Can I get car insurance in South Carolina with no prior insurance, and who is cheapest? Yes. In 157 real quotes our agents ran in 2026 for South Carolina drivers with no current insurance, Dairyland had the lowest median at $86/month (10 quotes), then Progressive ($165, 29 quotes), National General ($174, 88 quotes), GAINSCO ($208), and AssuranceAmerica ($246). National General wrote by far the most of them. Full table below.
Car Insurance With No Prior Insurance in South Carolina: 157 Real Quotes Compared
First car · Lapsed policy · Moved from another state · Coming off a suspension
Nearly half of the South Carolina drivers we quoted this year had no insurance in force when they called. South Carolina also reports insurance electronically to SCDMV, so a lapse can bring a fine and a registration suspension quickly. These are the medians from our 2026 quotes for drivers with no prior insurance, next to what the same carriers charged drivers who were already insured.
Medians of real quotes our licensed agents ran in 2026. Different drivers were quoted with different carriers, so these are population comparisons, not the same driver priced twice. Your rate will vary.
No prior insurance in South Carolina: who says yes, and at what price
Minimum coverage, need it today
Dairyland ($86/mo median, 10 quotes) for minimum limits, and it also files SR22 the same day if SCDMV requires one.
Most likely to be approved after a long lapse
National General: 88 no-prior-insurance quotes at a $174/mo median, more than every other carrier combined. If you have been declined elsewhere, this is usually where we start.
Full coverage or a financed car with no prior insurance
Progressive ($165/mo, 29 quotes) when it accepts the lapse, otherwise National General ($200/mo full coverage median).
South Carolina median monthly premium by carrier, no prior insurance versus currently insured
Median monthly premium by driver segment, from 340 real quotes our agents ran for South Carolina drivers from January through May 2026. Lowest median in each row is highlighted. Segments with fewer than 5 quotes for a carrier are marked “too few” rather than shown.
| Driver segment | Dairyland | Progressive | National General | GAINSCO | AssuranceAmerica | GEICO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All quotes | $105/mo 13 quotes · avg $205 | $146/mo 91 quotes · avg $161 | $178/mo 162 quotes · avg $208 | $298/mo 14 quotes · avg $298 | $246/mo 22 quotes · avg $252 | $150/mo 10 quotes · avg $149 |
| Liability only | $96/mo 8 quotes · avg $149 | $130/mo 50 quotes · avg $133 | $147/mo 73 quotes · avg $193 | too few (2 quotes) | $149/mo 6 quotes · avg $155 | $125/mo 5 quotes · avg $130 |
| Full coverage | too few (2 quotes) | $188/mo 38 quotes · avg $196 | $200/mo 89 quotes · avg $221 | $456/mo 7 quotes · avg $394 | $303/mo 14 quotes · avg $306 | too few (4 quotes) |
| Clean record (no accidents, tickets, or DUI) | $96/mo 8 quotes · avg $219 | $143/mo 64 quotes · avg $148 | $168/mo 127 quotes · avg $197 | $332/mo 8 quotes · avg $298 | $246/mo 16 quotes · avg $259 | $151/mo 7 quotes · avg $155 |
| Accidents, tickets, or DUI on record | $113/mo 5 quotes · avg $183 | $170/mo 27 quotes · avg $191 | $217/mo 35 quotes · avg $249 | $233/mo 6 quotes · avg $297 | $256/mo 6 quotes · avg $233 | too few (3 quotes) |
| SR22 filing required | $86/mo 6 quotes · avg $95 | too few (3 quotes) | too few (0 quotes) | $67/mo 5 quotes · avg $67 | too few (0 quotes) | too few (0 quotes) |
| No prior insurance | $86/mo 10 quotes · avg $154 | $165/mo 29 quotes · avg $189 | $174/mo 88 quotes · avg $214 | $208/mo 13 quotes · avg $279 | $246/mo 13 quotes · avg $243 | too few (4 quotes) |
| Currently insured | too few (3 quotes) | $141/mo 62 quotes · avg $148 | $179/mo 74 quotes · avg $202 | too few (1 quotes) | $245/mo 9 quotes · avg $265 | $157/mo 6 quotes · avg $144 |
| Drivers under 25 | too few (1 quotes) | $162/mo 12 quotes · avg $208 | $272/mo 8 quotes · avg $338 | too few (1 quotes) | too few (1 quotes) | too few (1 quotes) |
| Drivers 25 to 39 | too few (4 quotes) | $158/mo 22 quotes · avg $186 | $170/mo 63 quotes · avg $168 | $138/mo 8 quotes · avg $256 | $268/mo 13 quotes · avg $296 | too few (4 quotes) |
| Drivers 40 to 59 | too few (3 quotes) | $126/mo 29 quotes · avg $128 | $208/mo 75 quotes · avg $215 | too few (4 quotes) | $144/mo 5 quotes · avg $193 | too few (2 quotes) |
| Drivers 60 and over | too few (1 quotes) | $106/mo 16 quotes · avg $117 | $141/mo 11 quotes · avg $219 | too few (0 quotes) | too few (2 quotes) | too few (1 quotes) |
Quotes are what carriers offered, not what every driver bought. “Clean record” means zero accidents, zero violations, and no DUI in the quote. Age bands use the primary driver’s age. How we collect quote data →
Where each carrier came out cheapest
- Dairyland had the lowest median for: all quotes, liability only, clean record (no accidents, tickets, or dui), accidents, tickets, or dui on record, no prior insurance.
- Progressive had the lowest median for: full coverage, currently insured, drivers under 25, drivers 40 to 59, drivers 60 and over.
- National General did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
- GAINSCO had the lowest median for: sr22 filing required, drivers 25 to 39.
- AssuranceAmerica did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
- GEICO did not have the lowest median in any segment with enough quotes, but it still won individual drivers — that is why we quote it.
Compare the “No prior insurance” and “Currently insured” rows. For Progressive, uninsured callers paid a $165 median versus $141 for insured callers: a real lapse penalty. For National General the two are nearly equal ($174 versus $179), which is the clearest evidence of why it is our most-quoted South Carolina carrier: it does not punish the lapse much, it just accepts it. The penalty fades after six to twelve months of continuous coverage, so we re-shop at your first renewal.
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What else separates them
Dairyland
Lowest median for uninsured drivers on minimum limits; SR22 and non-owner options; monthly pay plans.
Progressive
Cheapest when it accepts the lapse; rewards continuous coverage at renewal.
National General
Writes the most no-prior-insurance policies in SC by a wide margin, with little lapse penalty.
GAINSCO
Minimum-limits and SR22 specialist for drivers coming off a suspension.
AssuranceAmerica
Non-standard carrier for lapses combined with violations.
GEICO
Rarely the answer for a lapse through agents; small sample.
No Prior Insurance Questions
No Prior Insurance Questions
7 QuestionsCan I get car insurance in South Carolina if I have never had insurance?
Yes. Every carrier on this page wrote first-time buyers this year. The cheapest medians for drivers with no prior insurance were Dairyland ($86/month) for minimum limits and Progressive ($165/month) overall; National General ($174/month) approved the most.
How much more do I pay for a lapse in coverage in South Carolina?
It depends on the carrier more than the lapse. In our quotes Progressive charged uninsured drivers about $24/month more than insured drivers, while National General charged almost the same. Most carriers stop penalizing a lapse after six to twelve months of continuous coverage.
What happens in South Carolina if my insurance lapses?
Your carrier reports the cancellation to SCDMV electronically. If you do not show new coverage or surrender the plates, SCDMV can suspend the registration and charge a daily uninsured fee plus reinstatement fees. Getting a new policy bound the same day avoids most of it.
Can I get insurance the same day and drive legally?
Yes. We bind the policy by phone or online, the carrier issues digital ID cards immediately, and the new coverage is reported to SCDMV electronically. If an SR22 is required it is filed the same day in most cases.
I just moved to South Carolina. Does my out-of-state insurance count as prior insurance?
Yes, if it is still in force or ended within the last 30 days. Bring your current declarations page and we quote you as continuously insured.
Are these rates what I will pay?
No. They are medians of real quotes for many different South Carolina drivers. Your ZIP code, vehicle, credit, coverage limits, deductible, and driving history will move your rate above or below these numbers. The table tells you which carriers to compare first.
How often do these numbers change?
We update the dataset monthly as new quotes come in, and carriers refile South Carolina rates several times a year. We re-shop at every renewal at no charge.
How this comparison was built
Every number on this page comes from quotes our licensed agents ran for South Carolina drivers between January and May 2026 (340 quotes across six carriers), stored in our first-party quote dataset. A quote is what the carrier offered; it is not a policy sold. Medians are used so a few very high-risk quotes do not distort the picture. Different drivers were quoted with different carriers, so this is a population comparison. Segments with fewer than 5 quotes for a carrier are shown as “too few.” Full methodology: How we collect quote data.
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Last Updated on by Shawn Christie