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It’s certainly a treat if you ever get a chance to see this asynchronous light show, but if you aren’t at the park and you see lights behind you, you should probably pull over. Always having proof of registration with you is a good practice, but being without a car insurance policy at all is never a good thing.
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 Columbia, SC to find you the cheapest quotes in the area.
Here are the cheapest carriers in Columbia 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 | $93/mo |
 Allstate | $114/mo |
 State Farm | $114/mo |
 Progressive | $145/mo |
 Nationwide | $154/mo |
| Best Companies | ||
|---|---|---|
 American Family | $269/mo | |
 Safeco | $235/mo | |
 Liberty Mutual | $282/mo | |
 Travelers | $176/mo |
South Carolina Cities | |
|---|---|
| Charleston | $132/mo |
| North Charleston | $125/mo |
| Mount Pleasant | $139/mo |
| Rock Hill | $139/mo |
| Columbia | $154/mo |
| South Carolina | $138/mo |
Click here to learn about car insurance quotes and save on your current policy.
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:
What you pay to insure your ride depends on many factors. As the average car insurance rates in Columbia demonstrate, age is obviously one of them. Premiums for teen drivers here average out to $597, more than twice the average cost for drivers in their 60s. Though the rate increase between drivers in their 60s and 70s is not as striking, older drivers in Columbia do pay more because they tend to have more accidents than drivers in their prime.
| Driver's Age | |
|---|---|
| teens | $598 |
| 20s | $409 |
| 30s | $312 |
| 40s | $331 |
| 50s | $274 |
| 60s | $266 |
| 70s | $286 |
| 80s | $257 |
| Driving History | |
|---|---|
| No Violation | $314 |
| Speeding Ticket | $410 |
| At-Fault Accident | $407 |
| Failure to Stop for Red Light / Stop Sign | $395 |
Columbia drivers can enjoy their best insurance rates if they keep their record clear of accidents and other driving offenses (like running a red light or speeding). In fact, Columbia’s clean-record crowd pays an average of $313 a month for car insurance. Compare this to a Columbia driver with an at-fault accident on their record, and average monthly insurance rates skyrocket by 30 percent. This is one reason why drivers sometimes seek insurance companies that offer accident forgiveness—a program that ignores the first accident and prevents a spike in insurance rates.
Car insurance companies use data to determine how much you should pay in monthly premiums. While you’re probably aware of the most common information they comb through (your age, gender, and the type of car you drive), you may not realize that many insurance companies are leaning on your credit score as well. In Columbia, your creditworthiness can go a long way in getting you a good rate. Rates for drivers with an excellent credit score average out to $294 monthly, while drivers with only a good score pay $64 more for the same coverage.
| Credit Tie | |
|---|---|
| Excellent | $295 |
| Good | $359 |
| Average | $351 |
| Poor | $353 |
Though you can still find a warm body to talk to inside any South Carolina DMV office, South Carolina’s DMV website is one of the easiest to use and could save you a lot of time and frustration. To get around online, you can start at the top with the kind of vehicle you drive or jump down to a section defining who you are—whether you are moving to the state, a person with a disability, in the military, or looking to schedule an appointment. It doesn’t matter where you start; in just a few clicks, this sweet site will get you to the right place.
Want to catch a ride around town in Columbia? Look around for the brightly colored buses. Nothing’s boring about being inside one of these buses—also known as the COMET bus system. Looking for something a little less loud? A courtesy shuttle called the E-Rover can also take you through 36 blocks of the downtown area. Uber, Lyft, and traditional taxis also operate in the city. If you want a little more wind in your hair, you can try the city’s bikeshare program called Blue Bike SC. Just find one of the on-street kiosk locations and follow the subscription steps.
There are so many wonders to see at or near this capital city, including those fireflies that light up the night sky. But standing in awe of these critters is entirely different from wondering how your neighbor found a better insurance policy.
With Insurify, you never have to wonder whether you are getting a good rate. The more information you give its powerful AI engine, the more discounts you can unlock while watching your rates go lower and lower.
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 Columbia 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. Columbia drivers rank 13 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, Columbia drivers rank 14 in the number of speeding infractions per driver.
While driving while intoxicated is never acceptable, it’s a more common offense than many assume. Columbia drivers rank 53 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, Columbia drivers rank 15 in rude driving infractions.
Having a squeaky-clean driving record is an accomplishment to be proud of. Some cities have safer drivers than others; Columbia drivers rank 22 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. Columbia drivers rank 8 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, Columbia drivers rank 10 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 Columbia is the Nissan Altima.
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.
