Auto insurance in South Carolina: what’s required, and what isn’t
South Carolina does something only a handful of states do: it requires uninsured motorist coverage alongside liability, at matching 25/50/25 limits, with no option to decline. That is a genuinely protective rule. What it does not do is require underinsured motorist coverage — the more common problem — and it leaves the state’s biggest catastrophe risk, coastal storm damage, entirely to comprehensive coverage that nobody is compelled to buy.
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What South Carolina requires you to carry
| Bodily injury, per person | $25,000 |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage, per accident | $25,000 |
South Carolina also requires
- Uninsured motorist coverage — matching 25/50/25
- South Carolina compels uninsured motorist coverage at the same limits as your liability minimum. It is not an offer you can decline. The property damage portion carries a $200 deductible.
These are floors, not recommendations. South Carolina sets the minimum a driver may legally carry. It does not assess whether that amount would cover a claim you caused. Anything above your limits is your personal exposure.
How South Carolina enforces it
South Carolina requires proof of coverage to register a vehicle and at traffic stops, and law requires liability and uninsured motorist coverage together — a policy without the second is not a compliant policy.
How rates are set in South Carolina
South Carolina is an at-fault state. The driver responsible for a crash is responsible for the resulting injury and property damage, and their liability limits cap what the insurer pays on their behalf.
The South Carolina Department of Insurance regulates carriers and reviews filings. Because both liability and uninsured motorist coverage are compulsory, the floor of a South Carolina policy is higher than the headline 25/50/25 suggests — you are buying two coverages, not one.
Underinsured motorist coverage is optional but insurers must offer it. If your declarations page does not show it, you were offered it and it was not taken up.
Credit-based insurance scores in South Carolina
South Carolina permits credit-based insurance scores in rating. Because the state compels both liability and uninsured motorist coverage, a bigger share of a South Carolina premium is fixed by statute than in most states — which means the variable part, where credit lands, is doing proportionally more of the work in explaining why two quotes differ.
What actually moves your premium here
Hurricane and coastal exposure sits on comprehensive
South Carolina’s coast carries genuine tropical storm and hurricane risk, and flooding reaches well inland along the river systems. All of it is comprehensive coverage for a vehicle, none of it is liability. A liability-only policy in Charleston or Myrtle Beach leaves your own car uncovered for the state’s single largest catastrophe risk.
The uninsured motorist mandate tells you something
States compel uninsured motorist coverage when enough drivers go without. South Carolina is one of the few that does, and the $200 deductible on the property damage side is a detail worth knowing before you need it — it is small, but it is not zero.
Underinsured is the gap the mandate does not close
Uninsured motorist coverage is required; underinsured motorist coverage is not. They are different problems. Uninsured covers a driver with no policy; underinsured covers one whose limits run out before your losses do. Given how many drivers carry exactly the 25/50/25 minimum, the second scenario is the more common one.
Growth is outpacing the road network
The Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach corridors have grown quickly, and crash frequency has followed. Carriers rate by garaging ZIP and re-rate these areas often, so a quote from two years ago is a poor guide to what you would be offered now.
See what you’d be matched with in South Carolina
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Comparing carriers in South Carolina
Ask specifically about underinsured motorist coverage. It is the coverage that responds when the at-fault driver has a policy but not a big enough one, which given the prevalence of minimum-limit policies is the likelier scenario of the two.
If you are anywhere near the coast, price comprehensive as a real decision. Storm and flood damage to your own vehicle is a comprehensive claim, and it is the largest single exposure most coastal South Carolina drivers have.
One habit matters more than any single carrier choice: re-check every year or two, and again after anything that changes your risk profile — a move across town, a new vehicle, a driver added or removed, or a violation ageing off your record. Carriers re-weight their rating factors continuously, so the one that priced you best three years ago is often not the one that prices you best today.
If you need an SR-22 in South Carolina
South Carolina requires an SR-22 filing after certain suspensions, including driving uninsured and DUI convictions. Your insurer files it with the Department of Motor Vehicles and must notify the state if the policy lapses. Confirm the filing period for your case with SCDMV, since it runs from your reinstatement date.
South Carolina auto insurance FAQ
- What is the minimum car insurance required in South Carolina?
- Liability coverage of $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident and $25,000 property damage per accident — and uninsured motorist coverage at those same 25/50/25 limits, which is also required.
- Is uninsured motorist coverage required in South Carolina?
- Yes. South Carolina law requires you to carry uninsured motorist coverage equal to your minimum liability limits. The property damage portion carries a $200 deductible.
- Is underinsured motorist coverage required in South Carolina?
- No. Underinsured motorist coverage — which responds when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough of it — is optional in South Carolina, though insurers must offer it. Given how many drivers carry only the minimum, it is worth pricing.
- Does my South Carolina policy cover hurricane or flood damage to my car?
- Only if you carry comprehensive coverage. Storm, wind and flood damage to your own vehicle are comprehensive claims. Liability and uninsured motorist coverage do not respond to any of them.
- Is South Carolina an at-fault or no-fault state?
- South Carolina is an at-fault state. The driver who caused the crash is responsible for the resulting damage, and their liability coverage pays up to the policy limits.
Sources
Requirements on this page were verified against South Carolina’s own regulator and motor vehicle agency on the date shown at the top. Rules change — if you are making a decision that turns on an exact figure, confirm it at the source.
- South Carolina DOI — Automobile insurance
- South Carolina DOI — Auto insurance FAQ
- South Carolina DOI — Is underinsured motorist coverage required?
Consumer help in South Carolina: South Carolina Department of Insurance, (803) 737-6180.