- South Carolina drivers may soon face deductibles for windshield repairs.
- New bill would also bar insurers from using income or race in setting rates.
- These changes could begin January 1, 2027, affecting the insurance market.
A quirk of South Carolina insurance law that has saved drivers a lot of money over the years is on the chopping block. The state is one of just three in the country, alongside Florida and Kentucky, where insurers are barred from applying a deductible to windshield claims, which means a cracked or shattered windshield gets repaired or replaced at no out-of-pocket cost to the policyholder. That arrangement could soon end.
A handful of other states including Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York require insurers to offer optional zero-deductible glass coverage, but they don’t mandate it the way SC, FL, and KY do.
There’s now a new insurance bill moving through the South Carolina General Assembly that would keep this system in place through December 31, but change it starting January 1, 2027. After that date, insurers would no longer be required to automatically offer zero-deductible windshield coverage, and could instead make it optional…