Greenville, South Carolina, drivers pay an average of $172 per month for liability insurance, compared to the statewide average of $170 and the nationwide average of $104 per month.
Roughly 80% of Greenville residents drive alone to commute to their jobs, and traffic volume has increased substantially in recent years.1 These factors are at least partly to blame for the higher-than-average car insurance rates in Greenville.
Understanding the factors that influence car insurance rates and shopping around for coverage options from multiple insurers can help you find affordable car insurance in Greenville.
3 of the cheapest car insurance companies in Greenville
Your best option for cheap car insurance depends on your unique needs, driving history, vehicle, and more. While the cheapest option may be appealing, you also need to make sure it provides the right coverage.
The table below highlights three of the cheapest car insurance companies in Greenville. The quotes provided below reflect average statewide costs in South Carolina.
Best insurer for veterans: USAA
Best insurer for customer service: State Farm
Best insurer for cheap rates: Auto-Owners
How to get the cheapest car insurance in Greenville
Insurance companies consider various factors when setting rates, including your age, driving history, vehicle type, and even the ZIP code where you park your vehicle at night.
Here are some tips to help you find car insurance that fits your budget in Greenville.
Increase your deductibles. Choosing higher deductibles can lower your comprehensive and collision premiums. Just make sure you choose a deductible you can afford to pay out of pocket in case of a claim.
Maintain a clean driving record. Follow traffic laws to avoid accidents and moving violations. Insurance companies often offer safe driver discounts to drivers with clean records.
Bundle policies. Insurance companies offer discounts for drivers who bundle their car insurance with other policies, like home insurance, renters insurance, business insurance, or a life insurance policy.
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Greenville: USAA
Liability-only auto insurance is the minimum coverage required in most states, including South Carolina. These policies cover damages and injuries you may cause to others in a car accident but don’t cover damage to your own vehicle.
The average cost of liability coverage in Greenville is $172 per month. Here are average liability quotes from some of the most affordable options in the city.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Greenville: USAA
Full-coverage car insurance includes liability coverage along with collision and comprehensive coverage. Collision coverage can help pay for repairs to your vehicle if you have an accident, and comprehensive insurance covers damage to your car resulting from non-collision events, such as theft, vandalism, or natural disasters.
Even though it costs more to buy full coverage, it’s a good idea to buy this coverage if you have a newer or higher-value vehicle. On average, full-coverage insurance in Greenville costs $244 per month.
The table below shows the companies offering the cheapest average monthly premiums for full-coverage car insurance in Greenville.
Car insurance requirements in South Carolina
South Carolina state law requires drivers to have proof of financial responsibility in their vehicles at all times. This means you must carry a minimum amount of liability insurance and uninsured motorist insurance to cover the cost of damages or injuries you may cause others in an accident.
South Carolina is an at-fault state, which means you need to cover the other driver’s medical bills and repair costs if you cause an accident.
Here are the minimum insurance coverage requirements for South Carolina auto insurance.2
Because liability insurance doesn’t cover your vehicle, you should consider adding some common optional coverages to your auto policy.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an incident
Incidents refer to events that negatively affect your driving record and, consequently, your insurance rates. These incidents include at-fault accidents, speeding tickets, driving under the influence (DUI), and other moving violations, such as reckless driving.
Having such incidents on your record signals to insurance companies that you pose a higher risk, and they may charge you higher rates than drivers without incidents. The average cost of coverage for a Greenville driver with a past incident is $201 per month for liability coverage and $285 for full coverage.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a speeding ticket: USAA
When you receive a speeding ticket, it signals to car insurance companies that you engage in risky driving behaviors and may be at a higher risk of an accident. Insurance companies typically charge higher rates for drivers with speeding tickets on their records.
On average, Greenville drivers with a past ticket pay $205 per month for liability insurance and $290 per month for full coverage.
Compare average monthly car insurance rates from several car insurance companies in Greenville for drivers with a clean record and people with one speeding ticket.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with an at-fault accident: USAA
An at-fault accident results in direct costs to the insurance company for claims made under your policy. So insurance companies often raise premiums for drivers with one or more past accidents to compensate for these expenses. The rate increase can vary depending on the severity of the accident.
The average cost for Greenville drivers with a past at-fault accident is $217 per month for liability insurance and $307 per month for full coverage.
The following table shows how an at-fault accident increases the average monthly car insurance rates for Greenville drivers.
Cheapest car insurance for drivers with a DUI: USAA
A DUI on your record has a significant effect on your car insurance rates because it suggests high-risk behavior and an increased likelihood of costly accidents involving injuries or substantial property damage. Insurance companies may increase your rates dramatically. Some might even decline to offer coverage at all.
Greenville drivers with a past DUI pay $216 per month for liability coverage and $306 per month for full coverage.
The table below shows the difference in average monthly premiums between Greenville drivers with a clean record and people with a DUI on their record.
Cheapest car insurance for seniors: USAA
Several factors affect car insurance rates, including your age. Rates for new drivers are high but generally stabilize around age 35. This trend continues until about age 70, at which point rates tend to rise again. At this age, insurance companies perceive an increased risk due to factors associated with aging, such as slower reflexes and a higher likelihood of medical issues that could affect your driving.
On average, senior drivers in Greenville pay $149 per month for liability and $212 for full-coverage insurance.
The table below shows average monthly premiums for both liability-only and full-coverage car insurance for senior drivers in Greenville.
Cheapest car insurance for teens: USAA
Teenage drivers pay higher insurance rates than older adults due to their lack of driving experience and higher statistical likelihood of accidents and traffic violations.
The average cost of car insurance for teen drivers in Greenville is $345 per month for liability coverage and $489 for full-coverage insurance.
Some tips for finding savings on car insurance at this age include:
Join your parents’ insurance policy. Adding a teen to a parent’s policy is usually more cost-effective than the teen having a separate car insurance policy.
Drive a safe car. Choosing a safe car equipped with modern safety features can lower insurance costs.
Take advantage of discounts. Many insurers offer discounts for teens who remain accident-free, take a defensive driving course, or maintain good grades in school.
The following table shows the cheapest car insurance options for both liability-only and full-coverage car insurance for Greenville’s teen drivers.
Greenville car insurance quotes by credit tier
South Carolina state law allows car insurance companies to consider credit-based insurance scores when calculating car insurance premiums.4 Statistics indicate that people with poor credit tend to file more claims and more expensive claims than drivers with good credit. Maintaining a good or excellent credit score can help you qualify for an affordable rate.
Here are the average full-coverage insurance rates for South Carolina drivers by credit tier.
Is car insurance more expensive in Greenville?
Car insurance rates in Greenville are higher than the national average across the country but lower than in many other cities in South Carolina. Greenville drivers pay $172 per month for liability coverage and $244 for full-coverage insurance.
Several factors contribute to Greenville car insurance rates, including its rising traffic volume. With more commuters and vehicles on the road, the risk of accidents rises, and that increases insurance rates.
But Greenville has relatively inexpensive coverage compared to rates in Charleston, the largest city in South Carolina. A higher risk of storm damage in the coastal city coupled with denser traffic in tourist-heavy areas pushes premiums up.
In comparison, Greenville is more expensive, on average, than Myrtle Beach. Despite Myrtle Beach’s status as a tourist destination, it benefits from less traffic congestion and lower traffic fatality rates than Charleston.5
More cities in South Carolina
The table below shows average monthly premiums for both liability-only and full-coverage auto insurance for several other cities in South Carolina.