What auto insurance actually covers in the Upstate.

The legal floor

You must carry liability of 25/50/25 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage — plus uninsured motorist. Drive without it and you can lose your license, registration, and a good deal of money after a crash.

Those numbers were not written for a 2024 Tahoe or a week in a Greenville hospital. If you cause a serious injury, the gap between 25/50 and the claim is yours.

Three levels we quote

• 25/50/25 + UM

  SC minimum

  South Carolina’s legal floor: $25k bodily injury per person, $50k per crash, $25k property, plus uninsured motorist. Fine for a paid-off beater; thin if you hit a newer SUV on I-85.

• 50/100/50 + UM

  Standard

  The usual Upstate recommendation. Doubles the liability limits and keeps uninsured motorist in step. A sensible middle for most commuters.

• 100/300/100 + $500 comp/collision

  Full coverage

  Higher liability, collision, and comprehensive (deer, hail, theft). What lenders require, and what most foothills agents suggest on a financed or newer car.

Upstate-specific notes

Uninsured & underinsured motorist

UM is required; UIM is the one people skip and regret. A share of drivers on I-85, US-29, and the two-lanes carry the minimum or nothing. Match UM/UIM to your liability limits.

Comprehensive — deer, hail, theft

Pickens, Oconee, Travelers Rest, and the roads off US-25 produce deer claims. Spring hail across the Piedmont is not rare. Comprehensive is the coverage that pays when nobody else is at fault.

Collision and lenders

If the car is financed or leased, the bank will require collision and comprehensive. A $500 deductible is the usual local starting point; $1,000 if you can float the cash.

Credit-based insurance scores

South Carolina allows them. A thin file is not a moral judgment — it is a rating factor the companies will pull when we quote. You do not have to guess a band on this form.