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Car insurance groups

Car insurance groups are one of the ways insurers work out the cost of your insurance policy. Learn how they work and how what group your car is in can affect the price of your insurance.

If you're ready to go ahead and get a quote, you don't need to know the insurance group of your car and we'll still be able to help you compare quotes.

Louise Thomas, Motor Insurance Expert at Confused.com

Reviewed by: Louise Thomas Motor Insurance Expert 6 min read | Published 08/06/2023

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How do car insurance groups work?

There are 50 car insurance groups, and insurers place cars into one of these groups depending on their size, value, and the cost of repairs. The insurance group of a particular car represents how much a risk that kind of car might be. Cars in lower groups, such as 1-10, are more likely to be affordable, less powerful cars. Cars in the higher-up groups are usually expensive cars with bigger engines.

Other factors include:

The estimated cost of repairs
The value of the car
What standard safety and security features the car has

Generally, the lower the car group, the lower the cost of your insurance.

How do insurance companies decide groups?

The Group Rating Panel decides which group a car goes in. The panel is made up of members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), Lloyds Market Association (LMA) and supported by the motor insurance research centre, Thatcham.

The Group Rating Panel considers the following when giving a car model an insurance group:

New car value acts as a guide to how much your car might cost to replace or repair. The more it costs, the higher the group.
Repair costs - including labour costs - are calculated to see how much it costs to get your car fixed and back to normal.
Safety features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) lower the risk of an accident. The lower this risk, the lower the group.
Car bumper compatibility is assessed against the rating panel’s criteria. If the structure meets what they look for, the car goes into a lower group.
Performance, looking at 0-60 mph acceleration time and top speed. Typically, the more powerful the car, the higher the group.
Average repair time - longer repair times mean increased labour costs, which means more expensive insurance policies.
Security features such as alarms and immobilisers show your car is less likely to be stolen, so should fall into a lower group.

What insurance group is my car?

You can check which insurance group your car is in by visiting the Thatcham website. Here are some popular car models and which group** they fall into:

1-10	11-20	21-30	31-40	41-50
Citroen C1	Audi A3	Audi Q5	Lexus IS	Infiniti M
Vauxhall Corsa	Fiat 500	BMW 1 Series	Audi TT	Volkswagen Phaeton
Ford Ka	Honda Civic	Hyundai Sonata	BMW 5 Series	Audi R8
Audi A1	Kia Picanto	Land Rover Freelander	Ford Mondeo	Citroen C6
Volkswagen Polo	Mini Countryman	Mini Cooper S	Porsche Boxster	Volvo XC90

**This is not an exhaustive list. Some of the models within each group range will be allocated different groups depending on their exact specification. All details taken from Parkers.co.uk May 2023.

What are the cheapest cars to insure?

The cheapest car insurance groups are 1-10. So, if you’re looking for cheaper insurance costs, you might want to look for a car in one of those groups. Examples of cars in these lower groups include:

Insurance group**	Car model	Average cost to insure
1	Skoda Citigo	£277
2	Hyundai i10	£306
3	Ford Ka	£362
4	Volkswagen Up	£308
5	Fiat Panda	£301
6	Nissan Micra	£491
7	Fiat 500	£350
8	Citroen C3	£370
9	Renault Captur	£314
10	Dacia Sandero	£283

**Information taken from Parkers.co.uk.

What insurance group are electric cars in?

Electric cars are sorted in the same way as petrol and diesel cars, grouped 1-50.

Insurers still view popular electric cars as being specialist. They’re typically placed in the highest insurance groups as they’re expensive to repair after a crash. And as they aren’t that common, replacement parts can be difficult to find.

For example, a Nissan Leaf sits in insurance groups 21-25, and a Kia Niro SUV is in 20-24. The Tesla Model 3, however, is in insurance groups 48-50.

What else is used when calculating car insurance?

Here are some other important factors that impact how much you pay for your car insurance:

Age is a major consideration for car insurance prices. Younger drivers are seen as less experienced so are more likely to be involved in a road accident. Car insurance costs are usually higher for drivers under 25.
Driving history and any record of previous claims or driving convictions are likely to increase your price.
Occupation plays an important part - if your job is in an industry deemed risky, you’re likely to see higher costs.
Location. If you live in a postcode with a higher crime rate, there's a great risk of you making a claim and your prices being higher.
The type of cover you choose. Despite comprehensive insurance offering the most cover, it’s often the cheapest.

Find out more about how car insurance is calculated.

How can I cut the costs?

There are several ways you can cut costs:

Increase your voluntary excess
Pay annually if you can
Get a telematics box or black box policy
Be accurate with your annual mileage
Pick the correct job title
Think about how you use your car, and update your class of use
Add car security features
Build up a no-claims bonus (NCB)

What our car insurance expert says

"Learning about what group your car or a car you're thinking of buying is in could help save you money on your insurance. By choosing a car in a lower group, you're more likely to be seen as a lower risk by insurers, which could lower your insurance costs."

Louise Thomas Motor Insurance Expert

Types of car insurance

Temporary car insurance

offers short-term comprehensive cover from one hour to 28 days.

Multi car insurance

lets you insure one or more cars on the same policy.

Classic car insurance

offers cover for owners of classic cars. For insurance purposes, a classic car can be any car that’s older than 15 years.

Business car insurance

covers you if you use your car for work, including travelling between offices or across the country.

Black box car insurance

lets you prove you’re a safe driver, and save money on your policy, even if you’re inexperienced or seen as high risk.

New driver insurance

for those who are new to driving or hold a provisional license.

Page last reviewed: 08 June 2023

Reviewed by: Louise Thomas

After buying car insurance, 96% of Confused.com customers would recommend us (based on 157737 Reviews.co.uk respondents - as of 13/10/23). Read our reviews