How Much Does Car Insurance Cost for Low Mileage Drivers in South Carolina?

How Much Does Car Insurance Cost for Low Mileage Drivers in South Carolina?

Locating low-priced auto insurance is not the easiest thing to accomplish, and deciding which company has the cheapest car insurance rates for low mileage drivers involves even more work. Every insurance provider uses slightly different criteria for determining rates, so let’s begin by examining the car insurance companies that tend to have lower prices in South Carolina.

We do need to point out that South Carolina car insurance rates are calculated based on many things that control the policy premium. Simply getting older, increasing deductibles, or getting caught speeding may cause policy rate changes that can cause some rates to be cheaper than competitors.

Cheapest Insurance Rates in South Carolina

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The Hartford quotes some of the most affordable car insurance rates in South Carolina at around $768 annually. USAA, State Auto, Auto-Owners, and Southern Farm Bureau would also be considered some of the lowest-priced South Carolina auto insurance companies.

As the rates illustrate above, if you currently buy coverage from Auto-Owners and switched to USAA, you might achieve an annual premium reduction of around $116. Policyholders with Southern Farm Bureau might save as much as $223 a year, and SC Farm Bureau Mutual customers might cut rates by $261 a year.

To find out how your current rates compare, click here to get quotes or click through to the companies below.

Bear in mind that those rates are averages for all drivers and vehicles and and are not calculated with a price decrease for low mileage drivers. So the insurer that is best for you may not even be in the company chart above. That is why you need to get car insurance quotes using your own driver data and vehicle information.

When shopping for the cheapest auto insurance for infrequent drivers, one of the many factors that is used by auto insurance companies to calculate the cost of insurance is where you live in South Carolina. More densely populated places like Goose Creek, North Charleston, and Charleston are more likely to have higher rates, whereas areas with less people or fewer weather incidents have the gratification of cheap auto insurance for low mileage drivers in South Carolina.

The table below illustrates the most expensive areas in South Carolina for low mileage drivers to buy an auto insurance policy in.

Car insurance prices in South Carolina
Rank City Premium Per Year
1 Goose Creek $1,284
2 Summerville $1,278
3 North Charleston $1,262
4 Florence $1,259
5 Charleston $1,247
6 Socastee $1,223
7 Sumter $1,215
8 Mount Pleasant $1,213
9 Myrtle Beach $1,210
10 Columbia $1,189
11 Hilton Head Island $1,162
12 Saint Andrews $1,160
13 Greenwood $1,110
14 North Augusta $1,106
15 Rock Hill $1,102
16 Greenville $1,100
17 Aiken $1,097
18 Wade Hampton $1,090
19 Taylors $1,085
20 Anderson $1,083
21 Spartanburg $1,083
22 Greer $1,077
23 Easley $1,066
24 Simpsonville $1,039
25 Mauldin $1,029
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Premium costs are estimated as zip code location can alter premium rates substantially.

The type of vehicle you are trying to insure is a large factor in finding cheap auto insurance for low mileage drivers in South Carolina. Vehicles with high performance, poor passenger safety features, or a track record of large liability claims will cost substantially more to insure than safer models.

The table below outlines coverage rates for a number of the cheaper automobiles to insure in South Carolina.

Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates for Low Mileage Drivers in South Carolina
Make and Model Estimated Cost for Full Coverage
Ford Escape XLT 2WD $821
Honda Accord EX 4-Dr Sedan $898
Jeep Wrangler Sport Islander Package 4WD 2-Dr $901
Toyota Prius $911
Honda CR-V LX 4WD $927
Hyundai Elantra GLS Touring Station Wagon $934
Chevrolet Traverse LT 2WD $976
Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer AWD $990
Chevrolet Impala LTZ $1,025
Toyota Corolla LE $1,030
GMC Sierra SL Crew Cab 2WD $1,043
Chevrolet Silverado LS Crew Cab 4WD $1,053
Chevrolet Malibu LTZ $1,043
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 4WD $1,049
Hyundai Tucson GLS 4WD $1,046
Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab Platinum 4WD $1,062
Chevrolet Equinox LS 2WD $1,064
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Premium data assumes single male driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $1,000 deductibles, and South Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include multi-vehicle, safe-driver, multi-policy, homeowner, and claim-free. Premium costs do not factor in the specific area where the vehicle is garaged which can influence insurance rates considerably.

Looking at the numbers, you can infer that models like the Ford Escape, Honda Accord, and Jeep Wrangler are most likely to be some of the less-costly vehicles to insure for infrequent drivers.

How accidents and violations affect rates in South Carolina

The ideal way to find affordable car insurance premiums in South Carolina for infrequent drivers is to drive attentively and not get tickets or have accidents. The information below illustrates how traffic citations and at-fault accidents can affect auto insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The data is based on a married female driver, full physical damage coverage, $1,000 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.

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In the previous example, the average cost of auto insurance per year with no accidents and a clean driving record is $1,459. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost rises to $2,066, an increase of $607 each year. Now get two accidents along with the two speeding tickets and the 12-month cost of car insurance for low mileage drivers goes up to an average of $4,613. That’s an increase of $3,154, or $263 per month, just for not driving responsibly!

Best rates: Geico, Allstate, Progressive, or State Farm

If you are shopping around for auto insurance for infrequent drivers in South Carolina, four companies to take a look at are Geico, Allstate, Progressive, and State Farm. Combined they make up about half of the car insurance market in the United States. The following table shows pricing and service ratings, as well as optional policy coverages offered by each company.

Ratings for Geico, Allstate, Progressive, and State Farm
Geico Allstate Progressive State Farm
Discounts Available 2nd 1st 4th 3rd
Price Ranking 1st 4th 3rd 2nd
Overall Satisfaction 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Claims Rank 3rd 1st 4th 2nd
Market share percentage 11.4% 10% 8.8% 18.3%
Percent of customers who recommend 87% 86% 88% 88%
Breakdown insurance Yes No Yes No
Usage-based rating No Yes Yes Yes
Accident forgiveness Yes Yes Yes No
Emergency roadside service Yes Yes Yes Yes
New car replacement coverage No Yes No No
Coverage for Uber and Lyft drivers Yes Yes Yes Yes
Coverage in South Carolina Yes Yes Yes Yes
Where you can buy Both online and from Geico agents Allstate-only agents Buy online or from an independent agent State Farm exclusive agents
Number of agents 150+ 11,000+ 30,000+ 18,000+
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How to find cheap auto insurance for low mileage drivers in South Carolina

It’s not impossible to find cheaper rates, and here are some money-saving ideas that can help South Carolina drivers locate cheap auto insurance.

  • Increase your credit score
  • Vehicles with safetly features generally cost less to insure
  • Avoid preventable accidents
  • Full coverage may not be needed on older vehicles
  • Buy your homeowners policy from the same company as your auto insurance
  • Shop around and save

That last piece of advice is particularly crucial, as was affirmed in this write-up. Prices charged by auto insurers can be changed at any time, so don’t be tentative to change to a new company if a cheaper price is available.

Loyalty to a specific company is fine, but it’s not a great idea if that loyalty ends up costing money that could be going to better use. It takes less than five minutes to compare rates and find cheaper insurance for low mileage drivers.