Myrtle Beach draws approximately 20 million visitors per year, a number that puts enormous pressure on a road network built for a city of 35,000 permanent residents. US-17 through the heart of the Grand Strand and US-501 coming in from the west become genuinely congested corridors from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with traffic patterns, pedestrian crossings, and parking lot activity that generate more accidents per mile than most comparable South Carolina roads.



Auto insurance in Myrtle Beach reflects this environment. Rates in Horry County sit above the South Carolina average, the state's coverage requirements have specific features that many drivers do not fully understand, and the combination of year-round residents with seasonal renters and tourists creates a liability exposure that is worth thinking through carefully.

Here is what South Carolina requires, what you can expect to pay in 2026, how tourist traffic affects your rates, and how to structure your coverage so you are actually protected.

Minimum car insurance requirements in Myrtle Beach

South Carolina requires all drivers to carry minimum liability coverage of 25/50/25: $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident. These minimums apply in Myrtle Beach the same as everywhere else in the state.

South Carolina has a distinctive requirement that most other states do not share: uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory unless you specifically decline it in writing. Your insurer is required to offer UM coverage at the same limits as your liability coverage, and you must actively sign a waiver if you want to exclude it. Most insurance professionals recommend keeping uninsured motorist coverage, not waiving it. South Carolina has a meaningful percentage of uninsured drivers, and if one of them hits you and injures you or damages your vehicle, your UM coverage is what pays your bills. 

The 25/50/25 minimums are legally sufficient, but they are genuinely inadequate protection for anyone with assets worth protecting. A moderate injury accident — not a catastrophic one, just a moderate one — can produce medical bills that exceed $25,000 before the case is resolved. A newer vehicle totaled in an accident can easily exceed $25,000 in property damage. If your liability limits run out, the difference is your personal financial exposure. The standard professional recommendation for drivers in Myrtle Beach is at least 100/300/100 with matching uninsured motorist limits.

Average auto insurance costs in the Grand Strand

South Carolina's statewide average for full coverage auto insurance runs approximately $1,300 to $1,800 per year for a driver with a clean record. Myrtle Beach and Horry County rates tend to run 10% to 25% above that average, reflecting the higher accident frequency in the area.

Minimum liability-only coverage in Myrtle Beach typically runs $400 to $800 per year for a clean-record driver depending on age, vehicle, and carrier. Full coverage adds collision and comprehensive to the liability base, bringing most drivers into the $1,400 to $2,200 per year range.

Your individual rate depends significantly on factors specific to you. Age and driving record are the two largest variables — a clean record is worth more than almost any other factor in keeping premiums manageable. Vehicle type matters: a newer financed vehicle costs more to insure than an older paid-off one, and high-theft vehicles carry higher comprehensive premiums. Credit score is a significant rating factor in South Carolina — carriers use credit-based insurance scores, and the premium difference between excellent credit and poor credit for identical coverage can exceed $400 per year.

Zip code within Myrtle Beach produces noticeable rate differences. Areas with higher population density, more commercial activity, and more pedestrian traffic (like the Broadway at the Beach corridor or Ocean Boulevard) tend to produce slightly higher rates than residential areas further from the tourist core.

How tourist traffic affects your rates

The 20 million annual visitors who come to Myrtle Beach do not bring their local driving habits with them. They are navigating unfamiliar roads, watching for beachside attractions instead of traffic signals, making last-minute turns into parking lots, and operating in an environment where pedestrian traffic crosses at irregular intervals. This adds measurably to the accident frequency on Grand Strand roads.

US-17 Kings Highway carries some of the densest tourist traffic in the state during peak season. The stretch from Little River through North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, and down through Surfside Beach to Murrells Inlet sees a volume of accidents between June and August that actuaries have measured and priced into Horry County auto rates.

Parking lot accidents are disproportionately common in high-tourist areas. A parking lot collision is typically a collision claim, and the frequency of these incidents in shopping centers, restaurant rows, and hotel parking structures along the Grand Strand contributes to local rate levels.

What you can do about it: some carriers offer usage-based or telematics insurance programs where your premium is based partly on when and how you drive. If you are a year-round resident who avoids the tourist corridors during peak season, or if you commute primarily in non-peak hours, telematics programs can produce meaningful savings by pricing your actual driving behavior rather than the average for your zip code.

Best ways to save on MB auto insurance

Bundle auto with homeowners or renters coverage. Multi-policy discounts typically run 10% to 20% when combining auto and home policies with the same carrier. For most Myrtle Beach households, this is the single most accessible savings lever.

Maintain a clean driving record above all else. Nothing in auto insurance pricing affects your premium more than at-fault accidents and moving violations. A single at-fault accident can increase your premium by 30% to 50% and follows you for three to five years. Defensive driving in a high-traffic tourist environment is as much a financial decision as a safety one.

Consider whether full coverage still makes sense on older vehicles. If your vehicle is worth less than $6,000 to $8,000 and you have savings to absorb its loss, carrying collision and comprehensive coverage may cost more over time than it returns in claims. Calculate your annual collision and comprehensive premium against your vehicle's current market value and your deductible to see if the math still favors the coverage.

Ask about every available discount. Good student discounts for drivers in school, multi-vehicle discounts if you insure more than one car, discounts for anti-theft devices or passive restraint systems, defensive driving course credits — not all discounts are automatically applied or volunteered by agents. Asking specifically typically turns up at least one or two that were missed.

Shop at every renewal. Auto insurance rates change frequently. The carrier that was most competitive for your profile two years ago may have filed rate increases while a different carrier has become more aggressive. Loyalty rarely produces savings equal to active comparison shopping. An independent agent can run comparisons across multiple carriers in one conversation.

What to do after an accident in Myrtle Beach

The immediate steps after any accident matter both for safety and for the claims process.

Call 911 if there are injuries or significant property damage. South Carolina law requires reporting any accident involving injury or property damage over $1,000 to a law enforcement agency. In practice, calling 911 for any accident beyond a minor parking lot tap is the right default.

Exchange information before anyone leaves the scene. Get the other driver's name, contact information, driver's license number, license plate, vehicle make and model, and insurance carrier and policy number. In Myrtle Beach, be aware that the other driver may be a tourist from out of state or even another country — get their insurance information carefully and verify that it is current.

Document the scene. Photographs of both vehicles, the road conditions, any visible damage, and the positions of the vehicles at impact are useful for both insurance and potential legal purposes. Do not move the vehicles until you have photographed the scene unless traffic safety requires it.

Notify your insurer promptly. Report the accident to your own carrier even if you believe the other driver was at fault. Late reporting can complicate claims. Be factual and accurate in what you report; avoid speculating about fault or injuries at the scene.

Be careful with the other driver's insurer. If the other carrier contacts you for a recorded statement, it is reasonable to decline until you have spoken with your own insurer or attorney. You are not legally required to give a statement to the opposing carrier.

Get a free auto insurance quote

Moore & Associates compares auto insurance rates across multiple carriers for drivers throughout Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Murrells Inlet, and across the Grand Strand. As an independent agency, we are not limited to any single company's products or pricing.

If you have not compared your auto insurance rates recently, or if your premium has increased at renewal, call us at (843) 839-5076 or stop by 4707 Oleander Drive in Myrtle Beach. You can also request a quote online at mooremb.com/contact.

For more on your auto coverage options, visit our auto insurance page.