What car insurance costs in South Dakota

South Dakota's bill against the national one

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) reports, state by state, what insurers collected per insured car. In 2023, its latest state year, South Dakota's average expenditure was $936, up 14% from $823 in 2022, the same rise as the U.S. as a whole. The average includes liability-only cars alongside fully covered ones. For a car carrying liability, collision and comprehensive, the combined premium was $1,158.

The table splits sharply. Liability was $378, about half the national $737, and collision was $157 lower too. Comprehensive went the other way: $473 against $238, the largest line on a fully covered South Dakota car. Comprehensive pays for damage that isn't a collision with another car, such as theft, fire or hail, and it is the coverage whose deductible you set. Our page on raising your deductible shows how that choice moves the price.

The coverage South Dakota requires

South Dakota law (SDCL 32-35-70) requires an owner's liability policy of at least $25,000 for injury to or death of one person, $50,000 for two or more people in one accident and $25,000 for damage to others' property: 25/50/25.

• Uninsured motorist coverage is required on every policy. It pays for your injuries caused by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, not for damage to your car.
• Underinsured motorist coverage must be included as well. It pays for injuries caused by a driver whose insurance is too small for the harm done.
• Both match your liability limits. State law sets uninsured and underinsured coverage equal to your bodily injury limits, up to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident unless you ask for more. The Division of Insurance notes that the two can't be stacked.
• Collision and comprehensive are optional under state law, though a lender will normally require them on a financed vehicle.

Because uninsured and underinsured coverage rise with your liability limits, buying more liability also buys more protection for yourself. The Insurance Research Council estimates that 9.4% of South Dakota drivers were uninsured in 2023, well under the U.S. rate of 15.4%. Our guide to limits and deductibles helps you weigh higher limits against their cost.

Pricing, filings and credit

The Division of Insurance, part of the Department of Labor and Regulation, links from its auto insurance page to a public search of insurers' rate filings and to company market share reports. Looking up what your company has filed can help you frame questions if a renewal surprises you.

The Division's auto insurance guidance does not address credit-based insurance scores, and we could not confirm a South Dakota rule on them from an official source. Ask each company whether it uses one when you request a quote, and read our page on credit-based insurance scores for how they generally work.

If no company will insure you

If you can't find an insurer willing to cover you, a local insurance producer can submit an application to the South Dakota Automobile Plan on your behalf. It is a fallback for drivers the regular market turns down; our guide to assigned risk plans explains how such plans work and when to try the regular market again.

Trimming a South Dakota bill

1. 1 Start with comprehensive. It is the costliest line on an average fully covered car in South Dakota, so compare quotes at two or three deductible levels.
2. 2 Do the math on the deductible. The deductible break-even calculator shows how many claim-free years a higher deductible needs to pay off.
3. 3 Compare at least two or three insurers on identical liability limits, since your uninsured and underinsured coverage follows those limits.
4. 4 Contact the Division of Insurance at 605-773-3563 if a dispute with your insurer stalls; complaints can also be filed online.

Questions drivers ask