Updated July 2026
What Is Personal Injury Protection Insurance?
Personal Injury Protection pays medical expenses, lost income, and sometimes funeral costs for you and your passengers after a car accident, without requiring you to prove the other driver was at fault. PIP kicks in immediately after a crash, covering bills while liability claims are still being sorted out. In South Carolina, PIP is optional coverage you add to your policy if you want faster access to accident-related expense reimbursement than liability or health insurance typically provides.
- The other driver is clearly at fault, but their liability insurer takes three weeks to accept the claim. You have $4,200 in emergency room bills and miss two weeks of work, losing $1,800 in wages. Your PIP coverage pays both amounts within days of filing, without waiting for the liability claim to close. You avoid using your health insurance deductible and get wage replacement your health plan would never cover.
- You swerve to avoid debris and hit a guardrail. You're at fault, so no one's liability coverage will pay your bills. You break your wrist and need surgery costing $8,500, plus you miss a month of work. Your PIP policy covers the medical bills up to your policy limit and replaces a portion of your lost wages. Without PIP, you'd rely entirely on your health insurance and have no wage replacement.
- Your friend is riding with you when another driver runs a red light and T-bones your car. Your friend has $6,000 in medical bills. Your PIP coverage pays those bills for your passenger immediately, even though the other driver's liability insurance will eventually cover them. This prevents your friend from waiting weeks or filing a claim against you to access funds.
Who Needs Personal Injury Protection Insurance?
PIP makes sense if you have a high-deductible health insurance plan, are self-employed without disability insurance, or regularly drive passengers who lack health coverage. It's also valuable if you want immediate accident expense coverage without waiting for liability claims to resolve, or if you're the sole income earner in your household and can't afford weeks without a paycheck after an injury.
Compare your health insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum to typical PIP limits. If your health plan's deductible is lower than a year of PIP premiums and you have disability coverage through work, skip PIP. If you'd face financial hardship from a $2,000 medical bill or two weeks without income, add PIP with a limit that covers your gap.
How Much Does Personal Injury Protection Insurance Cost?
PIP typically adds $8 to $25 per month to your South Carolina auto insurance premium, or $96 to $300 annually, depending on the coverage limit you select.
- Coverage limit chosen — South Carolina allows PIP limits from $1,000 to $10,000 or higher, with higher limits costing more.
- Deductible selected — choosing a $250 or $500 deductible lowers your premium compared to zero-deductible PIP.
- Number of vehicles and drivers on your policy — more insured parties increase the statistical likelihood of a claim.
- Your zip code — urban areas with higher accident rates and medical costs see higher PIP premiums.
- Claims history — prior PIP claims on your record raise future premiums, just like collision or liability claims.