The car
Cars
The state does not require auto liability insurance just to drive. You are still responsible for damage you cause. The surprise for a lot of movers is the town permit fee on a newer car, which is based on the original list price and drops as the car ages.
The town permit fee
The clerk charges 18 mills per dollar of the maker’s list price for a current model year, then 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3 mills for each year older. The fifth preceding year and anything older stay at 3 mills. The fee is at least $5. The list price is rounded to the nearest $100, and the fee is rounded to the nearest dollar.
A current-year car with a $30,000 list price is 18 mills on $30,000, which is $540 for a full year of the town permit. That is the statute applied to that price, not a quote for your car. A car five or more model years older, at the same list price, is 3 mills, or $90. State registration fees are on top of the town fee. The first set of plates adds $8.
You start at the town or city clerk. The first 60 days list has the papers to bring.
Buying one here
New Hampshire has no general sales tax, so an ordinary car purchase in New Hampshire does not add one. Meals, rooms, and tobacco are the separate taxes, not cars.
Insurance and inspection
Liability insurance is not a condition of driving or of registering the car. If you cause a crash, you still owe the damage. Read the Insurance Department’s auto guide before you decide to drive uninsured.
The passenger inspection program is suspended under DMV guidance dated February 13, 2026. The inspection statute is still on the books. Check the DMV page before you assume a sticker is or is not required the month you arrive.
Sources
- RSA 261:153 — town and city registration permit fees, by model year.
- NH DMV — vehicle registrations — state fees are RSA 261:141, and the first plates are $8.
- NH DMV — inspections — passenger program suspended, February 13, 2026 guidance.
- NH Insurance Department — auto guide — no compulsory liability insurance.
- NH DRA — taxes at a glance — no general sales tax.