What is the minimum car insurance required in New Hampshire?

New Hampshire does not require you to buy a car-insurance policy, but you must be able to prove financial responsibility for damage you cause. If you do carry a policy it must meet 25/50/25 limits: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage.

Is New Hampshire a no-fault state?

No. New Hampshire is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver who causes a crash is responsible for the resulting injuries and damage, and their liability insurance pays the other party.

Is the New Hampshire minimum enough coverage?

For most drivers, no. State minimums are a legal floor, not a safe amount. A single serious injury claim or a totaled late-model vehicle can run well past these limits, and anything above your policy limit comes out of your own pocket, including your wages and savings. The right number is one that covers what you could actually lose, which is what the coverage calculator helps you size.

Car insurance · New Hampshire

Car insurance requirements in New Hampshire

New Hampshire does not force you to buy a policy, but you are still on the hook for any damage you cause. Here is what the law expects, and why the bare minimum leaves most drivers dangerously exposed.

Size your coverage →

New Hampshire at a glance

Minimum liability: No policy mandated
Fault system: At-fault (tort)
Uninsured-motorist coverage: Not required

New Hampshire does not mandate auto insurance, but you must prove you can pay for damage you cause; if you do carry a policy it must meet 25/50/25.

Why the minimum is rarely enough

The state minimum keeps you legal, not protected. Liability coverage only pays for the otherparty’s injuries and property, and it stops at your limit. Once a hospital bill or a new-car repair runs past that limit, the rest is legally yours to pay, which can mean a lien on your wages or your savings.

Match your bodily-injury limit to what you could lose in a lawsuit: for most people that means far more than the state floor.
Liability does nothing for your own car. If yours is worth insuring, that is what collision and comprehensive are for.
Uninsured/underinsured-motorist coverage is the one that protects you when the at-fault driver has the same thin minimum you’re looking at here.

How car insurance coverage actually works →

Common questions

What is the minimum car insurance required in New Hampshire?: New Hampshire does not require you to buy a car-insurance policy, but you must be able to prove financial responsibility for damage you cause. If you do carry a policy it must meet 25/50/25 limits: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage.
Is New Hampshire a no-fault state?: No. New Hampshire is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver who causes a crash is responsible for the resulting injuries and damage, and their liability insurance pays the other party.
Is the New Hampshire minimum enough coverage?: For most drivers, no. State minimums are a legal floor, not a safe amount. A single serious injury claim or a totaled late-model vehicle can run well past these limits, and anything above your policy limit comes out of your own pocket, including your wages and savings. The right number is one that covers what you could actually lose, which is what the coverage calculator helps you size.

Auto-insurance laws change and limits are occasionally raised. Confirm current requirements with the New Hampshire DMV or department of insurance before you rely on them. This page is educational and is not legal or insurance advice.

Size your own coverage

Start from your assets, not the state floor. The free coverage calculator shows how much liability, collision, and comprehensive actually make sense for you. No email, nothing stored.

Open the car-insurance calculator →

Car insurance requirements in New Hampshire

New Hampshire at a glance

Why the minimum is rarely enough

Common questions

Size your own coverage

Requirements in other states