driver cost in South Dakota?
- Adding a 16-year-old to a parent's full-coverage policy in South Dakota adds about $910 more a year ($75 a month), bringing the South Dakota household policy to roughly $1,700–$3,000 a year versus about $3,940 a year (roughly $3,000–$5,600) on a standalone South Dakota teen policy.
- Is South Dakota a no-fault car insurance state?
- No—South Dakota is a fault-based (tort) state where the at-fault driver's insurer pays for crash damages, and South Dakota does not require personal injury protection (PIP). For uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in South Dakota: Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage must each match your injury liability limits, up to $100,000/$300,000 unless you ask for more, and you can't turn them down. At the $25,000/$50,000 minimum, you carry $25,000/$50,000 of each.
- How does South Dakota's car insurance cost compare with Iowa?
- South Dakota averaged $1,158 for full coverage in 2023 (NAIC) against $1,010 in Iowa (15% more than Iowa), and moving a sample policy from Iowa to South Dakota today is about $200 more a year. Other bordering states averaged $1,223 in Minnesota, $1,184 in Montana, $1,184 in Nebraska, $961 in North Dakota, and $1,180 in Wyoming in 2023.
Sources for South Dakota
- South Dakota average premiums ($1,158 full coverage, $378 liability-only, $937 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 Dakota minimum coverage statutes (SDCL 32-35-70; SDCL 32-35-113; SDCL 58-11-9; SDCL 58-11-9.4), checked September 22, 2026. Page updated for South Dakota. 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.