South Carolina's minimum auto insurance liability limits are $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 of property damage, known as 25/50/25. You must also carry uninsured motorist coverage at the same 25/50/25 amounts. Insurers must offer underinsured motorist coverage, but you don't have to buy it.
The South Carolina Department of Insurance lists the minimum liability limits as $25,000 per person and $50,000 for everyone injured in one accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage in one accident. South Carolina law also requires uninsured motorist coverage equal to those minimums, 25/50/25, typically with a $200 deductible.
Underinsured motorist coverage is different. Insurers are required to offer it, but you aren't required to buy it.
South Carolina uses a fault-based, or tort, system: the driver who causes a crash is responsible for the damage. South Carolina courts apply modified comparative negligence, so you can recover if your fault isn't greater than the other driver's, with your recovery reduced by your share. North Carolina handles fault differently, which matters for families who drive in both states.
The Department of Insurance states plainly that no grace period applies to automobile insurance in South Carolina. Pay on time, and if a payment is going to be late, call before the due date. If you're changing companies, have the new policy start the same day the old one ends.
South Carolina's minimum is lower than North Carolina's 50/100/50. People moving from North Carolina sometimes take that as a reason to carry less. We'd look at it the other way: the lower minimum means more drivers around you may carry small policies, which makes your own uninsured and underinsured coverage more valuable. Since underinsured motorist coverage is optional in South Carolina, ask what it would cost to add it at the same limits as your liability coverage.
SCDMV requires your auto insurer to be licensed to do business in South Carolina and to have your South Carolina address. We're licensed in South Carolina, and we write auto policies for families on both sides of the line, from Fort Mill and Rock Hill near our Charlotte office to the Grand Strand near Shallotte.
Every situation is a little different. If you want someone to look at your own policy, call us at (910) 791-1011 or start a quote online. We're an independent, family-owned company founded in 1977, with eight offices in North Carolina, and we're licensed in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Maryland.
This page is general information, not a coverage determination or legal advice. Policies, rules and availability vary and change. Review your own policy or talk to your advisor.