Advice
Car insurance groups 2025
Cars fall in different insurance groups that tell how much premium you have to pay. Here we explain what the different groups mean.
Words by: Nimisha Jain
Additional words by: Andrew Woodhouse
Last updated on 17 March 2025 | 0 min read
What is a car insurance group?
All cars in the UK are categorised into groups from one to 50. These groups set the premium you'll pay, with cars in group one paying the lowest premiums and cars in group 50 being the most expensive to insure.
Cars in groups 1-10 are the cheapest to insure. These cars usually have lots of safety features and low costs of repair. This is a great bracket for young and first-time drivers to get an insurance cover that’s not too costly. Related: Best first cars for new drivers. Premiums on cars falling in insurance groups 11-20 are still affordable but higher than cars in 1-10. These cars usually have a number of safety features and a decent price for repairs. Cars in the insurance groups 21-30 pay a mid-ranged insurance premium for their cover. They are not ideal for car owners on a budget, but it’s suitable for those who are looking to avoid the top range insurance premiums. It is a decent insurance group to be a part of if you’re after a mid-size or large car with a good performance. Insurance groups 31-40 offer the second-most costly cover. High speed and powerful performance cars usually fall in this group, including many sports and luxury cars. Cars in insurance groups 41-50 pay the highest premium for their insurance cover. This group includes some of the most luxurious and powerful cars. We’re talking about the likes of Jaguar F-Types and Porsche 911s.
Cars in groups 1-10 are the cheapest to insure. These cars usually have lots of safety features and low costs of repair. This is a great bracket for young and first-time drivers to get an insurance cover that’s not too costly. Related: Best first cars for new drivers. Premiums on cars falling in insurance groups 11-20 are still affordable but higher than cars in 1-10. These cars usually have a number of safety features and a decent price for repairs. Cars in the insurance groups 21-30 pay a mid-ranged insurance premium for their cover. They are not ideal for car owners on a budget, but it’s suitable for those who are looking to avoid the top range insurance premiums. It is a decent insurance group to be a part of if you’re after a mid-size or large car with a good performance. Insurance groups 31-40 offer the second-most costly cover. High speed and powerful performance cars usually fall in this group, including many sports and luxury cars. Cars in insurance groups 41-50 pay the highest premium for their insurance cover. This group includes some of the most luxurious and powerful cars. We’re talking about the likes of Jaguar F-Types and Porsche 911s.
How are insurance groups decided?
The Association of British Insurers (ABI), in partnership with Thatcham Research, assigns each vehicle to one of 50 insurance groups based on its risk profile. This system helps insurers determine the cost of premiums by considering factors like repair costs, the likelihood of theft, and the car's safety features. Vehicles in higher groups tend to have higher repair costs or pose a higher risk, leading to higher premiums. While the group rating plays a significant role, other factors like the driver’s experience and location are also taken into account when calculating insurance prices.
Insurance groups are determined by several factors, including repair costs, parts availability, and the car’s performance. Insurers use historical claims data to assess how much it might cost to repair the vehicle after an accident. Cars with higher performance, such as those with powerful engines, are often placed in higher groups due to the increased risk of accidents. Meanwhile, vehicles with more affordable parts and simpler designs usually fall into lower groups. Additionally, safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and crash protection can help lower a car’s group by reducing the risk of injury or damage in the event of an accident. Modern safety and security features can significantly influence a car’s insurance group. Vehicles fitted with advanced technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warnings, and electronic stability control are often placed in lower groups due to the reduced risk of accidents they provide. Similarly, security features like immobilisers, factory-fitted alarms, and tracking systems can help lower a vehicle’s group by making it less likely to be stolen. The additional letter ratings (A, D, E) can also reflect these features, with cars exceeding safety standards often placed in a lower group to reflect the reduced risk they present to insurers.
Insurance groups are determined by several factors, including repair costs, parts availability, and the car’s performance. Insurers use historical claims data to assess how much it might cost to repair the vehicle after an accident. Cars with higher performance, such as those with powerful engines, are often placed in higher groups due to the increased risk of accidents. Meanwhile, vehicles with more affordable parts and simpler designs usually fall into lower groups. Additionally, safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and crash protection can help lower a car’s group by reducing the risk of injury or damage in the event of an accident. Modern safety and security features can significantly influence a car’s insurance group. Vehicles fitted with advanced technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warnings, and electronic stability control are often placed in lower groups due to the reduced risk of accidents they provide. Similarly, security features like immobilisers, factory-fitted alarms, and tracking systems can help lower a vehicle’s group by making it less likely to be stolen. The additional letter ratings (A, D, E) can also reflect these features, with cars exceeding safety standards often placed in a lower group to reflect the reduced risk they present to insurers.
Safety letters explained
Insurance companies also assign a letter after the insurance group number that represents the car’s level of safety:
A - The car meets the acceptable level of security requirements D - The car doesn't meet the insurance group’s safety requirements and so it’s been placed in a higher insurance group. E - The car exceeds the security requirements for its group and so it’s been placed in a lower insurance group. P - There isn’t enough data available at the time of launch to decide on the insurance group yet. The letter assigned may change once more information is available. U - The car has unacceptable levels of security. The car could still be insured but the insurer may ask you to add or upgrade the car’s security features. G - The car has been imported. Two groups are used for imported vehicles: Parallel imports and grey imports.
A - The car meets the acceptable level of security requirements D - The car doesn't meet the insurance group’s safety requirements and so it’s been placed in a higher insurance group. E - The car exceeds the security requirements for its group and so it’s been placed in a lower insurance group. P - There isn’t enough data available at the time of launch to decide on the insurance group yet. The letter assigned may change once more information is available. U - The car has unacceptable levels of security. The car could still be insured but the insurer may ask you to add or upgrade the car’s security features. G - The car has been imported. Two groups are used for imported vehicles: Parallel imports and grey imports.
Which insurance group is my car?
To find out which insurance group your car is in, you’ll need the car’s:
• Make • Model • Year • Number of doors • Fuel type • Transmission With this information, you can use any insurance group checker, for example moneysupermarket’s car insurance group checker or Thatcham’s My Vehicle Search to get an idea about how much premium you’ll have to pay to insure your car.
• Make • Model • Year • Number of doors • Fuel type • Transmission With this information, you can use any insurance group checker, for example moneysupermarket’s car insurance group checker or Thatcham’s My Vehicle Search to get an idea about how much premium you’ll have to pay to insure your car.
What insurance group do electric cars fall into?
Insurance groups work the same way for electric cars, as they do for petrol or diesel cars.
Since electric cars are fairly new and their parts like the battery pack are not as readily available as diesel or petrol car parts, electric cars may be listed in a higher insurance group. If you’re looking for a cheap-to-insure car, you can use the Auto Trader search filter and set your car insurance group.
Since electric cars are fairly new and their parts like the battery pack are not as readily available as diesel or petrol car parts, electric cars may be listed in a higher insurance group. If you’re looking for a cheap-to-insure car, you can use the Auto Trader search filter and set your car insurance group.