Click here for our full-length guide to South Carolina car insurance quotes, discounts, and state requirements.
Car travel is the main mode of transportation for over 130,000 Charleston residents. Finding the right car insurance policy for you and your lifestyle is an important step towards safe driving in Charleston. Let’s get on our way to great savings.
Find cheap car insurance quotes for Charleston today.
Cheapest Car Insurance Quotes in Charleston
Here are the cheapest insurance companies in Charleston, based on averaged sample rates for four driver profiles that included varied gender, age, driving history, credit, marital status, prior insurance, higher education, employment, and military service. Clean driving records may amount to “good driver discounts,” resulting in lower overall insurance costs.
Insurance Company Quotes
State Farm $109/month
Allstate $117/month
Progressive $133/month
Nationwide $138/month
USAA often offers the lowest car insurance rates to South Carolina drivers, but it is only available to active-duty members of the military, veterans, and their immediate families.
Best Car Insurance Companies in Charleston
The Insurify Composite Score is calculated by analyzing multiple factors that indicate the quality, reliability, and health of an insurance company. Inputs to the score include financial strength ratings from A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch; J.D. Power ratings, Consumer Reports customer satisfaction surveys, mobile app reviews, and user-generated company reviews. The following are the top-rated companies that offer car insurance in Charleston. For the complete list, see Insurify’s best car insurance companies.
| Insurance Company | Score | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| American Family | 88 | $165/month |
| Allstate | 86 | $117/month |
| Nationwide | 84 | $138/month |
| State Farm | 83 | $109/month |
| Progressive | 78 | $133/month |
Compare Average Premiums
Insurance rates vary greatly from town to town. Charleston has comparable average premiums compared to the state average, but higher than the national. Keep the savings rolling and compare policies on Insurify today.
| Charleston Average Premium | South Carolina Average Premium | National Average Premium |
| $132/month | $138/month | $131/month |
Charleston Auto Insurance Requirements
All vehicles on the roadways of South Carolina are required to hold sufficient liability insurance.
Liability coverage is a safety necessity.
South Carolina‘s minimum coverage for liability car insurance limits are as follows:
- $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
- $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
- $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Driving records, prior car accidents, prior moving violations, speeding tickets, commute length, and other demographic factors may cause fluctuation to your Charleston auto insurance rates.
Read more about South Carolina car insurance requirements.
Comprehensive and collision coverage are supplemental options offered by insurance providers to protect your vehicle and passengers from “Acts of God,” vandalism, and other uncontrollable circumstances.
For a free quote, compare auto insurance companies on Insurify.
Charleston Auto Insurance FAQs
Which company offers the cheapest auto insurance quotes in Charleston?
The best way to get the cheapest car insurance in Charleston and save on your auto insurance premium is to compare quotes from all companies in your area. Use a car insurance quotes comparison site like Insurify to compare up to 10+ real quotes for your specific driver profile and unlock savings and discounts. Rates can fluctuate greatly based on whether you're a safe driver or a high-risk one, but you should never overpay. Insurify provides the cheapest car insurance quotes and companies in your area in just a few seconds.
What are the penalties for driving uninsured in Charleston?
Driving uninsured puts yourself and the drivers and passengers in the cars around you in great danger. You should never drive uninsured. Penalties for driving uninsured are severe and may include driving privilege and vehicle registration suspensions, revocation of license plates, statutory fees, reinstatement fees, and South Carolina state SR-22 requirements.
What are the required insurance needs of South Carolina drivers?
To legally drive in South Carolina, vehicles must carry liability insurance, even if they are just parked on the road. Bodily injury and property damage coverage are required as the minimum coverage in the state. Supplemental coverage for further protection in the case of an accident can be obtained in the form of comprehensive, collision, loan/lease payoff, medical payments, rental car reimbursements, roadside assistance, and uninsured motorist protection. Insurance agencies offer these options for further coverage in the case of an accident caused by or involving your vehicle. As insurance products become more comprehensive, so does the protection. While cheap auto insurance is what some drivers are in the market for, other drivers prefer to have the highest coverage.
Charleston DMV Information
There is one major DMV outpost in the city of Charleston, located on Lockwood Boulevard. Here, residents can change their address, obtain a driver’s license, and complete vehicle registrations. The DMV is open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM with special morning and evening hours on weekdays. You may be able to skip the lines and access what you need via its online portal.
Public Transit in Charleston
CARTA, the Charleston Regional Transportation Authority, operates the public transportation system, offering residents and visitors several means of transport around the city. CARTA has bus stops around the city on nearly every block, connecting surrounding cities to downtown Charleston.
Conclusion: How to get the best and cheapest car insurance in Charleston
As American drivers know too well, enough of their precious time is wasted sitting in traffic each year. There’s no need to waste more time finding the perfect auto insurance policy. Use Insurify to find the best rates available by comparing dozens of insurance quotes in just a few seconds.
With an estimated 9.4 percent of vehicles driving uninsured throughout South Carolina, give yourself peace of mind with sufficient car insurance coverage. Don’t become just one more uninsured motorist—get quotes with Insurify to get the best coverage and rates for your car at a price that works for you.
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Jackie Cohen received her B.A. in Global Media and Public Relations from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Currently based in Boston, MA, she works as a content writer for Insurify. An avid globe-trotter and foodie, Jackie spends her spare time adventuring far and near.
