The best, cheapest car insurance in South Carolina for 2025

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Best car insurance company in South Carolina

Drivers in South Carolina pay an average of $2,009 a year, or $167 per month, which is the 16^th highest in the country, according to our research.

Actual car insurance rates vary by company, and State Farm, Auto-Owners, and others continue to offer some of the most competitive premiums in South Carolina.

When it comes to the best cheap car insurance in South Carolina, State Farm is our No. 1 choice followed by Auto-Owners and Travelers.

State Farm scores well with third-party rating organizations and it has an average premium in South Carolina of $2,106 a year, or $176 a month, which is roughly $97 more than the South Carolina average.

The best car insurance companies in South Carolina

Company Group	NAIC	J.D. Power	AM Best Rating	Score (out of 5)
State Farm	0.79	673	A++	4.48
Auto-Owners	0.54	650	A+	4.46
Travelers	0.52	642	A++	4.19
GEICO	0.69	651	A++	4.17
Progressive	0.71	637	A+	3.91
Allstate	1.1	634	A+	3.28
USAA*	1.18	759	A++	4.50

*USAA is only available to military community members and their families.

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 and 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%

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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 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’re taking advantage of all the discounts you qualify for to ensure you’re getting the best possible rate. Ask your agent to review your policy for any available savings you might be missing.

Below are the cheapest car insurance rates by state. To calculate these rates, we used data for a 40-year-old driver of a 2023 Honda Accord LX – one of the most commonly insured vehicles – to provide a consistent and realistic comparison across states.

Cheapest full-coverage insurance in South Carolina

Company	Average annual premium	Average monthly premium
Auto-Owners	$1,475	$123
Progressive	$1,816	$151
Travelers	$1,949	$162
GEICO	$2,054	$171
State Farm	$2,106	$176
Allstate	$2,336	$195

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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.

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 pay more for car insurance than other drivers, excluding teens. Auto-Owners is the best choice for seniors in South Carolina, according to our data, with an average premium of $1,545 annually, which translates to $129 a month.

Progressive was the second most affordable at $1,787 and Travelers was next with a premium of $1,983.

“Seniors tend to have slower reaction times and may suffer from vision or hearing impairments, which can impair their driving ability. This makes them more prone to accidents and thus considered high-risk by insurance companies,” says Tariro Goronga, CEO of DriveSafe driving schools in Colorado.

The table below shows the average premium for senior drivers.

Average rates for seniors in South Carolina

Company	Average annual premium	Average monthly premium
Auto-Owners	$1,545	$129
Progressive	$1,787	$149
Travelers	$1,983	$165
State Farm	$2,023	$169
GEICO	$2,272	$189
Allstate	$2,527	$211

Car insurance for young drivers in South Carolina

While rates start to drop for teen drivers as they become young adults, they still pay slightly higher rates than more experienced drivers. According to our data, Auto-Owners is the cheapest insurer for drivers in their early 20s with an average premium of $2,439 a year or $203 per month.

Travelers was the second cheapest insurer at $2,813 and Progressive will insure a young driver in South Carolina for $2,989 a year.

Rates will continue to drop (assuming a clean driving record) as drivers hit their late 20s and move into their 30s.

The chart below shows the average premiums for young drivers.

Average rates for young drivers in South Carolina

Company	Average annual premium	Average monthly premium
Auto-Owners	$3,967	$331
GEICO	$5,351	$446
Travelers	$5,577	$465
State Farm	$5,674	$473
Allstate	$6,010	$501
Progressive	$8,846	$737

Car insurance for teen drivers in South Carolina

Although teen drivers always pay much higher premiums than other driver groups, Auto-Owners offers teens the cheapest rate at $3,967. Teen drivers are inexperienced and are big risk takers which results in more accidents and claims, pushing up the cost of coverage.

“Teenagers are more likely to be involved in accidents than older drivers because of their lack of experience. This increased risk results in higher insurance rates because insurance companies regard them as high-risk drivers,” says Goronga. “Teenagers are also more likely to engage in risky driving behaviors, such as distracted driving or speeding, increasing their chances of being involved in an accident.”

GEICO has the second most affordable premium at $5,351 a year followed by Travelers at $5,577 annually.

Our data clearly shows how dramatic premium differences can be for teens and how important shopping your coverage is when trying to find the best rate for your specific risk factors. While Auto-Owners was the most affordable at $3,967, Progressive was the most expensive with an annual premium of $8,846.

There are a few ways to save some money when insuring a teen. Ask your insurer for a good student discount if they are carrying a B average or better. Putting your teen in an older vehicle that you wouldn’t repair after an accident can help save some money by dropping collision and comprehensive. Just keep in mind that doing so means you’ll be on the hook for any damage if they’re in a crash.

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

Average rates for teens in South Carolina

Company	Average annual premium	Average monthly premium
Auto-Owners	$3,967	$331
GEICO	$5,351	$446
Travelers	$5,577	$465
State Farm	$5,674	$473
Allstate	$6,010	$501
Progressive	$8,846	$737

Average cost of car insurance in South Carolina

The average cost of car insurance in South Carolina is $2,009, which makes it the 16^th most expensive state in the country behind Louisiana and Florida.

Metropolitan areas – and all states have them – equals lots of drivers, which often leads to car crashes and claims.

“States with a higher population density have more cars on the road and thus more accidents and claims, increasing insurance rates. A more rural state like Iowa will have significantly lower average yearly car insurance costs compared to a highly metropolitan state like South Carolina,” says Gao.

Average rates for a 40-year-old in Idaho

Average annual premium	Average monthly premium
$2,009	$167

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

Insurers consider the ZIP code where your car is parked when setting a premium. High crime rates or frequent severe weather will result in a higher premium.

According to our analysis, the following ZIP codes are the most expensive in South Carolina for car insurance. Miley tops the charts at $2,389 a year.

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

Most expensive ZIP codes in South Carolina

City	Average annual Premium
Miley	$2,389
Crocketville	$2,388
Estill	$2,345
Allendale	$2,342
Furman	$2,334
Fairfax	$2,324
Brunson	$2,318
Canadys	$2,318
Pineland	$2,313
Hampton	$2,312

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.

Least expensive ZIP codes in South Carolina

City	Average annual Premium
Salem	$1,708
Newry	$1,721
Walhalla	$1,728
Westminster	$1,739
West Union	$1,743
Seneca	$1,744
Tamassee	$1,746
Sunset	$1,753
Mount Carmel	$1,755
Long Creek	$1,758

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:

How much rates increase in South Carolina after a traffic incident

Profile Groups	Average annual premium	Rates after Incident	Rates increase after incident ($)	Rates increase after incident (%)
At-Fault Accident	$1,811	$2,785	$974	54%
Bad Credit	$1,811	$3,427	$1,615	89%
DUI	$1,811	$3,216	$1,404	78%
Speeding	$1,811	$2,372	$561	31%

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: How does a state’s population affect car insurance rates?

Chong GaoDirector of product management R&D at Mercury Insurance.

Mark Vallet

Contributing Researcher

Mark Vallet is a Denver-based insurance expert and journalist with 18 years of experience covering the car insurance industry. He specializes in breaking down complex insurance topics into clear, expert-backed insights that help drivers make smarter insurance coverage decisions.