Cheapest Car Insurance in South Carolina (2024)
Geico and USAA offer some of the cheapest car insurance rates in South Carolina at $1,154 and $1,421 a year, respectively, for a full-coverage policy.
Cheapest South Carolina liability-only coverage: USAA and Geico
The average annual cost of a liability-only car insurance policy, also known as a minimum-coverage policy, in South Carolina is $803. This is 56% lower than a full-coverage policy. We found that USAA and Geico offer the cheapest rates for minimum coverage.
| Company | Average annual premium |
|---|---|
| USAA | $480 |
| Geico | $584 |
| State Farm | $741 |
| Progressive | $750 |
| Travelers | $1,093 |
| Nationwide | $1,131 |
| Allstate | $1,160 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, a clean driving record and minimum coverage. Your rates may vary.
Liability coverage protects you if you cause a car accident and cause injuries or property damage to others. It will not cover your own injuries and property damage.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in South Carolina: USAA and Geico
The average annual cost of a full-coverage car insurance policy in South Carolina is $1,808. If you’re looking for a cheap full-coverage policy and you have a clean record, USAA and Geico offer the cheapest full-coverage rates in the state at $1,154 and $1,421, respectively.
| Company | Average annual premium |
|---|---|
| USAA | $1,154 |
| Geico | $1,421 |
| State Farm | $1,676 |
| Travelers | $1,973 |
| Progressive | $2,205 |
| Allstate | $2,321 |
| Nationwide | $2,466 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, a clean driving record and full coverage. Your rates may vary.
Full-coverage policies include liability coverage as well as collision coverage and comprehensive coverage. Collision and comprehensive coverage both cover damage to your vehicle.
Cheapest rates for young drivers in South Carolina: Geico
Teens and young adults usually pay more for car insurance due to their lack of driving experience and higher accident rates.
The average cost of a full-coverage policy for 18-year-olds is $5,629 in South Carolina, which is around $3,800 higher than a full-coverage policy for a 30-year-old. Geico offers the cheapest rates for both minimum- and full-coverage policies for 18-year-olds.
Cheapest rates for an 18-year-old in South Carolina
| Company | Minimum coverage (average annual premium) | Full coverage (average annual premium) |
|---|---|---|
| Geico | $1,858 | $3,776 |
| USAA | $2,045 | $4,342 |
| State Farm | $2,421 | $4,722 |
| Travelers | $2,697 | $4,826 |
| Allstate | $3,063 | $6,334 |
| Nationwide | $3,778 | $8,120 |
| Progressive | $4,126 | $11,375 |
Rates are for an 18-year-old male with good credit and a clean driving record. Your rates may vary.
Cheapest rates after a speeding ticket in South Carolina: USAA and Geico
If you have a speeding ticket on your record, your car insurance rates may go up when you renew your policy. USAA has the cheapest full-coverage rates after a speeding ticket, with an average rate of $1,419 a year. Geico offers the next-cheapest average rate of $1,421 a year.
| Company | Full coverage (average annual premium) |
|---|---|
| USAA | $1,419 |
| Geico | $1,421 |
| State Farm | $1,780 |
| Travelers | $2,501 |
| Progressive | $2,874 |
| Nationwide | $2,977 |
| Allstate | $3,032 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, a speeding ticket on their driving record and full coverage. Your rates may vary.
Cheapest rates after an accident in South Carolina: USAA and Geico
If you’re found responsible for an accident, your car insurance rate will likely go up when you renew your policy. Drivers who’ve been in an accident pay 61% more on car insurance, on average.
You may be able to get car insurance for under $3,000 a year with certain companies, though, including USAA, Geico and Travelers.
Cheapest car insurance companies after an accident in South Carolina
| Company | Full coverage |
|---|---|
| USAA | $1,655 |
| Geico | $2,041 |
| Travelers | $2,666 |
| Progressive | $3,668 |
| Nationwide | $3,693 |
| Allstate | $3,963 |
| State Farm | $4,597 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, an accident on their driving record and full coverage. Your rates may vary.
Best rates after a DUI in South Carolina: USAA and Progressive
Drivers with a DUI pay 69% more for car insurance, on average. USAA and Progressive offer the cheapest average rates at $2,083 and $2,740 a year, respectively.
| Company | Full coverage |
|---|---|
| USAA | $2,083 |
| Progressive | $2,740 |
| Travelers | $2,821 |
| Allstate | $3,230 |
| Geico | $3,351 |
| State Farm | $3,847 |
| Nationwide | $4,594 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, a DUI on their driving record and full coverage. Your rates may vary.
South Carolina insurance rates by city
Among South Carolina’s largest cities, Aiken offers the cheapest average car insurance rate at $1,600 a year. North Charleston has the most expensive car insurance in the state, averaging $2,014 annually.
Your car insurance rates can vary based on the city you live in due to factors like crime rates and population.
Car insurance rates in South Carolina by city
| City | Average annual premium |
|---|---|
| Charleston | $1,955 |
| Columbia | $1,885 |
| North Charleston | $2,014 |
| Mount Pleasant | $1,783 |
| Rock Hill | $1,760 |
| Greenville | $1,755 |
| Summerville | $1,981 |
| Goose Creek | $1,971 |
| Sumter | $1,881 |
| Florence | $1,935 |
| Spartanburg | $1,703 |
| Hilton Head Island | $1,653 |
| Greer | $1,683 |
| Myrtle Beach | $1,797 |
| Aiken | $1,600 |
| Bluffton | $1,686 |
| Anderson | $1,653 |
| Fort Mill | $1,686 |
| Mauldin | $1,690 |
| Conway | $1,904 |
| Socastee | $1,816 |
| North Augusta | $1,671 |
| Simpsonville | $1,621 |
| Lexington | $1,771 |
Rates are for a 30-year-old male with good credit, a clean driving record and full coverage. Your rates may vary.
Car insurance laws in South Carolina
If you live in South Carolina, you must carry at least these amounts of liability car insurance coverage:
- $25,000 per person for injuries and $50,000 for everyone injured in a single accident
- $25,000 for all property damage in a single accident
You also need to have these same amounts of uninsured motorist coverage, at a minimum.
Methodology
The rates in this article are based on an analysis of auto insurance quotes obtained from Quadrant Information Services for sample drivers from across South Carolina.
Unless otherwise noted, our sample driver is a single 30-year-old male who owns a 2015 Honda Civic. Our young base driver is an 18-year-old male with a good driving record.
Minimum-coverage rates reflect the cost of policies meeting the minimum liability limits required by each state.
Full-coverage policies include these coverages, limits and deductibles:
- Bodily injury liability: $50,000 limit per person/$100,000 limit per accident
- Property damage liability: $25,000 limit
- Collision: $500 deductible
- Comprehensive: $500 deductible