Table of Contents
- How do car insurance groups work?
- Why are car insurance groups important?
- What determines the insurance group of cars?
- Car insurance group list, cost and examples
- What insurance group is my car?
- What do the letters mean on car insurance groups?
- What else affects the cost of car insurance?
- How to lower your car insurance premium
- Car Insurance Group FAQs
The car insurance group your car falls into plays a big part in determining your car insurance premium.
Find out more about car insurance groups, including how a car’s group is decided and the lowest insurance group cars. Also see a list of car insurance groups, their typical costs, and the cars you could buy.
How do car insurance groups work?
Every car sits in a particular car insurance group. The groups are numbered from one to 50, reflecting the level of risk a vehicle is thought to pose to an insurer in terms of claims and cost if a payout is required.
Group 1 cars are considered the lowest risk and tend to be among the cheapest cars to insure, while Group 50 cars represent the highest risk and can be the most expensive to insure. A sliding scale covers every group in between, with risk and premiums increasing gradually as group numbers increase.
Why are car insurance groups important?
Insurers use car insurance groups to help set the price of car insurance. So if you’re concerned about the cost of your insurance, car insurance groups can help narrow down your vehicle options.
This can be particularly useful for younger drivers who typically face the highest insurance costs, but could find cheaper premiums by buying a car from a lower insurance group.
» MORE: Compare car insurance
What is the cheapest car to insure?
The Seat Ibiza, Toyota Aygo X, and Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10 were among the cheapest cars to insure in 2024, according to Whatcar?
What determines the insurance group of cars?
More than 125 data points are evaluated to decide which insurance group a car falls into. The broad categories covered include:
- Price of the car: This covers its value when new, and accounts for factors such as the trim level, and the cost to replace the car if necessary.
- Cost of repairs: This considers the price of parts if the car needs to be fixed, plus the time cost of repairs in terms of labour.
- Design of the car: This includes the level of the car’s security and safety systems.
- Car’s performance: This covers various specifications, including the car’s maximum speed, rate of acceleration and weight.
The ‘Group Rating’ data is compiled by the vehicle research centre Thatcham Research, and shared with the insurance trade body, the Association of British Insurers (ABI), every week. The ABI uses this information to arrive at a final Group Rating score for every car, which insurers can use as a guide when setting insurance premiums.
Car insurance group list, cost and examples
The car insurance group list below gives you an idea of the cars you can get and costs you can expect to pay for insurance in each group. However, it’s important to always check the insurance group of a particular car for yourself, as different models of the same make may fall into different groups. Insurance costs can also vary widely, depending on your own situation and characteristics as a driver.
| Summary | Example cars | Typical cost of car insurance (annual) | |
| Group 1-10 | Cheaper less powerful cars tend to have the cheapest premiums; ideal for new drivers wanting to keep costs down | Fiat Panda, Ford Ka, Kia Picanto, Renault Clio, Toyota Aygo, Vauxhall Corsa | £487 – £631 |
| Group 11-20 | Standard family cars with slightly higher repair costs but premiums should remain reasonable | BMW 1 Series, Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Mazda 2, Peugeot 208, Toyota Yaris | £641 – £715 |
| Group 21-30 | Larger, slightly more powerful cars, perhaps with upgraded trims, usually means above average premiums | Audi A3, Citroen C3, Ford Kuga, Nissan Qashquai, Suzuki Swift, Suzuki Vitara, Vauxhall Astra | £720 – £794 |
| Group 31-40 | Higher performance cars, modifications and upgraded specs will mean notably higher-than-average insurance costs | Audi A5, BMW 3-Series, Cadillac CTS, Jaguar XF Prestige, Land Rover Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz C-Class | £792 – £892 |
| Group 41-50 | Sports cars and luxury cars, with the potential for expensive repairs and targeting by thieves, are usually the most expensive to insure | Audi TT, BMW 5-Series, Ford Mustang, Jaguar XF, Porsche 911, Volvo V90 | £912 – £1,068 |
Source: NimbleFins – Average cost of car insurance in the UK for drivers age 40, as at 31 December 2024
What insurance group is my car?
If you’re considering buying a car, you can ask the car dealer for the insurance group it is in. A car’s insurance group can also usually be found in a vehicle’s V5C logbook. Alternatively, various websites allow you to check the insurance groups of different cars.
What insurance group do electric cars sit in?
The insurance group of electric cars is determined by the same criteria used to allocate groups to petrol and diesel cars. An electric car’s value, repair costs, performance, security and safety specs are all considered.
What do the letters mean on car insurance groups?
Sometimes there is a letter after a car insurance group number. The letters are used to provide further information about a car’s security features:
E = Exceeded – meaning the security on the car is higher than required. This may lead to it being placed in a lower group, where premiums could be cheaper.
A = Acceptable – meaning the car’s security features are as expected.
D = Doesn’t meet requirements – meaning security is lower than required. This could lead to a car being placed in a higher insurance group.
U = Unacceptable – meaning security is significantly below the required level. This may mean the car is moved into a higher insurance group and an insurer may ask for more security features to be added before offering cover.
P = Provisional – meaning there was insufficient data to give a final rating when the car was introduced.
G = Import – meaning the car cannot be rated because it’s imported. Group ratings are only applied to cars built for the UK market.
What else affects the cost of car insurance?
Your car insurance group is a major influence on the cost of insurance premiums, but there are many other factors that can affect the price of car insurance too, including:
You
Your age, where you live, your health, job and marital status are all important considerations. For example, having limited experience behind the wheel, living near an accident blackspot or where the risk of theft is high, and having certain health conditions could each individually result in higher premiums.
Your choice of cover
The cost of insurance can differ depending on whether you want fully comprehensive cover, third party, fire and theft cover, or third party only insurance. Also think about your policy excess – a higher excess means you’ll pay more towards a claim yourself, but it can also lower your premiums.
Optional extras, such as key cover or breakdown cover, will add to your premium too.
Your driving habits and history
How many miles you drive, for what purpose, where you park, and any motoring convictions you might have can all affect the cost of car insurance. And if you don’t have an accident or make a claim, you’ll build up a no-claims discount (NCD), which can reduce premiums significantly.
How to lower your car insurance premium
There are several steps you can take to get cheaper car insurance including:
- Comparing quotes: Whether you’ve just passed your test or have a renewal quote, always take the time to compare quotes between insurers.
- Paying annually: Making a single upfront payment usually costs less than paying each month.
- Lower your mileage: The less time you spend on the road, the cheaper your premium is likely to be.
- Increase your excess: A higher excess usually means lower premiums. Just make sure you can afford to pay if needed.
- Add another driver: If you’re a relatively new driver, adding a more experienced driver to your policy, such as a parent, could bring the cost of your insurance down.
- Consider multi cover: If there is more than one car in your household, you may be able to get cheaper coverage if you insure all of the vehicles with one insurer under a multi car insurance policy.
» MORE: Compare car insurance
Car Insurance Group FAQs
A car’s insurance group may change over time. This may be due to factors such as the car’s age and changing repair costs.
Your first car could technically be in any insurance group, but new drivers often opt for cars that sit in lower groups to bring the cost of insurance down.
The lowest car insurance is group 1. Group one cars tend to have the cheapest car insurance premiums.
The highest car insurance group is group 50. This group tends to have the most expensive insurance premiums.
The cheapest car insurance group is group 1. Group one cars tend to have the lowest premiums and group 50 cars have the highest.
Certain models of the Fiat Panda, Ford Ka, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabio, Toyota Aygo, Vauxhall Corsa and Volkswagen Up! are among the cars typically found in insurance groups 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Van insurance groups are decided on a similar basis to car insurance groups but there is a slight difference. Groups 1 to 20 cover vans that were introduced before 2016, with group 1 having the cheapest premiums for vans launched before that year and group 20 having the most expensive premiums. Groups 21 to 50 cover vans produced after 2016, with group 21 being the cheapest and group 50 having the highest premiums.
» MORE: Compare van insurance
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