New Hampshire Car Insurance: Guidelines for Residents

Car insurance requirements vary from state to state, and can be very confusing when shopping fro an auto insurance policy. To effectively purchase auto insurance in New Hampshire there are a few key things every new resident (and those that are not so new) should know.

While it is important to know important information it is often more important to know how to find it. For complete information regarding insurance requirements in New Hampshire residents should contact the New Hampshire Insurance Department in Concord at 800-852-3416or visit their website at http://www.nh.gov/insurance/ .

New Hampshire is one of the few states that does not require (but does strongly recommend) its residents to carry a liability policy (liability being insurance to cover damages to both the vehicle and person of the other driver in the event of an accident for which the insured is responsible).

NH does require that all of its residents purchase an uninsured motorist policy. While carrying liability insurance is recommended it is impossible to force every driver to purchase it without making it a state requirement. As a result there will always be motorists without insurance driving on the roads, and it is inevitable that at some point or another they will cause an accident and be unable to pay for the damages. In this incidence an uninsured motorist policy will allow the victim to receive medical care and repairs to their vehicle.

In addition to recommending liability insurance it is also recommended that all residents purchase a collision/comprehensive policy. This will pay for repairs suffered by the vehicle of the insured in an accident for which they were responsible, as well as for any damages resulting from accidents caused by inclement weather or run-ins with the local wildlife. Without NH collision coverage the owner of the vehicle is solely responsible for these expenses.