Our editors have a joke that when writing about auto insurance, the word “cheap” shouldn’t be used as a descriptor for car insurance rates. The fact is, cheap auto insurance for a Toyota Tundra can seem impossible to find. Don’t let that bother you, though, because we will teach you how you can still get coverage that most people can afford.
Your chances of finding affordable auto insurance for a Toyota Tundra in South Carolina hinges on lots of different factors like whether or not your vehicle has good safety ratings, if you have ever let your policy lapse, and if you have a history of accidents. Drivers on average pay around $1,020 annually to insure a Toyota Tundra, but that figure is an estimation based upon a 40-year-old married female driver that included both comprehensive and collision coverage and $500 physical damage deductibles.
There is a high probability that you aren’t exactly 40 years old or even a female, you might be single instead of married, or maybe you prefer to not insure for full coverage. This shows why the best way to quote the cheapest coverage for your Toyota is to compare as many rates as you can.
Your vehicle’s trim level tends to impact the insurance rate, so the price to insure a Tundra Regular Cab 2WD will be $198 less than the cost to insure the more well-appointed Tundra SR/5 Crew Max 4WD version, as demonstrated by the prices below.
Model | Comp | Collision | Liability | Medical | UM/UIM | Annual Premium | Monthly Premium |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tundra Regular Cab 2WD | $160 | $288 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $998 | $83 |
Tundra SR/5 Double Cab 2WD | $184 | $352 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,086 | $91 |
Tundra SR/5 Crew Max 2WD | $184 | $352 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,086 | $91 |
Tundra Regular Cab 4WD | $208 | $352 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,110 | $93 |
Tundra Double Cab 4WD | $208 | $352 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,110 | $93 |
Tundra SR/5 Double Cab 4WD | $208 | $352 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,110 | $93 |
Tundra Limited Double Cab 2WD | $208 | $414 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,172 | $98 |
Tundra Limited Crew MAX 2WD | $208 | $414 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,172 | $98 |
Tundra Limited Crew MAX 4WD | $232 | $414 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,196 | $100 |
Tundra SR/5 Crew Max 4WD | $232 | $414 | $404 | $24 | $122 | $1,196 | $100 |
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Data assumes married female driver age 40, no speeding tickets, no at-fault accidents, $500 deductibles, and South Carolina minimum liability limits. Discounts applied include claim-free, safe-driver, homeowner, multi-policy, and multi-vehicle. Estimates do not factor in vehicle location which can alter rates substantially.
Trying to buy cheap car insurance is not always easy, and deciding which insurers offer the cheapest auto insurance rates for a Toyota Tundra takes additional perseverance. Each auto insurer has a different process for determining rates, so first let’s look at the rankings for the overall cheapest auto insurance companies in South Carolina.
Keep in mind that South Carolina auto insurance rates are determined by lots of factors which can substantially change the cost of having a policy. Simply improving your credit score, having a teen driver, or getting a couple of tickets can trigger price changes resulting in some companies being cheaper than others.
Best Car Insurance Prices for Your Tundra
Rank | Company | Cost Per Year |
---|---|---|
1 | The Hartford | $745 |
2 | USAA | $985 |
3 | State Auto | $1,138 |
4 | Auto-Owners | $1,141 |
5 | SC Farm Bureau Mutual | $1,248 |
6 | Southern Farm Bureau | $1,286 |
7 | National Grange Mutual | $1,361 |
8 | Travelers | $1,384 |
9 | State Farm | $1,408 |
10 | Allstate | $1,573 |
11 | Progressive | $1,594 |
12 | Encompass | $1,657 |
13 | Nationwide | $1,832 |
14 | Safe Auto | $1,965 |
15 | GEICO | $2,061 |
16 | Bristol West | $2,468 |
17 | Liberty Mutual | $2,489 |
18 | Safeco | $2,690 |
Find Your Rate Go |
The Hartford generally has some of the best car insurance rates in South Carolina at around $745 per year. USAA, State Auto, Auto-Owners, and SC Farm Bureau Mutual also make the cut as some of the best South Carolina insurance companies.
In this example, if you buy coverage from SC Farm Bureau Mutual and switched to USAA, you could realize a yearly savings of in the vicinity of $263. Policyholders with Southern Farm Bureau could save as much as $301 a year, and National Grange Mutual policyholders might lower prices by up to $376 a year.
These premiums are averaged for all types of insureds and vehicles and do not factor in a specific rating modification for a Toyota Tundra. So the car insurance company that is most affordable for your situation may not even be in the list above. That points out the importance of why you need to get quotes using your own specific driver information and vehicle.
Finding cheap insurance for a Toyota Tundra in South Carolina is probably important to most people, and a good way to find cheap insurance is to not insure for full coverage. The illustration below shows the comparison of yearly insurance costs when comparing full coverage to liability only. The data assumes no violations or accidents, $500 deductibles, drivers are not married, and no discounts are taken into consideration.
If all age groups are averaged, comprehensive and collision coverage on your policy costs $2,061 per year over and above liability only. That brings up the question when is it safe to stop buying full coverage. There is no definitive guideline of when to phase out comp and collision coverage, but there is a guideline you can use. If the yearly cost of full coverage is more than around 10% of the replacement cost minus the deductible, the it may be a good time to stop paying for full coverage.
For example, let’s pretend your vehicle’s replacement value is $11,500 and you have $1,000 physical damage deductibles. If your vehicle is damaged in an accident, the most your company would pay you is $10,500 after paying the physical damage deductible. If you are paying over $1,050 annually for your policy with full coverage, then it may be the right time to buy liability only.
The ideal way to score good auto insurance rates in South Carolina for a Tundra is to be a safe driver and avoid accidents and traffic citations. The chart below demonstrates how speeding tickets and at-fault fender-benders can increase car insurance costs for different ages of insureds. The price estimates are based on a single male driver, full physical damage coverage, $250 deductibles, and no policy discounts are applied.
In the previous chart, the average cost of an auto insurance policy in South Carolina per year with a clean driving record and no accidents is $2,478. Add in two speeding tickets and the average cost hikes up to $3,288, an increase of $810 each year. Then add one accident along with the two speeding tickets and the yearly cost of auto insurance for a Toyota Tundra jumps again to an average of $4,093. That’s an increase of $1,615, or $135 per month, just for not being attentive to the road!
When comparing insurance for a Tundra in South Carolina, four good companies to start with are Progressive, Allstate, State Farm, and Geico. The data below rates ratings for price and service, as well as some optional coverages that you can purchase from each one.
Progressive | Allstate | State Farm | Geico | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Claims Rank | 4th | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
Discounts Available | 4th | 1st | 3rd | 2nd |
Overall Satisfaction | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 1st |
Price Overall | 3rd | 4th | 2nd | 1st |
U.S. market share | 8.8% | 10% | 18.3% | 11.4% |
Accident forgiveness coverage | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Mechanical breakdown insurance | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Rate for vehicle usage | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Roadside service | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Coverage for ridesharing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
New car replacement coverage | No | Yes | No | No |
Types of agents used | Buy online or from an independent agent | Only buy from Allstate agents | State Farm-only agents | Can buy online or use a Geico agent |
Number of agents | 30,000+ | 11,000+ | 18,000+ | 150+ |
Get Quotes Go |
Drivers have a lot of ways to shop for and buy auto insurance in South Carolina, but the three most common are through an independent insurance agent, a captive (or exclusive) agency such as Allstate or Liberty Mutual, or from a direct company like Progressive or Geico.
They all follow the same basic process, but auto insurance shoppers should know the differences in how they provide rate quotes.
Independent insurance agencies write business for many companies and can provide price quotes from all of them. These agents do not write with just one company and can give you more rate choices, which can give you better odds of saving money. If they quote lower rates, your policy can be easily switched to a different company which is easy for the insured.
A captive, or exclusive, agent is limited to just one company, two popular examples being Allstate or State Farm agents. Exclusive agents cannot provide other companys’ prices, so you will not be able to compare other companys’ rates.
If you choose to buy auto insurance direct, you forego the middleman (the agent) and instead shop direct either online or via phone. Shopping for auto insurance direct may be a decent choice consumers who do not have a lot of assets and understand how auto insurance works.
Which method is best to buy cheap insurance for a Toyota Tundra in South Carolina? It would be easy to say buying direct saves the most money since there isn’t an agent involved, but that does not always hold true. We could also say that buying from an independent agent is the best way to save because you have more choices, but that assumption is also not accurate. In a lot of cases, exclusive agencies have extremely competitive rates that are impossible to beat.
Because it’s impossible to say who has the best auto insurance rates, the best way to get the lowest rate is to get as many comparison quotes as possible. Smart shoppers will get rate quotes from independent agents, exclusive agents, and direct companies to have a good selection of rates to choose from. For a list of companies with cheap rates in South Carolina, click here to view.