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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. Search and save on the best car insurance policies in Charlreston today.
The average cost of South Carolina car insurance will vary from city to city and between insurance companies. Insurify analyzed the latest insurance rates in Charleston, SC to find you the cheapest quotes in the area.
Here are the cheapest carriers in Charleston for the following user profile: a single, 30 year old male with a clean driving record who drives a 2012 Honda Accord and pays a $1,000 deductible for the state’s minimum liability insurance.
| Cheapest Companies | |
|---|---|
 Direct Auto | $85/mo |
 State Farm | $109/mo |
 Allstate | $117/mo |
Progressive | $133/mo |
 Nationwide | $138/mo |
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 carrier reviews. The following are the top rated carriers that offer car insurance in Charleston. For the complete list, see Insurify's best car insurance companies.
| Best Companies | ||
|---|---|---|
 American Family | $251/mo | |
 Safeco | $313/mo | |
 Liberty Mutual | $249/mo | |
 Travelers | $180/mo |
| Columbia | $154/mo |
| North Charleston | $125/mo |
| Mount Pleasant | $139/mo |
| Rock Hill | $139/mo |
| Charleston | $132/mo |
| South Carolina | $138/mo |
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All motor vehicles operated or parked on South Carolina roadways are required to be insured. Proof of insurance must be carried in your car at all times and must available when:
The minimum liability car insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles in South Carolina are as follows:
Bodily injury liability coverage protects drivers if their car is involved in an accident that harms another individual. The minimum limits required by South Carolina state law are $25,000 for the death or injury of a single victim as a result of a car accident and $50,000 for the deaths or injuries of multiple victims. Insurance companies list this type of coverage as 25/50, referring to the dollar limitations of each minimum. If you’re in an accident, liability coverage will cover the cost of a legal proceeding as a result of a crash. Bodily injury coverage is part of the minimum coverage required by South Carolina law.
The state minimum amount of property damage liability coverage required in the state of South Carolina is $25,000. If an insured driver is determined to be at fault and held liable in a motor vehicle accident, this coverage pays for damage repair to another individual’s property. Property damage coverage will also pay for legal costs if an insured driver is involved in a lawsuit following an accident.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage are required in South Carolina. This coverage protects drivers who might incur damages from an accident caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. If involved in an accident with an individual without sufficient coverage, insured drivers will still be covered. In South Carolina, the legally required level of Uninsured Motorist coverage is:
Drivers in Charleston with minimal experience behind the wheel find that they pay the most for car insurance, as those under the age of 20 are charged an average of $670. Once residents reach their 20s, rates drop considerably with savings of about $300. Premiums continue to steadily decline as Charleston drivers get older; however, those in their 80s often pay slightly more than other seniors, with rates right around $300.
| Driver's Age | |
|---|---|
| teens | $671 |
| 20s | $379 |
| 30s | $301 |
| 40s | $305 |
| 50s | $375 |
| 60s | $246 |
| 70s | $234 |
| 80s | $301 |
| Driving History | |
|---|---|
| No Violation | $312 |
| Speeding Ticket | $401 |
| At-Fault Accident | $395 |
| Failure to Stop for Red Light / Stop Sign | $454 |
Motorists in Charleston looking to pay the lowest rates for their car insurance should make an effort to keep their driving records free from any incidents. Those who manage this pay around $311, while motorists caught speeding see their rates jumping up to $400. An at-fault accident will affect one’s premiums similarly, and failing to stop at an intersection provides the biggest financial hit, with prices moving up to $453 on average.
Residents in Charleston tend to have good or average credit and pay around $291 and $349, respectively, for their car insurance coverage. Surprisingly, falling into a different credit tier won’t make much of a difference in this city, as rates are determined by a range of other factors. Individuals with poor credit are often charged $370, while those who fall into the excellent category see their premiums average at $348.
| Credit Tie | |
|---|---|
| Excellent | $349 |
| Good | $292 |
| Average | $350 |
| Poor | $371 |
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 weekends. You may be able to skip the lines and access what you need via the online portal.
CARTA, the Charleston Regional Transporation 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. And of course, Charleston offers ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft, plus traditional taxis. Even with these services available, most Charleston Residents drive cars in and around the city.
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.
Drawing from their database of over 4 million car insurance shopper applications, the data scientists at Insurify have published various reports on driver behavior and car ownership — including how Charleston drivers measure up to their fellow South Carolina motorists in the rankings above.
From driver performance across different geographical locations and demographics to patterns in motor vehicle ownership and auto insurance coverage, Insurify Insights publishes data-driven articles, trend analyses, and national and local rankings each week on all factors related to cars and those who drive them.
While car accidents are a sadly unavoidable feature of time spent on the road, rates of accidents do vary from city to city and from state to state. Charleston drivers rank 7 in the number of car accidents per driver across all cities in South Carolina.
Exceeding the speed limit can endanger others and leave a permanent stain on your driving record. When compared to other cities in South Carolina, Charleston drivers rank 13 in the number of speeding infractions per driver.
While driving while intoxicated is never acceptable, it’s a more common offense than many assume. Charleston drivers rank 12 in the number of DUI’s per driver across all cities in South Carolina.
The Insurify team classifies rude drivers as those who commit the following driving offenses: failure to yield or failure to stop, improper backing, passing where prohibited, tailgating, street racing, or hit-and-runs. Among all cities in South Carolina, Charleston drivers rank 20 in rude driving infractions.
Having a squeaky-clean driving record is an accomplishment to be proud of. Some cities have safer drivers than others; Charleston drivers rank 29 in clean driving records across all cities in South Carolina.
Failing to yield the right of way isn’t just frustrating for other drivers; it’s dangerous, too. Charleston drivers rank 27 in failure to yield violations per driver across all cities in South Carolina.
Reckless driving refers to a specific traffic violation: when drivers willfully act dangerously in spite of the risks they’re imposing on both themselves and others. Among all cities in South Carolina, Charleston drivers rank 9 in the number of reckless driving offenses per driver.
Some car models are just more popular than others and trends can vary from place to place. The most popular vehicle in Charleston is the Honda Accord.
The car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations on this page are derived from Insurify’s proprietary database of over 4 million car insurance applications from ZIP codes across the United States. Insurify’s data science team performs a comprehensive analysis of the various factors car insurance providers take into account while setting rates to provide readers insight into how car insurance quotes are priced.
