Updated July 2026
What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage pays your medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle repair costs when a driver with no insurance injures you or damages your car. Underinsured motorist coverage activates when the at-fault driver carries liability insurance, but their limits are too low to cover your full claim. Both coverages step in where the other driver's policy stops, up to the limits you purchase. South Carolina law does not require either coverage, but carriers must offer it when you buy a policy.
- A driver with no insurance rear-ends you at a stoplight. You suffer $18,000 in medical bills and $6,000 in vehicle damage. The at-fault driver has no policy to file against. Your uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays the $18,000 in medical costs up to your policy limit. Your uninsured motorist property damage coverage pays the $6,000 vehicle repair, minus your deductible if your policy includes one.
- A driver with South Carolina's minimum liability limit of $25,000 per person causes an accident that leaves you with $60,000 in medical expenses. Their liability policy pays the first $25,000. Your underinsured motorist coverage pays the remaining $35,000, up to the limit you selected when you bought the policy. Without underinsured coverage, you pay the $35,000 gap yourself.
- A vehicle sideswipes your car in a parking lot and flees. You have dashcam footage showing the impact but cannot identify the driver. Your uninsured motorist property damage coverage pays for the repair because you documented contact. If you had no footage and no witness, most carriers deny the claim under the hit-and-run exclusion.
Who Needs Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
You should carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage if you cannot afford to pay $20,000 to $50,000 in medical bills and vehicle repairs out of pocket after an accident. South Carolina's uninsured driver rate sits above 12%, meaning roughly 1 in 8 drivers on the road carries no liability insurance. Even insured drivers often carry only the state minimum $25,000 per person limit, which does not cover serious injuries.
Compare the annual cost of uninsured motorist coverage to your ability to pay a $30,000 to $60,000 claim without financial hardship. If that amount would drain your savings or force you into debt, the $100 to $180 annual premium is justified. If you can absorb that loss and prefer to save the premium, South Carolina law allows you to reject the coverage in writing.
How Much Does Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage typically adds $8 to $15 per month to a South Carolina auto insurance policy, or $96 to $180 annually, when purchased at limits matching your liability coverage.
- Coverage limits you select—higher uninsured motorist limits cost more, and most carriers require your uninsured motorist limit to match or stay below your liability limit.
- Whether you add uninsured motorist property damage—bodily injury coverage alone costs less than adding property damage protection.
- Stacking election—if you insure multiple vehicles on one policy, stacked uninsured motorist coverage combines limits across all vehicles and costs 15% to 30% more than unstacked.
- Your liability limit—carriers price uninsured motorist coverage as a percentage of your liability premium, so higher liability limits increase the uninsured motorist cost.
- County uninsured driver rate—counties with higher percentages of uninsured drivers see slightly higher uninsured motorist premiums due to increased claim frequency.