New Hampshire is one of just a handful of states that do not require their residents to purchase automobile insurance. At least New Hampshire does not require its good drivers to purchase car insurance of any kind.

And while it is true that the state of New Hampshire does not require good drivers to purchase car insurance, the reality is that, for a number of reasons, well over half of all New Hampshire residents do purchase car insurance.

Why?

To begin with, many people who purchase cars finance their purchase. If you finance your car – that is, if you make a monthly car payment – then your vehicle’s lien holder will require that you purchase liability, collision and comprehensive car insurance; some lien holders require uninsured motorist coverage as well.

In addition to those vehicles which are financed, the state of New Hampshire only allows good drivers to drive insurance-free. A Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) conviction will get you three years of state-mandated liability car insurance instantly. A second conviction will up the ante to five years of liability coverage.

New Hampshire also has a system of “points” which can earn you the distinction of having to buy liability car insurance. Points are added to your record for such things as speeding tickets, running a stop sign or a red light, not obeying a police officer’s directions, driving on a sidewalk and several other offenses. The number of points required to trigger the state mandating that you purchase liability car insurance is determined by your age.

But whether the state requires you to purchase car insurance or a lien holder requires you to have insurance before driving off of a car lot, the questions still remains: how do I get affordable car insurance in New Hampshire?

Start by keeping your driving record clean. DWI or DUI convictions are going to cause your insurance premiums to go through the roof.

One of the most dramatic things you can do to lower you car insurance premiums is to increase your policy’s deductible. The deductible is the amount of money you agree to pay out of your own pocket before your insurance company is required to pay anything against a claim. Since your insurance company pays less when you have a high deductible, your insurance company charges you less for your premiums.

Next get online and find two or three websites that permit you to make comparisons between different car insurance companies. Fill in the information on at least two of these comparison sites and you should be able to get affordable car insurance and feel confident that you have found the best possible rate for you and your situation that you can possibly find in the entire state of New Hampshire.