South Dakota Car Insurance Quotes and Regulations

South Dakota - Flag
South Dakota Car Insurance Guide

All car insurance quotes for South Dakota should provide you with the following insurance coverage or financial responsibility at a minimum in order to drive legally:

25/50/25 – This is shorthand for the liability policy limits required which means you need a minimum coverage of:

  • $25,000 for death or injury to one person;
  • $50,000 for death or injury to two or more people; and
  • $25,000 for property damage to others

If you travel every now and then to another state: Nearly all car insurance policies have a provision that will adjust your coverage from the minimums required in your state to the minimum insurance or proof of financial responsibility in another U.S. state (check our omplete list). Means: you do not need to get a new insurance policy for each state you are driving through. However, if you buy a policy in a low limits state (like South Dakota or South Carolina) but live in a high limits state (like Maine), insurers will only write a policy where your car is principally garaged. So if your home is in Maine, you should buy the minimum limits for Maine. Likewise, if you are frequently visiting another U.S. state or commute you might need to purchase the fitting coverage for this state, too. Please check the details with your insurance carrier.

South Dakota’s required insurance limits are low, considering the cost of repair and damages likely to occur in an accident. If you are in a serious collision and the damages you caused are greater than the coverage limits you purchased, you may be personally liable to pay for those damages that exceed your insurance coverage. Like in all other U.S. states, purchasing additional coverage might be a sensible and in most cases also cheap strategy for enhanced financial protection in the case of a real accident.

Auto Insurance Laws and Requirements in South Dakota

South Dakota is a comparative negligence state. A comparative negligence legal defense is one that reduces the amount of damages that a claimant/plaintiff can recover for an injury due to negligence based on percentage of which the claimant’s/plaintiff’s own negligence contributed to cause the injury. So, if you have an accident, you and the other driver could be each at fault for 50% of each others’ damages. However, just because you have the same percentage of fault, does not mean you “cancel” out each other damages. You will have to pay for 50% of the other driver’s damages. So if you total their $50,000 car, you will be liable for ½ of the damage you caused – $25,000.

Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

In South Dakota, a first time offense of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is a misdemeanor offense. If you are 21 years or older, if you have a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of .08% or higher while driving, South Dakota law presumes you are driving while intoxicated. If you are under 21, a lower BAC may apply to you.

1st DUI

If convicted, you may be sentenced up to 1 year in jail, depending on your BAC and aggravating factors. A court fine of $1000 may be imposed. You will also be responsible for other court fees. Your license will be suspended for a minimum of 3 months up to 1 year and you may be required to attend a Chemical Dependency course. Alcohol/drug abuse treatment may be ordered. SR-22 or FR-44 forms are required for DUIs in South Dakota.

2nd DUI

If convicted, you may be sentenced up to 1 year depending on BAC and aggravating factors. Fines may be imposed of at least $1,000. Your license will be suspended for a minimum of 180 days up to a year. You may be required to install an ignition interlock device after your license revocation. You must also complete a Chemical Dependency course. SR-22 or FR-44 forms are required for DUIs in South Dakota.

South Dakota Auto Insurance Sources

Listing Source:

NAIC 2009 Market Share Information

Note: List does not contain duplicates of associated or affiliated insurance companies

Official Ressources

Top Ten Car Insurance Companies in South Dakota

To read more about the possible ranking methods for auto insurance providers, please check this article. The following list shows the top ten insurance companies in south Dakota as rated by 2009 market share data:

  1. State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance
  2. Allstate Insurance Group
  3. MetLife Auto & Home
  4. Safco Corporation
  5. State Auto Mutual Group
  6. Geico General Insurance Company
  7. ACUITY
  8. United Services Automobile Association (USAA)
  9. Nationwide Insurance Company
  10. Bituminous Insurance Companies