By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO
Merrimack lies between Nashua and Manchester, with the Merrimack River forming its whole border with Litchfield and the Souhegan River, Pennichuck Brook and Baboosic Brook running through town. The town’s 2026 hazard mitigation plan names the Everett Turnpike, the Daniel Webster Highway and NH Route 101A as its major routes, and it describes a town that has grown fast since 2021: 916 new rental units, 43 condos, 90 units of elderly housing and 71 single-family homes, plus a large shopping plaza, two warehouses and four large commercial centers (Merrimack Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026). More homes and more stores mean more traffic on roads that were already busy.
Founded in 2005, Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency owned by our family and based at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH. We work with Merrimack clients by phone and email, and since we have access to 40+ carriers, your auto policy can be shopped and set up to fit with your home or condo coverage. You can reach us at (603) 431-4020 or insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com.
Key takeaways
- Most New Hampshire drivers still choose whether to buy auto insurance; HB 1558, which would have required proof of coverage at registration, died in the House in February 2026. Any policy sold here must carry liability of 25/50/25 or more, plus medical payments and uninsured motorist protection.
- About one Merrimack worker in nine has a job outside New Hampshire, mostly a drive down the Turnpike into Massachusetts. Your New Hampshire policy goes with you; a car registered in Massachusetts must carry that state’s compulsory coverages.
- Merrimack’s hazard plan lists the Everett Turnpike, the Daniel Webster Highway, Wire Road, Baboosic Lake Road, Amherst Road and Continental Boulevard as evacuation routes and flags spots along Baboosic Brook for severe erosion risk.
- Wind, heavy snow and falling trees are comprehensive claims. The plan records nearly three feet of wet snow in March 2023 and a 95 mph microburst nearby in July 2024 that destroyed two vehicles.
- Nine in ten Merrimack homes are owner-occupied, so liability limits and umbrellas deserve a careful look.
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How Merrimack gets to work
Census Bureau estimates from the American Community Survey (five-year data, 2020–2024) show a commuter town of homeowners whose jobs are mostly in Hillsborough County but who also cross the state line in real numbers.
| Measure (ACS 2020–2024) | Merrimack town | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population and median age | About 28,160 people; median age about 41.5 (New Hampshire: about 43.3) | B01002 |
| Homes lived in by their owners | About 9,640 of 10,840 (roughly nine in ten) | B25003 |
| Workers driving alone | About 11,180 of 16,130 (close to seven in ten) | B08301 |
| Workers in carpools | About 840 (about one in nineteen) | B08301 |
| Workers based at home | About 3,390 (about one in five) | B08301 |
| Workers whose job is in Hillsborough County | About 12,910 (about eight in ten) | B08007 |
| Workers whose job is outside New Hampshire | About 1,880 (about one in nine) | B08007 |
| Trips to work of a quarter hour up to half an hour | About 5,910 of 12,740 (a little under half) | B08303 |
| Trips to work lasting at least three quarters of an hour | About 1,870 (about one in seven; statewide, about one in six) | B08303 |
| Residents aged 15 to 19 | About 1,440 | B01001 |
| Residents 65 and older | About 4,720 (about one in six; statewide, about one in five) | B01001 |
Survey estimates for a single town come with margins of error, so the table is a rough guide. The insurance takeaways: most cars here are used for weekday commuting on the Turnpike and DW Highway, a fifth of workers barely commute at all, and a meaningful group drives into another state every day.
New Hampshire auto law for Merrimack drivers
Unlike every other New England state, New Hampshire does not require most drivers to insure their cars. What it requires is that you be able to pay for harm you cause. After a reportable accident, the state can demand proof of financial responsibility or a deposit of security at the figures in RSA 264:20 – 25,000 dollars for one injured person, 50,000 for two or more and 25,000 for property damage – and a driver who cannot produce it can lose driving and registration privileges. HB 1558 in the 2026 session would have changed that by requiring evidence of a policy or another form of financial responsibility at registration, but House members killed it in February 2026 with an inexpedient-to-legislate vote (HB 1558 text; HB 1558 history at Citizens Count). Some drivers, mostly after serious violations, are ordered to carry a policy; our article Does New Hampshire require car insurance? explains who.
For a Merrimack family with a mortgage, retirement accounts or a teenager behind the wheel, skipping insurance is not a realistic choice. Any policy issued in New Hampshire is built on three required coverages:
| Required coverage | What the law sets | Why it matters in Merrimack |
|---|---|---|
| Liability (RSA 259:61) | At least 25/50/25 | Minimums rarely fit a family that owns a home; see our auto liability guide. |
| Medical payments (RSA 264:16) | At least $1,000 per person | Pays toward injuries to people in your car regardless of fault. |
| Uninsured motorist (RSA 264:15) | Follows your liability limit; an umbrella must carry it at its limit unless you reject that in writing | With insurance optional here, this is what pays your family’s injury costs when the other driver has no coverage. |
The Everett Turnpike, DW Highway and Baboosic Brook
Merrimack’s plan treats its main roads as critical facilities. Its transportation table lists the F.E. Everett Turnpike from the Bedford line to the Nashua line, the Daniel Webster Highway, Wire Road between the DW Highway and Bedford Road, Baboosic Lake Road, Amherst Road and Continental Boulevard as evacuation routes. It also notes that the Turnpike crossing of Baboosic Brook, and the stretch of the DW Highway over the brook just north of Wire Road, sit in a Very High Fluvial Erosion Hazard Zone, and that the town has rebuilt bridges on Wire Road, McGaw Bridge Road, Bedford Road and Bean Road since 2021 to let more water through (Merrimack HMP 2026).
One entry in the plan’s wildfire history is a reminder of what highway driving involves: on a single day in the fall of 2023, eight separate brush fires broke out along the Turnpike in Merrimack, and a fire truck working them was struck by a vehicle. New Hampshire’s move-over law, RSA 265:37-a, requires drivers approaching a fire, crash, roadwork or a stopped vehicle with warning lights to slow down, give a wide berth where it is practical, follow anyone directing traffic and leave a blocked lane as soon as possible. For Turnpike and DW Highway commuting, these coverage decisions carry the most weight:
- Per-accident liability. A pileup at highway speed can involve several injured people, and the per-accident limit is usually exhausted first.
- Comprehensive with a sensible glass option. Stones kicked up by trucks are a regular Turnpike hazard. Ask us whether your carrier offers glass coverage with a lower deductible.
- Rental reimbursement and towing. Commuters who depend on one car need a plan for the days it is in the shop.
- Accurate use. A car that sits at home while you work from the kitchen table should not be listed as a daily commuter, and a car that now heads to Massachusetts every day should not be listed as a pleasure vehicle.
Commuting into Massachusetts
The Census figures show about 1,880 Merrimack workers with jobs outside New Hampshire, and for most of them the trip runs down the Turnpike through Nashua into Massachusetts. Your New Hampshire policy covers you there. Most policies have an out-of-state provision that lifts your coverage to whatever another state demands while you are driving there, so you do not need a separate Massachusetts policy for the commute.
Things change if the car becomes a Massachusetts car. To register a vehicle in Massachusetts, you must carry four compulsory coverages: bodily injury to others, personal injury protection, bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto and property damage (Mass.gov, Basics of Auto Insurance). For policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, Chapter 275 of the Acts of 2024 raised the bodily injury minimum to $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for one accident and the property damage minimum to $30,000 (Acts of 2024, Chapter 275). Tell us right away if you are moving across the line, if a company car is garaged at a Massachusetts address, or if a family member who lives in Massachusetts drives your car regularly.
Snow, wind and falling trees
Merrimack’s plan records Winter Storm Sage, March 13–15, 2023, as nearly three feet of heavy, wet snow with strong gusts that led to road closures and power outages. It also describes the July 16, 2024 microburst centered on neighboring Milford, with 95 mph winds, about 150 downed trees, seven damaged homes, two destroyed vehicles, widespread outages and road closures in Milford and surrounding towns (Merrimack HMP 2026). The plan maps the town’s floodplains along the Merrimack and Souhegan rivers, Baboosic Brook, Naticook Brook and Pennichuck Brook, which matters for cars parked in low driveways and lots.
All of those are comprehensive losses for a car: a limb through the windshield, a car crushed under a tree or water up to the doors. Without comprehensive, the damage to your own car is not covered. Winter adds one more rule: New Hampshire drivers must clear snow and ice from their vehicles, and ice that flies off a roof and hits someone can lead to a fine (RSA 265:79-b). For the house side of storm season, see our Merrimack homeowners insurance page.
New drivers at home
With about 1,440 residents between 15 and 19, Merrimack families add a lot of new drivers. New Hampshire’s youth operator rules (RSA 263:14) and its device law (RSA 265:79-c) set the ground rules:
| Rule for drivers under 18 | What it means |
|---|---|
| License age and paperwork | Youth operator licenses cover ages 16 through 20; applicants who are 16 or 17 need a parent’s signed permission and proof of a completed driver education course. |
| Passengers | For the first six months, no more than one passenger under 25 who is not family, unless a licensed adult aged 25 or older rides along. |
| Seat belts | Every person in the car must be buckled. |
| Phones | No use of a phone or similar device at all while driving, apart from calling for help in an emergency. |
We generally suggest increasing liability limits when a teen joins the policy, and it helps to decide up front which car the new driver will use. Our teen driving safety article has practical house rules.
High-value, collector and umbrella coverage
Newer luxury vehicles can be written with carriers such as Cincinnati, Hanover and Progressive that offer broader options; our high-value auto insurance page has the details. Collector cars usually do best when insured for an agreed value through a specialty market such as Hagerty, which our New Hampshire collector car page walks through. Because nine in ten Merrimack homes are owner-occupied, a New Hampshire umbrella policy over the auto and home is worth considering alongside the car, keeping in mind the uninsured motorist rule above.
If you have an accident
First, check for injuries and call 911 if anyone is hurt. New Hampshire’s RSA 264:25 requires drivers in a crash that injures someone or damages property to give each other their names and addresses, license and registration details and insurance information, and when there is an injury or more than $1,000 of damage, to file a written report with the Division of Motor Vehicles in 15 days or less unless police investigated. After that, call us at (603) 431-4020 or email insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com, and we will help start the claim and follow it with the adjuster through to the end. Our accident checklist for New Hampshire is useful to keep handy.
More for Merrimack and nearby towns
For all coverage in town, start at our Merrimack insurance agency page; renters can see the Merrimack renters insurance page. General background lives on our auto insurance page and in the New Hampshire auto insurance guide; if you would like both policies together, read about our home and auto bundle. Neighbors can visit our Nashua, Litchfield, Hudson and Hollis pages, along with our car insurance pages for Bedford and Amherst.
Get a quote for your Merrimack cars
Send us your drivers, your cars and where each one is parked overnight, and we will compare 40+ carriers for you. We don’t charge any fees. We will explain the trade-offs between options in plain language so you can decide. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. Fill out the form below, visit our quotes page, or call (603) 431-4020. Our phones are staffed 9 AM–5 PM Monday through Thursday and 8 AM–4 PM on Friday, Eastern time; we are closed weekends. To see what other clients say, visit client feedback.
Frequently asked questions
Does New Hampshire require car insurance for Merrimack drivers?
Not for most of them. New Hampshire lets drivers show financial responsibility instead of buying a policy, although anyone who causes a crash and cannot cover the damage faces license and registration consequences, and some drivers are ordered by the state to carry insurance after certain violations. In 2026 the House rejected HB 1558, which would have made proof of coverage part of registering a car. If you buy a policy, as most people financing or leasing a car or owning a home do, it has to include liability no lower than 25/50/25 along with medical payments and uninsured motorist coverage.
I commute from Merrimack into Massachusetts. Do I need a Massachusetts policy?
No, not while you live in New Hampshire and the car is registered here. A New Hampshire policy goes with you across the line, and the out-of-state provision in most policies lifts your coverage to the other state’s required amounts while you drive there. If you move to Massachusetts or register the car there, the policy has to be rewritten to Massachusetts’ compulsory coverages.
What should I do when I see emergency vehicles stopped on the Everett Turnpike?
Slow down and, if you can do it without endangering oncoming traffic, give them plenty of room. New Hampshire law requires drivers approaching a crash, fire, roadwork or a stopped vehicle with warning lights to keep a reduced speed, follow anyone directing traffic and leave a blocked lane as soon as possible.
A storm dropped a tree on my car in the driveway. Which policy pays?
Your auto policy, if comprehensive coverage is on that car. Comprehensive handles falling trees, wind, hail, flood and theft, after its deductible. Your homeowners policy may help with removing the tree and repairing the house or fence, but not the car itself. If the car carries liability only, the damage to it is not covered.
Our teenager just passed the road test. What needs to change on our policy?
Call us to add the new driver before they take the car out alone, and tell us which car they will use most. Under 18, New Hampshire youth operators have passenger limits for the first six months and may not touch a phone while driving except to report an emergency. It is also a good time to raise your liability limits and consider an umbrella.
Can you insure a collector car or a newer luxury car for a Merrimack client?
Yes. A collector car that is driven occasionally is usually insured for an agreed value through a specialty market such as Hagerty, and newer luxury cars can be placed with carriers that offer broader options, such as Cincinnati, Hanover and Progressive.
What do you need to start a Merrimack car insurance quote?
A list of drivers with birth dates and license numbers; each car’s VIN (or its year, make and model); the overnight parking address for each; a rough yearly mileage for each; and the declarations page of your current policy, if one exists. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy. The form on this page works, or email insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com or call (603) 431-4020 to begin.
Sources
- American Community Survey 2020–2024 five-year estimates (U.S. Census Bureau), Merrimack town, Hillsborough County, NH: population (B01003)
- Merrimack median age (B01002)
- Merrimack population by age (B01001)
- New Hampshire population by age, for comparison (B01001)
- Merrimack owner- and renter-occupied homes (B25003)
- Merrimack how workers get to work (B08301)
- Merrimack place of work by state and county (B08007)
- Merrimack commute length (B08303)
- Statewide commute length for comparison, New Hampshire (B08303)
- Town of Merrimack and Nashua Regional Planning Commission, Hazard Mitigation Plan 2026
- RSA 264:20, financial responsibility amounts
- RSA 259:61, motor vehicle liability policy
- RSA 264:16, medical payments requirement
- RSA 264:15, uninsured motorist coverage, including umbrellas
- RSA 265:37-a, duties when approaching highway emergencies
- RSA 265:79-b, removing snow and ice from vehicles
- RSA 263:14, youth operator rules
- RSA 265:79-c, handheld devices
- RSA 264:25, accident information and reports
- NH House Bill 1558 (2026), text
- Citizens Count, HB 1558 (2026) outcome
- Massachusetts Division of Insurance (Mass.gov), Basics of Auto Insurance
- Massachusetts Acts of 2024, Chapter 275 (minimum auto limits from July 1, 2025)
Information on this page is general and meant for drivers in and around Merrimack, NH. It should not be taken as legal advice, and it neither creates, changes nor describes any particular policy; actual coverage depends on the policy wording, endorsements and the insurer’s underwriting. Laws, town plans and Census estimates are revised over time. To review your own drivers and vehicles, call (603) 431-4020.