The short answer: split limits divide your liability coverage into separate buckets that cannot help each other, while a combined single limit puts one total amount behind the entire accident. If one person is seriously hurt, split limits can leave money sitting unused in the other buckets while you personally owe the difference. That is the whole case for a combined single limit.
What are split limits?
Almost every auto policy in South Carolina is written as split limits. You have seen them as three numbers separated by slashes, like 25/50/25 or 100/300/100.
Those three numbers are three different caps on the same policy:
- The first number is the most the policy pays for any one person’s bodily injury.
- The second number is the most it pays for everyone’s bodily injuries in that one accident, added together.
- The third number is the most it pays for property you damaged, meaning the other vehicle, a fence, a storefront.
The trap is in the word “separate.” These are not one pot of money with internal guidelines. They are three walls. If your policy is 100/300/100 and you injure one person to the tune of $250,000, the policy pays $100,000 and stops, even though the $300,000 per-accident limit was barely touched and the property damage limit went completely unused. The remaining $150,000 is your responsibility.
South Carolina’s legal minimum, 25/50/25, is the same structure with much smaller walls.
What is a combined single limit?
A combined single limit, usually written CSL, replaces all three numbers with one. A $500,000 CSL means half a million dollars is available for that accident, and the policy does not care how the accident breaks down.
One person hurt badly? The whole $500,000 is available to them. Four people hurt moderately plus three damaged vehicles? The same $500,000 covers all of it, allocated wherever the claim actually lands. There is no per-person cap and no separate property damage cap, because there are no buckets to begin with.
Which one is better?
Run the same wreck through both policies and it stops being abstract. Say you drift across the center line on Broad Street and seriously injure one driver. Medical bills, rehabilitation, and lost wages come to $250,000, and their vehicle is a $40,000 total loss.
| Your policy | What it pays | What you owe |
|---|---|---|
| 100/300/100 split limits | $100,000 toward injuries (per-person cap), $40,000 for the vehicle | $150,000 |
| $500,000 combined single limit | $290,000, the full claim | $0 |
Both policies carry the same overall exposure on paper. Only one of them actually protects you in the most common serious accident there is: one person, hurt badly.
That is why a combined single limit is worth asking about. It is not a bigger number for the sake of a bigger number. It removes the specific failure mode that puts people’s wages and homes at risk.
Does South Carolina require a combined single limit?
No. South Carolina requires split limits of 25/50/25, along with uninsured motorist coverage at those same limits. A combined single limit is always an upgrade you choose.
Worth noting for anyone commuting to Shaw AFB or running I-95: the state minimum has not moved in a long time, while the cost of a hospital stay and the price of an average new truck both have. A great many drivers on the road next to you are carrying exactly 25/50/25, which is also the argument for carrying strong uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of your own.
Can you get a CSL on a personal auto policy?
Sometimes, and more often than most drivers assume. Combined single limits are standard on commercial auto policies, so if you have a vehicle titled to a business, ask about it directly and see our business insurance page for how commercial auto fits the rest of your coverage. On personal auto they are less advertised, and the carriers that write them typically want a clean driving record and a reasonable claims history.
Because availability varies carrier by carrier, this is one of the clearest cases for working with an independent agent rather than buying direct. We can see which of our carriers will write a CSL for your profile without you applying to six companies to find out.
How a CSL works with an umbrella policy
They stack, and they solve different problems.
A combined single limit raises the ceiling on your auto policy and removes the internal caps. An umbrella policy sits on top of both your auto and your homeowners policy, adds another million or more above them, and often covers some claims your underlying policies exclude entirely.
If you own a home, have teenage drivers, or have assets worth pursuing in a lawsuit, the strongest structure is usually solid underlying limits plus an umbrella. Carriers generally require you to carry certain minimum limits underneath before they will sell you one, so raising your auto limits is often the first step toward getting an umbrella at all.
Frequently asked questions
What does 100/300/100 actually mean? Three separate limits on one policy: $100,000 for any one person’s injuries, $300,000 for everyone injured in that accident combined, and $100,000 for the property you damaged. Each number is its own cap, and money left in one bucket cannot be moved to another.
Is a combined single limit better than split limits? For most drivers, yes. A combined single limit makes the entire amount available for whatever the accident actually turns out to be, instead of capping each piece separately. The most common way people get hurt financially is a single badly injured person hitting the per-person cap while the rest of the policy goes unused.
Can I get a combined single limit on a personal auto policy in South Carolina? Sometimes. Combined single limits are standard on commercial auto and less commonly advertised on personal auto, though more carriers offer them than most drivers realize. Carriers that write them usually want a clean driving history. It is worth asking every time you shop.
Does South Carolina require a combined single limit? No. South Carolina sets its minimum as split limits: 25/50/25, plus uninsured motorist coverage at the same limits. A combined single limit is an upgrade you choose, not a requirement.
Do I still need an umbrella policy if I have a $1 million CSL? They do different jobs. A combined single limit raises the ceiling on your auto policy. An umbrella sits above your auto and home policies both, and can cover claims your underlying policies do not. Most people who can afford a $1 million CSL should price an umbrella at the same time.
Not sure what your current policy is? Send us your declarations page, or call or text 803-848-0089. We will read the limits back to you in plain English and tell you what it would cost to move up.