Updated: July 21, 2026
Advertising & Editorial Disclosure
FMNE has the cheapest minimum coverage car insurance in South Dakota at $15 a month. Progressive has the cheapest full coverage at $65 a month. If you're shopping for a teen driver, a recent violation or rebuilding credit, get a quote from FMNE first.
See MoneyGeek's full breakdown of the best car insurance in South Dakota for the fuller coverage-quality picture behind these rates.
Minimum Coverage | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $15 | 4.24/5 |
Full Coverage | Progressive | $65 | 4.70/5 |
Teen Male | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $140 | 4.24/5 |
Teen Female | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $141 | 4.24/5 |
Young Adults | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $72 | 4.24/5 |
Seniors | Progressive | $55 | 4.70/5 |
Speeding Ticket | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $79 | 4.24/5 |
At-Fault Accident | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $90 | 4.24/5 |
DUI | Progressive | $88 | 4.70/5 |
Bad Credit | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $121 | 4.24/5 |
Progressive is the highest-scoring car insurance company in South Dakota (4.7/5) and it's also the cheapest for full coverage. Beyond price, its accident forgiveness stands out: Progressive won't raise your rate for a small claim (under $500) starting in your first policy month, or for a larger claim once you've been with the company five years, even if you're at fault. That's especially useful for parents of teens or young drivers, who are the most likely to file that first fender-bender claim. The tradeoff: Progressive's Snapshot® discount requires plugging in a tracking device or app, so drivers who'd rather not share driving data with an insurer may prefer a flat-rate discount from a different carrier instead.
Progressive | $16 | $65 | 4.70/5 |
FMNE | $15 | $67 | 4.24/5 |
Allstate | $50 | $94 | 3.85/5 |
State Farm | $19 | $94 | 4.13/5 |
Geico | $28 | $103 | 3.92/5 |
Cheapest Minimum Coverage in South Dakota
FMNE is the cheapest minimum coverage option in South Dakota at $15 a month, $1 less than Progressive's $16. On customer service and claims handling, FMNE scores 4.24/5 to Progressive's 4.7/5. Given Progressive's stronger score for barely more money, you should quote both, but lean toward Progressive unless FMNE's price edge holds at your specific coverage limits.
Cheapest Full Coverage in South Dakota
Progressive is the cheapest full coverage option in South Dakota at $65 a month, just $2 less than FMNE's $67. Progressive just beats FMNE on claims and service, so filing a claim with Progressive is less likely to be disputed or delayed. GEICO is more well known than FMNE but by far the priciest of the five carriers compared here at $103 a month, $456 more a year than Progressive for the same protection.
How to Choose Between Full and Minimum Coverage in South Dakota
Full coverage costs $50 more a month than FMNE's cheapest minimum policy, $600 a year. If your car is worth less than $4,000, that annual premium is closing in on the value of the car itself, and minimum coverage plus a repair fund is the better financial choice.
Above that value, full coverage's comprehensive and collision protection matters in South Dakota specifically because animal collisions make up 26% of all crashes here; without it, you're paying those repair costs yourself.
If you finance or lease, your lender requires comprehensive and collision regardless of vehicle value.
FMNE is the cheapest insurer for teens and young drivers in South Dakota across the entire 16-to-25 age range, so the standard advice to lock in a policy at 16 and never revisit it happens to be correct here. A 16-year-old male pays $140 a month with FMNE; a 16-year-old female pays $141. Both rates fall to about $72–73 a month by 25. FMNE also offers teen-focused driver training and good-student discounts that lower the cost further.
Re-quote at 25, when your teen moves off youth pricing and into adult rates, since that's the one point in this range where the cheapest carrier could change. If you need step-by-step guidance, see how to switch car insurance companies.
16 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $141 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $140 |
17 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $132 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $131 |
18 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $123 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $122 |
19 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $107 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $107 |
20 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $99 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $98 |
21 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $91 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $90 |
22 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $83 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $83 |
23 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $78 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $77 |
24 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $74 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $74 |
25 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $73 | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $72 |
Progressive is cheapest for seniors in South Dakota at $55 a month, $4 less than FMNE's $59. Progressive also scores higher on customer experience (3.9 vs. 3.5), a difference that's worth considering since seniors file claims more often than midlife drivers.
Choosing FMNE over Progressive only makes sense if you're already bundled with them and don't want to unwind that discount. Progressive's Snapshot® program can lower the $55 rate further for safe, low-mileage drivers, so check your eligibility before you renew.
Progressive | $55 | 3.90/5 |
Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $59 | 3.50/5 |
State Farm | $86 | 3.80/5 |
Geico | $96 | 3.65/5 |
Allstate | $99 | 3.56/5 |
Brookings, Madison and Watertown are the cheapest cities in South Dakota at $11 a month, all with Progressive. Progressive is also cheapest in the state's most expensive city, Rapid City, at $19.
FMNE undercuts Progressive in five western cities — Belle Fourche, Pierre, Spearfish, Sturgis and Box Elder — at $13 to $15 a month, so get a second quote from FMNE if you're in that cluster.
Outside these cities, South Dakota's rural stretches carry higher deer-collision risk, so don't drop comprehensive coverage just because a nearby city's quote looks cheap.
Brookings | Progressive | $11 |
Madison | Progressive | $11 |
Watertown | Progressive | $11 |
Aberdeen | Progressive | $12 |
Canton | Progressive | $12 |
Dell Rapids | Progressive | $12 |
Milbank | Progressive | $12 |
Mitchell | Progressive | $12 |
Vermillion | Progressive | $12 |
Yankton | Progressive | $12 |
Belle Fourche | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $13 |
Brandon | Progressive | $13 |
Huron | Progressive | $13 |
Pierre | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $13 |
Spearfish | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $13 |
Sturgis | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $13 |
Tea | Progressive | $13 |
Box Elder | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $15 |
Sioux Falls | Progressive | $16 |
Rapid City | Progressive | $19 |
Progressive is cheapest after a DUI at $88 a month and files South Dakota's required SR-22 certificate directly, so re-quote with Progressive first if you're rebuilding your record after a DUI.
FMNE is cheapest for every other violation: $79 a month after a speeding ticket, $83 for texting while driving and $90 after an at-fault accident.
Drivers with bad credit should also quote with FMNE for the cheapest rates in South Dakota at $121 a month. That's $54 more a month ($648 more a year) against its own $67 clean-record rate, so improving your credit score before renewal is one of the biggest single moves you can make here.
Speeding Ticket | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $79 | 3.50/5 |
At-Fault Accident | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $90 | 3.50/5 |
DUI | Progressive | $88 | 3.90/5 |
Texting While Driving | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $83 | 3.50/5 |
Bad Credit | Farmers Mutual Ins Co of NE | $121 | 3.50/5 |
Switching carriers is South Dakota's biggest single saving, $38 a month between Progressive and GEICO. Dropping to minimum coverage saves another $50 a month if your car is fully paid off. Bundling, re-shopping after a violation ages off, improving credit and carrier discounts can trim your rate further from there.
The difference between South Dakota's cheapest and most expensive full coverage carrier is $38 a month: Progressive at $65 versus GEICO at $103. The cheapest carrier changes as insurers refile rates, so a driver who last quoted two or three years ago may still be paying GEICO-level rates when Progressive is now cheaper. Re-quote at every renewal to confirm you're still with the best-priced carrier for you.
Minimum and full coverage in South Dakota differ by $50 a month: FMNE charges $15 for minimum, Progressive charges $65 for full. South Dakota is an at-fault state, so minimum coverage pays nothing toward your own vehicle after an accident you cause. Full coverage adds collision and comprehensive on top of minimum's liability protection to cover that gap.
Bundling your home and auto policies with the same carrier reduces both premiums. The best bundling discounts in South Dakota range from 8% to 28%. South Dakota's cheapest full coverage carrier (Progressive) and its cheapest minimum coverage carrier (FMNE) both offer bundling.
An at-fault accident adds $23 a month to FMNE's clean-record rate; a DUI adds the same $23 a month to Progressive's clean rate. South Dakota's insurance look-back window runs three to five years depending on the violation, so re-quote within 30 days of the three-year mark to catch the drop as soon as it's available.
South Dakota permits credit-based pricing, and FMNE charges $121 a month for full coverage with poor credit versus $67 with a clean record, $54 more a month or $648 a year. Re-quote 30 to 45 days before renewal once your score improves, rather than waiting for your current insurer to reassess mid-policy.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a licensed Property and Casualty (P&C) Insurance Producer in Connecticut, is MoneyGeek's resident expert in insurance and economics. He has spent nearly a decade covering the market, first at LendingTree and now at MoneyGeek, where he analyzes hundreds of carriers and millions of rates across auto, home, renters, health and life insurance.
His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times and NPR. He draws on independent cost and consumer experience data, and no insurance company partnerships influence his recommendations.
Mark studied at Boston College before earning a master's in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University. Before MoneyGeek, he worked in financial risk management at State Street. He's also a five-time “Jeopardy!” champion.
