Car insurance groups

How do car insurance groups work?

Car insurance groups are used by insurers to help determine your car insurance price. Other things like your age, no claims bonus, annual mileage, and car use come into working out your quote price, but these groups act as a baseline.

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

How are car insurance groups decided?

The insurance group rating panel decide 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 repair research centre, Thatcham.

The insurance group rating panel consider 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 the car will fall into
• Repair costs including labour costs are calculated to see how much it’d cost to get your car fixed and back to normal
• Safety features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) lower the risk of colliding into another car. The less risk of an accident the lower the group
• Car bumper compatibly is assessed against the rating panel’s criteria. If the structure meets what they look for, the car will be in a lower group
• Performance with 0-60 mph acceleration time and top speed looked at. Typically, the more powerful a car the higher the group
• Average repair time as the longer the time it takes the more it’ll cost. Shorter repair times are rewarded with lower groups
• Security features such as alarms and immobilisers show your car is less likely to be broken into, so should fall into a lower group

What are the cheapest cars to insure?

The cheapest car insurance groups are 1-10. So, if you’re looking for cheaper insurance costs and premiums, it might be better to focus on a car from these groups.

Models and manufacturers like Volkswagen E-Golf, in group 15, Volkswagen E-up, in group 10, and Renault Zoe expression Nav in group 14 are more expensive.

What insurance group are electric cars in?

Electric cars are sorted into insurance groups like any other cars, numbered 1-50. With group 1 being the cheapest to insure.

Popular electric cars are still viewed as being specialist by insurers. 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.

How can I get cheaper car insurance?

There are a number of ways for you to get cheaper car insurance. To start with, buy a car in one of the lower insurance groups. Other things you can do are:

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