Car insurance in New Hampshire: rates & minimums for 2026

Q: What is the minimum car insurance required in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire does not require drivers to buy auto insurance. It does require you to be able to pay for damage you cause, at limits equivalent to 25/50/25 — $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 of property damage. Most drivers meet that with an ordinary policy rather than risking a claim out of pocket.

Q: Is New Hampshire a no-fault state?

No. New Hampshire is an at-fault (tort) state, so the driver responsible for an accident — through their liability insurance — pays for the resulting injuries and property damage. That is why liability limits matter: they cap what your insurer pays before the balance becomes yours personally.

Q: What happens if you drive without insurance in New Hampshire?

Driving uninsured is not itself an offense in New Hampshire — it is the one state that does not require a policy. What it does require is that you can pay for damage you cause. Cause a crash without the means to cover it and your license and registration are suspended until the claim is satisfied, with an SR-22 filing for three years afterwards (RSA 264:3). The lasting cost is usually the premium: insurers price a coverage gap as a risk signal for years.

Q: Is New Hampshire's minimum coverage enough?

Legally, yes — carrying the minimum keeps you compliant. Financially, it often is not. Minimum limits were set by statute and raised rarely, while medical care and vehicle repair costs kept climbing. Once a claim exhausts your limit, the remainder is your personal responsibility, and raising liability limits is typically one of the cheaper changes you can make to a policy.

Drivers in New Hampshire pay an estimated 28% below the national average for full coverage. Comparing across 50+ insurers is the only reliable way to find out which side of that average you are on.

New Hampshire at a glance

State minimum liability

Not legally required — limits shown apply if you carry it

25/50/25

Average full coverage

About 28% below the national average

$1,032 / yr

Average liability-only coverage

Among drivers who carry liability only, at their chosen limits

$482 / yr

Fault system

At-fault (tort) state

At-fault

Uninsured drivers

Roughly one car in 13 on the road

~7.8%

Proof of insurance

Phone display is valid at a traffic stop

Digital accepted

Source: premium figures from the NAIC 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (published June 2025); uninsured-driver share from the Insurance Research Council / Insurance Information Institute, 2022 data; state minimum liability limits compiled from state statutes as of August 2026. City-level rates below are modeled from this state average, not independently sourced per city. Updated August 2026.

New Hampshire car insurance requirements

Coverage

Minimum

Status

Liability insurance

—

Not required by law

Bodily injury liability, per person

$25,000

Applies if you carry a policy

Bodily injury liability, per accident

$50,000

Applies if you carry a policy

Property damage liability

$25,000

Applies if you carry a policy

Uninsured motorist (UM)

Matches your liability limits

Required — N.H. Rev. Stat. 264:15. New Hampshire does not require a policy at all — but any policy sold here must include it.

Underinsured motorist (UIM)

—

Not required — insurers must offer it; you decline in writing

Minimum liability limits compiled from state statutes; PIP minimums from the same cross-checked state tables. Verified August 2026. Legislatures amend these — confirm with the New Hampshire insurance department before relying on them.

New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't require drivers to carry auto insurance — but it does require proof you can cover damages you cause, up to limits equivalent to 25/50/25, if you're ever at fault in an accident. Most drivers carry a standard policy rather than risk paying a claim out of pocket.

Driving uninsured in New Hampshire isn't illegal on its own, but causing an accident without the ability to pay for it can mean license suspension until you do, plus ongoing proof-of-financial-responsibility filings for several years afterward.

Uninsured motorist coverage is the row worth reading twice. Twenty-two states mandate it; in the rest insurers generally still have to offer it, and you decline in writing — which is how most drivers end up without it. Set against the uninsured-driver share shown above, it is often the most useful coverage on the policy, and the one most quietly dropped. Check your declarations page rather than assuming.

Underinsured motorist coverage is the separate line below it, and the two do not always move together: sixteen states mandate UIM, six of the states that mandate UM do not mandate UIM, and three fold UIM into the UM mandate by definition rather than by a statute of its own. Both rows are cited to the statute they come from.

What happens if you drive uninsured in New Hampshire

License & registration

No offense — New Hampshire does not require insurance. After an at-fault crash, license and registration are suspended until the damage is paid for.

Source

RSA 264:3

Statutory figures, verified August 2026 — not the amount you would actually pay. Court costs and assessments are added on top and can multiply the total, and most states reduce or drop the charge entirely if you can show the coverage was in force when you were cited.

Common questions about New Hampshire car insurance requirements

What is the minimum car insurance required in New Hampshire?

Is New Hampshire a no-fault state?

What happens if you drive without insurance in New Hampshire?

Is New Hampshire's minimum coverage enough?

Rates by major city

Within one state, ZIP code is often the largest single factor in your premium — larger than the car you drive.

Compare in my ZIP

City

Full coverage

Minimum

Manchester

$1,156 / yr

$540 / yr

Nashua

$1,002 / yr

$468 / yr

Concord

$985 / yr

$460 / yr

Derry

$1,121 / yr

$523 / yr

Dover

$1,049 / yr

$490 / yr

What moves a New Hampshire premium most

Two drivers on the same street, with the same car and the same record, can still be quoted differently — insurers weight these factors differently from one another, which is the whole reason comparing is worth the four minutes.

·ZIP code and where the car sits overnight — the biggest single lever.

·Annual mileage, which most insurers weight heavily.

·Driving record over the last three years, especially at-fault claims.

·Continuous coverage history. Gaps cost more than most discounts save.

·Credit history, which factors into most insurers' models here.

Insurers writing in New Hampshire

15 of the 28 insurers we review sell in New Hampshire. Each page covers which discounts and programs actually apply here — several carriers advertise features nationally that they do not offer in every state. For the national picture, see the full insurer reviews.

State Farm Progressive Geico Allstate USAA Liberty Mutual Travelers Nationwide Kemper The Hartford Amica Chubb MAPFRE Plymouth Rock The Hanover

Other states

Every state has its own page with the same figures.

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