Which car insurance group is my car in?
Key takeaways
In the UK there are two different ways of categorising cars to help insurers work out how much to charge you for cover:
Car insurance groups: Cars are sorted into groups 1-50 based on factors like the price of the car when new, repair costs and the car’s safety and security features. The groups apply to cars launched before 1 August 2024 and new variants of a model range that existed before August 2024
Vehicle risk rating (VRR): Brand new model ranges sold in the UK from 1 August 2024 are given a vehicle risk rating (as well as a car insurance group while the new VRR system is phased in). Unlike car insurance groups, this is based on real-world claims data and updates regularly
Which car insurance group is my car in?
Put your car registration number into our group checker and we’ll tell you which group your car sits in, and what that means for your insurance costs.
Retrieving data...
Your car
Your car insurance group
Group 8/50
This car is among the lower insurance groups which should be good news for your premium. Cars in lower groups are typically cheaper to insure.
This car ranks in the middle insurance groups so it isn’t among the cheapest cars to insure, but it won’t be one of the most expensive.
This car is towards the higher end of the scale which means it could be relatively expensive to insure.
What are car insurance groups?
UK car insurance groups help insurers work out how risky cars are to insure. That means how likely those cars are to be claimed on and how expensive those insurance claims may be.
These insurance groups range from 1-50, where group 1 typically includes the cheapest cars to insure and group 50 includes the most expensive cars to insure.
Cars that are cheap, easy to repair, and have good security features are likely to fall into lower groups. Cars that are more powerful and more expensive to repair tend to fall into higher groups.
Insurance providers use the group ratings, alongside their own claims experience and your personal risk factors, to inform their car insurance prices.
If your car went on sale in the UK from 1 August 2024 and is part of a brand new model range then it will be assessed under a new insurance rating system. ➡️ Find out more.
How are cars categorised into insurance groups?
The grouping of cars is based on data and research put together by Thatcham Research, a not-for-profit automotive risk intelligence organisation. The scores it sets are then reviewed by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) group rating panel, which is made up of insurance representatives.
Some of the data points that Thatcham Research includes in its ratings are:
Cost
How much time and money it would take to repair the vehicle, including factors like how easily the parts can be sourced.
Price
How much a new version of the vehicle would cost, in the event the insurer had to replace it.
Performance
The top speed of the car and how fast it can accelerate, as well as how much it weighs.
Design
How complex and secure the car's systems are, and what safety equipment it includes.
What impact does insurance group have on car insurance prices?
The table shows the average prices by group, with cars in the lowest insurance groups 1-10 costing about half the price to insure as cars in groups 41-50.
This is because cars in the lower groups usually have low purchase prices when brand new, are cheaper to repair and often have small engines so their risk profile is lower for insurance providers compared to high-performance or high value cars found in higher insurance groups.
Car insurance group | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|
1 to 10 | £425.87 |
11 to 20 | £487.05 |
21 to 30 | £534.83 |
31 to 40 | £661.83 |
41 to 50 | £818.69 |
What else will affect my premium?
Insurance companies take a range of factors into account when working out the cost of your premium. These include:
Your age
Your car's security features
Car insurance prices can vary a lot between providers. It's worth comparing multiple car insurance quotes to find the best deal for you.
More information on specific car insurance groups
Frequently asked questions
What does the E stand for in car insurance groups?
You'll notice some cars have an "E" against their group number. The "E" stands for:
"Exceeds" the security requirement for a car of that type, which results in a reduced group rating.
So, if a car that typically falls into group 5 exceeds the security requirement for that group, it'll appear as group 4E
Who is the cheapest car insurance?
The cheapest car insurance typically applies to cars in insurance group 1. Some examples of group 1 cars include the Citroën C1, Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10, and Volkswagen Fox.
What is the highest car insurance group in the UK?
The highest car insurance group in the UK is Group 50.
Do insurance groups change over time?
No, the group rating system gives each car a score at launch that never changes. However, the new vehicle risk rating system is different as the scores update regularly to reflect changing market conditions.
Which car insurance groups will my hybrid or electric car be in?
Hybrid and electric cars are rated in the same way as petrol and diesel models so you’ll find electric and hybrid cars throughout the different groups.
Some electric vehicles, such as the Volkswagen E-up and Smart EQ forfour, fall into the lower groups.
However, electric cars can be more expensive to repair than petrol and diesel cars and more likely to be written off if the battery is damaged in an accident, which can push up electric car insurance costs.
See our Electric Car Insurance Index to find out the top 10 cheapest and most expensive electric cars to insure.
Author
Sarah Tooze
Car & Van Insurance Expert
Sarah Tooze has been a motoring journalist for more than 15 years, specialising in company cars and vans, and has won a number of awards during her career, including the Newspress ‘Automotive...
