South Carolina requires at least $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 of property damage liability (25/50/25), plus uninsured motorist coverage at those same amounts. Insurers have to offer underinsured motorist coverage, but buying it is up to you.
The state tracks coverage through reports from insurers. If your policy lapses, your license, plate and registration can be suspended. Driving an uninsured car is a misdemeanor, and the old option of paying a yearly fee to drive uninsured ended on July 1, 2024.
Key Takeaways
- South Carolina requires 25/50/25 liability and uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. Underinsured motorist coverage must be offered, and you decide whether to buy it.
- SCDMV gets coverage data from insurers. After a cancellation, you get a letter, and if your insurer doesn’t verify coverage electronically within 20 business days, your license, plate and registration are suspended.
- Driving an uninsured car is a misdemeanor. A first offense brings a fine of $100 to $200 or 30 days in jail, and a third offense within five years means 45 days to six months in jail.
- An owner convicted of driving their own uninsured car loses their license, plates and registrations until a reinstatement fee is paid ($700 in 2026 per SCDMV, $775 for 2027) and needs an SR-22 on file for three years.
South Carolina Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist | Required at $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. The policy may exclude the first $200 of property damage. |
| Underinsured motorist | Must be offered up to your liability limits. Buying it is optional. |
| Personal injury protection | Not required |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by state law. A lender or lessor may set its own rules. |
The South Carolina Department of Insurance (SCDOI) lists these amounts on its automobile insurance page, which says state law requires liability and uninsured motorist coverage to drive legally. The liability limits come from S.C. Code 38-77-140 in Title 38, Chapter 77. They haven’t changed since a 2006 law that applied to policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2007, and the required liability coverage applies in the United States and Canada. RateFrog’s guide to liability limits explains how the three numbers work.
Your liability policy has to cover you and anyone driving your car with your permission, and an endorsement that tries to cut that required coverage is void under 38-77-142.
S.244 would raise the minimums to 50/100/50. It passed the Senate in March 2025 and has sat in a House committee since April 2025. H.4143 would set 30/50/30 and hasn’t moved out of committee. Neither is law, so 25/50/25 still applies.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in South Carolina
Under S.C. Code 38-77-150, every policy has to include uninsured motorist (UM) coverage for injuries at no less than the liability minimums, plus at least $25,000 for damage to your property. SCDOI says there is typically a $200 deductible on the property part.
UM pays when an uninsured or hit-and-run driver injures you or damages your property. For a hit-and-run, 38-77-170 requires you to report the crash to police within a reasonable time. You also need one of these:
- Physical contact between the unknown vehicle and you or your car
- A witness other than the owner or driver of your car, who signs an affidavit
- A recording of the crash (added by a law that took effect May 20, 2024)
You also can’t have been negligent in failing to identify the other vehicle and its driver at the time of the crash.
Under 38-77-160, insurers must offer underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage, and extra UM coverage, up to your liability limits. UIM pays damages above the at-fault driver’s limits, up to your UIM limit and subject to your policy. Your insurer must get your signature on a form accepting or declining the optional coverage, and under 38-77-350 it doesn’t have to offer it again at renewal.
The same statute limits how above-minimum UM and UIM apply when you insure more than one car. You’re covered only up to the coverage on the vehicle in the crash, or on any one of your vehicles that carries it if none of them was involved. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explains how these coverages work in general.
Proof of Insurance in South Carolina
Under S.C. Code 56-10-225 in Title 56, Chapter 10, the owner has to keep proof of insurance in the car at all times, and SCDMV says you must show it if an officer stops you. You can show it on a phone in a format your insurer issues. An officer can’t search the rest of your phone without a warrant or your express written consent. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance fast can help if you need a card right away.
After a crash with an injury, a death or property damage of $400 or more, the officer gives you a verification form. Under 56-9-350 in Title 56, Chapter 9, it has to go back to SCDMV within 15 days, and not returning it is treated as evidence that the car was uninsured.
How South Carolina Checks Your Coverage
SCDMV has collected liability insurance data from licensed insurers through its Automobile Liability Insurance Reporting (ALIR) system since 2004. When a policy is cancelled, according to SCDMV’s page on driving uninsured, you then get a letter, and you have 20 business days to have an insurance company verify your coverage electronically. If SCDMV doesn’t get that verification, SCDMV suspends your driving privilege and the plates and registrations of the vehicles on the policy.
SCDMV says reinstating after a lapse can cost up to $400. By statute, that’s a $200 reinstatement fee under 56-10-240 plus a fine of $5 a day, capped at $200 per vehicle for a first offense under 56-10-245. The law doesn’t state a cap for later lapses.
If you turn in your plate and registration before you cancel your insurance, there’s no penalty and no reinstatement fee. If SCDMV can’t verify your insurance, its vehicle owner page suggests asking your insurer to report your coverage through ALIR.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in South Carolina
Court penalties and SCDMV suspensions are separate, and you can face both.
Court Penalties
Under S.C. Code 56-10-520, an owner can’t drive an uninsured car or let someone else drive it. A driver who doesn’t own the car also breaks the law if they know it’s uninsured. It’s a misdemeanor with these penalties:
- First offense: a fine of $100 to $200 or 30 days in jail
- Second offense: a $200 fine or 30 days in jail, or both
- Third or later offense: 45 days to six months in jail
Only convictions within the past five years count as prior offenses.
Not having proof in the car is a separate misdemeanor, punished the same way as failing to carry your registration card. That charge has to be dismissed if you show the court the car was insured on the date of the ticket.
License and Registration Suspension
When an owner is convicted of driving their own uninsured car, SCDMV suspends that person’s license and all of their plates and registrations until they pay a reinstatement fee. SCDOI sets the amount each year by order. SCDMV lists it as $700 in 2026, and SCDOI Order No. 2026-002 sets it at $775 for calendar year 2027. SCDMV calls it an “uninsured motorist fee,” but paying it doesn’t make driving uninsured legal.
A driver who didn’t own the car but knew it was uninsured faces a 30-day license suspension and a $100 reinstatement fee, according to SCDMV. If you owe more than $200 in reinstatement fees, you may qualify for the SCDMV payment plan.
The Old Uninsured Motorist Fee Is Gone
South Carolina used to let owners pay an uninsured motor vehicle fee when registering an uninsured car, which allowed them to drive it. The statute set the fee at $550, adjusted each year. A 2023 law repealed that option, effective July 1, 2024. Some older guides, including a state brochure that’s still online, still describe it.
A Crash Without Insurance
If SCDMV’s records show an uninsured registered car was in a reportable crash causing death, injury or property damage, 56-10-530 requires SCDMV to suspend the owner’s license and all of their plates and registrations until they comply and pay the reinstatement fee. You get a chance for a hearing first, and proof the car was insured on the crash date stops it.
If you don’t pay a court judgment from a crash within 60 days, your license and registration can be suspended until the judgment is satisfied, in full or up to the amounts the law sets, and you show proof of financial responsibility. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when insurance lapses covers the broader risks.
SR-22 Filings in South Carolina
SCDMV says an owner found guilty of driving their own uninsured car must have their insurer file a Certificate of Insurance (SR-22) for three years, starting on the date of suspension. Insurers can file these electronically through ALIR.
South Carolina’s statutes call this proof of financial responsibility. Under 56-9-620, SCDMV can release the proof after three years if you meet conditions such as having no pending lawsuit or unpaid judgment. Ask SCDMV what your case requires. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains how these filings work in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
Insurers in South Carolina aren’t required to sell you auto insurance, so SCDOI tells drivers to shop around first. If no company will insure you, contact the Associated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina (AAIPSC) at 866-560-4100.
According to the plan’s page on AIPSO, licensed auto insurers must accept assignments from the plan. You apply through a producer who holds a South Carolina auto license and is certified by the plan, and you certify that you tried and failed to get insurance in the state within the past 60 days.
How South Carolina Insurers Set Rates
SCDOI says claim frequency has the biggest effect on rates. Its list of rating factors includes your driving record, territory, age, gender, marital status, vehicle and prior claims.
Age, sex and marital status can affect your price, but under 38-77-122 an insurer can’t refuse to issue a policy because of them.
Under Title 38, Chapter 73, rates must include a credit for approved driver training. If you’re 25 or older, a voluntary course with at least four hours of classroom instruction earns a credit on liability and collision for at least 36 months, though the insurer may require three years without an at-fault crash. A course taken because of an offense doesn’t count, and the law sets no percentage.
Since May 15, 2026, 38-77-128 bars insurers from using a first responder’s work-related crash in pricing their personal policy when the crash report lists them as noncontributing or they were answering an emergency call. The first responder has to give the crash report to the agent or insurer in a timely manner. RateFrog’s guide to the factors that affect car insurance rates covers the rest.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal Rules
For the liability coverage that meets state requirements, the rules change over the first 90 days of a new policy:
- Days 1 to 60: Under 56-10-280, the insurer can cancel only for a returned check or draft, proof the car was sold or its tags turned in, a replacement policy or nonpayment.
- Days 61 to 90: Under 38-77-121, the insurer can cancel without cause, but not for a reason 38-77-122 forbids, such as age, sex or race.
- After 90 days: Under 38-77-123, the only reasons are nonpayment or a license suspension or revocation for you or another driver in your household or who regularly drives the car.
Under 38-77-120, a cancellation or nonrenewal needs written notice at least 15 days before it takes effect, with the reason unless it’s one of the listed ones. You can ask the Director of Insurance in writing to review it within 15 days of getting the notice, and coverage stays in force during the review unless the reason is nonpayment.
An insurer can’t nonrenew you because of age, sex, marital status, race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, income level or where you live in the state. It also can’t nonrenew solely because of accidents or violations more than 36 months old. SCDOI’s FAQ says there’s no required grace period for a renewal premium, and the policy expires at the end of the term if payment isn’t received. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
Is South Carolina’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 25/50/25 policy can run out quickly in a serious crash, and $25,000 of property damage coverage may not replace a newer car. If a claim is more than your limits, you could owe the rest. Because UIM is optional, a minimum policy may leave you paying your own bills when the at-fault driver carries only the minimum. Higher limits cost more, so weigh your savings and assets against the premium. RateFrog’s guide to how much car insurance you need can help you choose, and you can compare car insurance quotes at several coverage levels.
Where to Get Help
SCDOI asks you to contact your insurer first. If that doesn’t resolve it, the SCDOI Office of Consumer Services takes calls at 803-737-6180 or 1-800-768-3467 and email at consumers@doi.sc.gov.
For suspensions, reinstatement fees and insurance letters, contact SCDMV at 803-896-5000 or through its license reinstatement page. If no company will insure you, call AAIPSC at 866-560-4100.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage Required in South Carolina?
No. Insurers have to offer it up to your liability limits, but buying it is optional. Uninsured motorist coverage at 25/50/25 is required.
Can I Pay a Fee to Drive Without Insurance in South Carolina?
Not anymore. The uninsured motorist fee option ended on July 1, 2024. The fee SCDMV now lists as $700 for 2026 (SCDOI set $775 for 2027) is a reinstatement fee after a conviction.
What Happens If My Car Insurance Lapses in South Carolina?
SCDMV sends a letter, and you have 20 business days to have an insurance company verify coverage. If SCDMV doesn’t get that verification, your license, plate and registration are suspended. SCDMV says reinstating can cost up to $400 after a first lapse.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in South Carolina?
Yes, in a format your insurer issues. Showing it doesn’t allow an officer to search your phone without a warrant or your written consent.
Sources
- South Carolina Department of Insurance: Automobile Insurance
- South Carolina Department of Insurance: Auto Insurance FAQs
- South Carolina Department of Insurance: Order No. 2026-002, Uninsured Motorist Reinstatement Fee
- South Carolina Department of Insurance: Consumers
- SCDMV: Driver Insurance Requirements
- SCDMV: Facts About Driving Uninsured
- SCDMV: Vehicle Owner Insurance Requirements
- SCDMV: Insurance Companies (ALIR)
- SCDMV: License Reinstatement
- SCDMV: Payment Plan Eligibility
- S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 77 (Automobile Insurance)
- S.C. Code Title 38, Chapter 73 (Rates)
- S.C. Code Title 56, Chapter 10 (Motor Vehicle Financial Security)
- S.C. Code Title 56, Chapter 9 (Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility)
- S.C. Code 56-10-510 (2023 Code, former uninsured motorist fee)
- South Carolina Legislature: S.244 Status
- South Carolina Legislature: H.4143 Status
- AIPSO: Associated Auto Insurers Plan of South Carolina