Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is a family-owned independent agency, founded in 2005 and licensed in Maine. From our office at 601 Islington St in Portsmouth, a few minutes across the bridge from Kittery, we help drivers in Kittery, Kittery Point, Eliot, York, South Berwick, Ogunquit and Wells compare car insurance from carriers among the 40+ we work with. We don’t charge additional fees.
We work for you, not one insurance company. We put several carriers’ auto offers side by side, explain where they differ and help you choose limits that protect your household, not just the state minimum. Families across the Seacoast have given us 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials.
Why car insurance on the Maine side of the Seacoast is different
Southern Maine households often live in one state and drive in two. A car might be garaged in Eliot, cross the Piscataqua to a job in Portsmouth, and spend the weekend on Route 1 in York. Your policy follows Maine rules when the car is registered and garaged in Maine, and Maine’s rules are stricter than New Hampshire’s.
Crossing the bridges every day
Plenty of Kittery and Eliot drivers cross the Memorial Bridge, the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge or I-95 every workday, and many Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees drive into Kittery from both states. Bridge approaches and the Route 1 and Route 236 corridors get congested at shift changes, which is when fender benders happen. We look closely at your liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist limits, because those are what protect you when the other driver’s coverage falls short.
Two states in one household
It’s common here to have one car registered in Maine and another in New Hampshire, especially after a move or when a family has a second home. We’re licensed in both states, so we can quote every car in the household and keep liability limits consistent across the policies. If you just moved across the river, tell us before you re-register so the coverage changes at the right time.
Summer on Route 1, winter on the back roads
From late spring through Labor Day, Route 1 through York, Ogunquit and Wells fills with beach traffic, and parking lots near Long Sands and Ogunquit Beach are tight. The rest of the year the roads are quieter but darker and icier. Deer cross Route 91, Route 103 and the roads around Mount Agamenticus, especially at dusk in the fall. Animal strikes and falling branches are generally comprehensive claims, so liability-only coverage won’t repair your own car.
Seasonal and stored cars
If a car stays at a York or Ogunquit summer house, it still needs to be on a policy. Some carriers allow reduced coverage on a car that’s stored for the winter and not driven, and they handle this differently. Ask us before you drop coverage on any car, because a lapse can cause problems with registration and with your next policy.
Maine auto coverage we review with you
| Coverage | What Maine requires | What we look at with you |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury and property damage liability | $50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000, or a $125,000 combined single limit | Higher limits that protect your home and savings, and the limits an umbrella requires underneath |
| Medical payments | At least $2,000 per person | Whether a higher medical payments limit makes sense for your household |
| Uninsured / underinsured motorist | Required; matches your liability limits unless you reject higher limits in writing | Keeping UM/UIM matched to liability, since many drivers on the bridges carry only the minimums |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by law; lenders and leasing companies require them | Deductibles for deer strikes, parking-lot damage and winter claims |
| Towing, roadside and rental | Not required | Worth a look for daily commuters and long winter drives |
| Umbrella (separate policy) | Not required | Extra liability over home and auto for teen drivers, waterfront homes and rentals |
Teen drivers, classic cars and toys
Adding a newly licensed teen is one of the biggest changes an auto policy goes through. We’ll compare how different carriers handle that change and whether the home and cars still belong with the same company. If a teen has a summer job at the beach and drives a family car there, make sure they’re listed on the policy for that car.
Own an older car you show or store? See collector car insurance in Maine. Snowmobiles and ATVs are written on their own policies; see ATV and snowmobile insurance in Maine.
Carriers we compare for southern Maine drivers
For Maine auto, the carriers we compare include Concord Group, Patriot, Safety, Vermont Mutual, Hanover, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Cincinnati, National General, Foremost Signature and Bristol West. Which ones fit depends on the drivers, the vehicles and each carrier’s underwriting, and we’ll tell you which options are realistic for your household.
Disclosure: Coverage, eligibility and price depend on each carrier’s underwriting and your details. Nothing on this page is a quote or a promise of coverage.
More for southern Maine households
See our town pages for Kittery and York, plus Eliot and South Berwick home insurance and Ogunquit and Wells home insurance. Statewide: Maine auto insurance, our Maine insurance agency page and flood insurance in Maine. Driving the other way? See car insurance in Portsmouth, NH.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Portsmouth, NH agency insure my car if I live in Kittery or York?
Yes. We’re licensed in Maine and insure southern Maine drivers from our Portsmouth office, just across the Piscataqua River. We don’t have a Maine office, so most clients work with us by phone, email and online, and some stop by Islington Street on the way home.
I live in Kittery but work in Portsmouth. Do I need New Hampshire car insurance?
Generally no. A car is insured for the state where it’s registered and garaged. A car kept at your Kittery, Eliot or York home usually carries a Maine policy, even if you drive into New Hampshire every day. If you move or re-register the car, tell us so the policy follows.
What are Maine’s minimum car insurance limits?
Maine requires $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, $25,000 for property damage (or a $125,000 combined single limit), at least $2,000 of medical payments coverage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage that matches your liability limits unless you reject higher limits in writing. Our Maine auto insurance guide has the statute citations.
Is hitting a deer covered?
Hitting a deer or other animal is generally a comprehensive claim. If a car carries liability only, the damage to your own car usually isn’t covered. We’ll show you the comprehensive deductible on each option.
My summer home is in York, but my main car is registered in another state. What do I need?
Each car is rated where it’s registered and garaged. A car that stays at the York house and is registered in Maine needs a Maine policy, while the car you drive up from home usually stays on your home-state policy. Tell us where every car lives and we’ll sort out which policy each one belongs on.
Can I insure my southern Maine home and cars together?
Yes. We compare single-carrier bundles and split options side by side. See our Maine home and auto bundle page.
Get a Kittery, York or southern Maine car insurance quote
Have your current auto declarations page handy, plus each driver’s license number and each car’s VIN, and tell us where every car is registered and garaged. We’ll compare options from multiple carriers and explain the differences in plain numbers. Call (603) 431-4020, email insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com or start a quote online.