The best, cheapest car insurance in South Carolina

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Our take

Auto-Owners is the best insurer in South Carolina, based on Insure.com research of state rates and third-party rankings. Auto-Owners received 3.99 out of 5 stars.

Best car insurance company in South Carolina

Drivers in South Carolina pay an average of $2,009 a year or $167 a month for car insurance coverage which makes it the 16^th most expensive state in the country.

Even though car insurance is pretty expensive in South Carolina, it is possible to find affordable coverage with top insurers such as Auto-Owners, Progressive, Travelers, and other insurers.

Auto-Owners is our choice for the best car insurance in South Carolina. It finished first in our rankings with 3.99 out of 5 stars and an average premium of $1,475 a year, or $123 a month, which is $534 less than the state average.

Travelers was second with a score of 3.36 stars followed by State Farm with 3.23 stars.

Table: The best car insurance companies in South Carolina

How we picked the top auto insurance companies

When choosing the top car insurance companies in the state, we not only looked at the average cost of coverage but also J.D. Power customer satisfaction scores, AM Best financial strength ratings and National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint rankings. National averages were used where state/regional data was not available.

For each of the four metrics, we gave companies in each state from 1 to 5 (5 being the best) based on how they performed in each category.” Those components were then given the following weights to arrive at an overall star rating.

• Premiums: 25%
• JD Power: 30%
• AM Best: 25%
• NAIC: 20%

Auto insurance premiums vary significantly from city to city, so drivers need to be sure they’re getting the best deal. Insure.com has done the research for you. Get more information on auto insurance rates by city below.

Cheapest car insurance in South Carolina

Auto-Owners has the cheapest average rate in the state at $1,475 a year.

While Auto-Owners is the cheapest for many drivers, the perfect insurer for you may be a different company.

Insurers consider a wide variety of factors when setting a premium including your driving record, credit score, age, marital status as well the vehicle. Where you live also affects rates.

“States that have a higher rate of severe weather that damages cars or helps cause accidents will typically have higher rates,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance. “Florida, for example, is prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and its car insurance costs are consequently much higher.”

Insurance companies crunch all this data with proprietary algorithms, which can result in dramatic differences in premium quotes.

The data clearly shows the range of premiums for similar drivers.

In South Carolina, as mentioned earlier, the cheapest policy is with Auto-Owners with an average rate of $1,475 a year. Progressive follows with an average premium of $1,816 a year or $151 a month and Travelers with premiums of” $1,949 a year or $162 a month.

Allstate is the most expensive insurer with an average premium of $2,336.

Make sure you are getting all available discounts that you qualify for to sure you are paying the best rates. Ask your agent to do a discount review of your policy.

The list below shows the cheapest full-coverage car insurance rates in South Carolina for a 40-year-old driver of a Honda Accord LX.

Full coverage car insurance in South Carolina

As noted, the rates above are for full coverage car insurance. Full coverage car insurance simply means you are carrying liability and any other state requirements as well as collision and comprehensive.

Full coverage insurance includes collision and comprehensive, which protects your own vehicle. Collision insurance will pay to repair your vehicle when it is damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object. Comprehensive covers damage that is done by perils such as fire, theft, flooding, vandalism, and more.

Learn more about liability, collision and comprehensive coverage here.

Shopping for car insurance in South Carolina

Shopping around for coverage is a great way to make sure you are getting the best rates on your auto insurance. Experts often tell consumers to shop for insurance yearly. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be looking to switch.

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months.” The more tenure you have with a carrier,” the more potential there is to earn benefits,” says Tim Bottini, a Country Financial insurance agent based in St. Louis. “The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

But make sure you are comparing like coverage levels and deductibles.

“It is extremely important to make sure you start off with an apples-to-apples comparison,” Bottini says. “However, if a person has low limits, say 25/50/25 – limit per person/per occurrence/limit for property damage – I am going to recommend and quote at least 50/100/100. Depending on their age/income and profession, I would quote higher limits to protect their net worth and earnings potential.”

Bottini also says people can save money on their car insurance by keeping their credit score up, following the speed limit and placing both home and auto insurance with the same carrier.

Cheapest car insurance in South Carolina by age

Insurance companies consider your age when setting a premium and teens and young adults pay more for coverage as statistics show that young drivers, because they are inexperienced, have more accidents and claims.”

Regardless of your age, in South Carolina, Auto-Owners is the most affordable coverage with an average rate of $1,475 a year.

As teens transition into young adults and get more experience under their belt rates start to drop. By their mid to late-20s (assuming they keep their record clean) driver rates should stabilize and then stay stable until the driver moves into their 70s when rates will start climbing again.

Cheapest car insurance for senior drivers in South Carolina

Seniors in the state pay more for coverage than all other driver groups, except for teens. Auto-Owners is the most affordable option for seniors with a yearly premium of $1,545 or $129 a month. Progressive was the second cheapest at $1,787 and Travelers rounded out the top three at $1,983.

Seniors tend to pay more for coverage due to age. Many seniors suffer from vision and hearing issues as well as slowing reflexes. In addition, medications they may take can impact their driving. All of these factors combined lead to more accidents and claims which will result in a higher premium.

The chart below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Car insurance for young drivers in South Carolina

While young adults pay less than teen drivers, they still pay more than older more experienced drivers. The best choice for young adults (early 20s) in South Carolina is Auto-Owners with an annual rate of $2,439 or $203 a month.

Travelers had the second cheapest premium at $2,813 a year followed by Progressive was third at $2,989.

If young drivers keep their driving record clean, their rates will drop down as they move out of their 20s.

The table below shows the best insurers for young drivers in South Carolina:

Car insurance for teen drivers in South Carolina

Adding a teen to a car insurance policy will always push up the rate. Teens are the least experienced drivers out on the road which leads to more accidents and claims and higher premiums.

“Teen drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents due to their lack of driving experience and tendency to engage in risky behaviors like speeding,” says Eliezer Zupnick, founder of East Leads Group LLC. “Teens are involved in three times as many auto accidents per mile compared to drivers aged 20 and up, making them a high-risk category for insurers.”

For South Carolina teens, Auto-Owners is the most affordable option with a premium of $3,967 a year or $331 a month. Geico is the next most affordable at $5,351 a year or $446 a month followed by Travelers running $5,577 a year.

If your teen has a B average or better, ask for a good student discount to help save a bit of money. Having your teen drive an older vehicle will also help save some money. If the car is old enough that you wouldn’t repair it after an accident, you may be able to drop collision and comprehensive.

The chart below shows average premiums for teens in South Carolina:

Average cost of car insurance in South Carolina

In South Carolina, the average premium is $2,009, which makes South Carolina the 16^th most expensive state for coverage.

All states have large metropolitan areas, which will always push up the cost of insurance as more vehicles on the road lead to more accidents and claims. A high crime rate will also impact rates.

“If a state has a higher rate of car insurance claims associated with vandalism or car theft, prices are usually higher because car insurance companies view insuring these cars as a higher risk for them,” says Chong Gao, director of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

The chart below is the average rate in each state for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX.

Which South Carolina ZIP codes are most expensive for car insurance?

Where your vehicle spends its days and nights will impact your rate. Frequent severe weather or a high crime rate will raise the cost of insurance for everyone in the area.

Our data shows that Miley is the most expensive area for coverage with an average premium of $2,389 a year.

Here are the most expensive ZIP codes in South Carolina for car insurance:

Which South Carolina ZIP codes are the cheapest for car insurance?

The cheapest ZIP codes for car insurance in South Carolina tend to be in rural areas where there are fewer people and cars which leads to lower accident and claim rates. Salem has the most affordable ZIP code in South Carolina with an annual premium of $1,708.

Cheapest car insurance for high-risk drivers in South Carolina

If you have an at-fault accident, DUI or speeding ticket on your driving record, your insurer may consider you a high-risk driver and will push up the cost of your coverage.

A speeding ticket increases the average premium to $2,372 and will stay on your record and impact your premium for three years.

If you are responsible for an accident, your rates will push the average cost of coverage to $2,785.

A DUI is considered a major violation and will raise the average premium to $3,216.

The table below shows the average increase for drivers with an incident on their record:

Minimum car insurance requirements in South Carolina

Most states require all drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage to drive legally. South Carolina requires drivers to carry 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which translates into:

$25k for bodily injury and $50,000 for death for a person involved in an accident

$50k for bodily injury and $100,000 for death for two or more people in an accident

$25k for property damage for a single accident

These required minimums are fairly average when compared to other states. However, these minimums are rarely enough coverage if you are involved in a serious accident. Once your coverage levels are exceeded, you will be on the hook for any remaining damage.

Experts typically recommend carrying 100/300/50 as a minimum liability coverage level.

What our expert says

Q: Is it a good idea to switch insurers?

Tim BottiniInsurance agent, Country Financial

“I recommend that people stay with the same insurance company, as they tend to get a better rate when they have been with the same carrier for more than 12 months. The more tenure you have with a carrier, the more potential there is to earn benefits. The carrier can also review your claims history and provide information about applicable discounts.”

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

 

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Mark is a freelance journalist and analyst with over 15 years of experience covering the insurance industry.