If you're new to the UK and trying to understand why some cars are more expensive to insure than others, you're not alone. A big part of it comes down to car insurance groups, sometimes called car insurance bands.

UK insurers use car insurance groups to help work out the cost of your car insurance policy. Knowing which group your car sits in could help you get a cheaper quote.

But how exactly do insurance groups work? And what’s the cheapest car insurance group? In this guide we look at all this and more.

Key takeaways

• Insurance groups range from 1-50 and they're used by insurers to set the price for your car insurance policy
• Cars in group 1 are the cheapest to insure and those in group 50 are the most expensive
• Insurance groups are based on factors such as how powerful the car is, how easy is it to repair, size, speed and security

How do car insurance groups work?

All cars in the UK are placed into a group from 1 to 50:

• Group 1 is the lowest insurance group and cheapest to insure
• Group 50 is the highest insurance group and most expensive to insure

The group your car falls into is based on things like:

• How much it would cost to repair
• How easily parts can be found
• How secure it is against theft
• How safe it is to drive
• How powerful or fast it is

Generally, smaller, slower and cheaper-to-fix cars fall into lower insurance groups. The most popular and affordable cars tend to fall into groups 1 to 20.

What is the lowest insurance group?

The lowest car insurance group is 1. Cars in this insurance group are the cheapest to insure.

Groups 1-5: The cheapest car insurance groups

Groups 1-5 are the lowest and cheapest insurance groups. Cars in these groups are popular with new drivers, students, or newcomers to the UK. They're usually small, more affordable and easier to repair.

Example models:

• Cars in insurance groups 1–2: Fiat Panda, Skoda Fabia Hatchback, Ford Ka, Toyota Aygo, Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback 1.2
• Cars in insurance groups 3–4: Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, Toyota Yaris, Skoda Fabia, Citroen C1
• Cars in insurance groups 5: Dacia Sandero, Ford Ka Plus, Kia Picanto, Nissan Micra

Already got your eye on a particular make? Read up more on Ford insurance groups, Toyota insurance groups and Vauxhall insurance groups. 

Car insurance groups 6–10: Still affordable

These cars are a step up in size or performance, but still cheaper than average to insure.

Example models:

• Cars in insurance groups 6–7: Kia Rio, Peugeot 207, Nissan Micra, Citroen C1, Renault Captur, Hyundai i20
• Cars in insurance groups 8–9: Fiat 500 Pop Star, Mini Countryman, Toyota Corolla
• Cars in insurance groups 10: Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia, Smart ForFour

Looking at a Fiesta? See our breakdown of the Ford insurance groups.

Car insurance groups 11–15: Balanced between cost and performance

These cars are a bit more expensive. But they can still be great options if you want something a little bigger, safer or more powerful. You’ll probably get more legroom and boot space.

Example models:

• Cars in insurance groups 11–12: BMW 2 Series, Mini Hatchback, Nissan Qashqai, Mazda 2, Peugeot 308
• Cars in insurance groups 13: Mazda 2 Hybrid, Vauxhall Astra, Volkswagen Beetle
• Cars in insurance groups 14–15: Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Ford Focus

Want to know more? Check out our guides to the BMW insurance groups, Audi insurance groups, and Vauxhall insurance groups.

Car insurance groups 16–20: A little more to insure

Cars in these groups are often family-sized, a bit faster and more expensive to fix, so the cost to insure them is higher.

Cars in groups 16-20 can still be affordable to insure if you’ve been driving for several years and have a proven claim-free driving history (sometimes called a no claims discount). At Marshmallow, we take into account your claim-free history from any country.

Example models:

• Cars in insurance groups 16–17: Audi A1, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Volvo V40
• Cars in insurance groups 18–19: Citroen C4 Picasso, Jeep Wrangler, BMW 1-Series Hatchback
• Cars in insurance groups 20: Audi A3 Sportback, Ford Mondeo, Land Rover Freelander 2

Ready to take on one of these? Read more on Audi insurance groups, Mercedes insurance groups, Ford insurance groups.

Electric car insurance groups

Just like petrol and diesel cars, electric vehicles fall into insurance groups based on their cost, power and repair costs.

Example models:

• Cheapest insurance groups (Groups 1–15): Smart EQ ForFour, Volkswagen e-Up, SEAT Mii Electric, Fiat 500 Electric
• Mid-range: Kia e-Niro SUV, Hyundai Kona Electric
• Expensive to insure (Groups 45+): Mercedes-Benz EQA, Tesla Model 3, BMW i5 Saloon

What is the insurance group of my car?

You can usually check your car’s insurance group online using your car’s make, model, engine size and year.

But keep in mind that the same car model can belong to multiple groups, depending on its exact version. For example:

• A basic Ford Fiesta 1.1L might be in group 5
• A sportier Fiesta ST-Line 1.5L could sit in group 15 or higher

It’s important to check your car insurance group before buying a car. It’s very easy to commit to buying a car before finding out how much it will cost to insure.

If your potential car is in a higher group, you may need to rethink your purchase if you're on a tight budget.

What’s the average cost of car insurance in the UK?

As of early 2026, the average annual cost of car insurance was £560 according to the Association of British Insurers.

But insurance groups are just one piece of the puzzle. Your price also depends on:

• Where you live
• How long you’ve been driving
• Any past claims or convictions
• The level of cover you choose

Find out more about why car insurance in the UK can be expensive and how you can make it cheaper.

How Marshmallow can help

At Marshmallow, we recognise driving history from any country, not just the UK. So if you're new here, we won’t charge you more just because you’re still getting used to UK roads.

Get a quote with Marshmallow today and see how much you could save.

Explore car insurance groups by brand

• Ford insurance groups explained
• Toyota insurance groups explained
• Vauxhall insurance groups explained
• BMW insurance groups explained
• Honda insurance groups explained

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