registering a car in NH: local insurance vs big national companies?

"Local feels more personal, but national seems maybe more reliable?"

Honestly, reliability isn't always about size. Had a national company once and spent forever on hold after a fender bender... Switched to a local agent and now at least I know who to bug directly if things go sideways, lol.

"Switched to a local agent and now at least I know who to bug directly if things go sideways, lol."

Haha, true enough—but sometimes knowing exactly who to bug doesn't mean they'll actually pick up the phone. Had a local guy once who was always "out for lunch"... at 3 pm. Reliability's a toss-up either way, honestly.

Yeah, that's a fair point. I went local mostly because I'm new to this whole insurance thing and figured it'd be easier to ask questions face-to-face. So far it's been good—my agent actually walked me through the NH registration process step-by-step, which was super helpful. But I can totally see how it depends on the individual agent... some folks are just impossible to reach no matter where they work.

I went with a national company mainly because I travel out of state pretty often with the family, and I wanted the peace of mind knowing I'd have coverage and support wherever we are. Local agents can definitely be great for personalized service—like you mentioned, walking you through registration or answering questions face-to-face—but I've found that national companies usually offer more consistent customer service and quicker claims processing when you're away from home.

That said, I think it really depends on your priorities. If you're mostly staying local and value that personal touch, a smaller agency might be perfect. But if you're frequently on the road or prefer the convenience of online tools and apps, national might be the way to go. Either way, just make sure you read the fine print carefully—coverage details and customer service quality can vary a lot, even within the same company.