Updated 20/10/2026
Read Time 8 mins
No matter where you’re going, if you’re driving a car in the UK then you’ll need insurance. A legal requirement, insurance will pay out for injuries or damage caused to other vehicles, as well as those to your own car under certain policies.
Failing to insure a car can lead to fines and penalty points, so it’s essential that you have it in place before heading out onto the road. Here at AA Cars, we’ve got a great range of cars that all fit into different insurance groups, but how does it all work and what insurance policy is right for you? Let’s take a look.
What are the car insurance groups?
Insurance groups in the UK range from 1 - the lowest - to 50 - the highest. A small, compact and low-powered car will fall into a lower insurance group, while a more expensive or high-performance car will enter a higher group. Here’s what you need to know.
| Insurance group | General insurance cost | Typical car types |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5 | Very low | Small, inexpensive city cars with low-powered engines and cheap repair costs |
| 6–10 | Low | Small hatchbacks and city cars |
| 11–15 | Low–moderate | Mid-size cars and basic family hatchbacks with smaller engines |
| 16–20 | Moderate | Medium-size cars with larger engines and more features |
| 21–25 | Moderate–high | Larger family cars, SUVs and better-equipped models |
| 26–30 | High | More powerful cars, larger SUVs and premium models |
| 31–35 | High | High-performance and premium cars |
| 36–40 | Very high | Powerful premium cars, sports cars and high-spec SUVs |
| 41–45 | Very high | High-performance and luxury vehicles |
| 46–50 | Highest | Supercars, very high-performance cars and expensive luxury models |
How to check the insurance group on a car
If you need to check the insurance group of a particular car, then it’s best to use an online checker. Many insurance providers offer this service but make sure that you don’t pay for it - it’s free on many websites. It’s the easiest and quickest way to check.
What types of cars are the cheapest to insure?
Traditionally, smaller and lower-powered cars are the cheapest ones to insure. Small hatchbacks, such as the Volkswagen Polo, Toyota Aygo and Seat Mii tend to be cheaper to insure because they fall into lower insurance groups.
Insurance also considers how much it would cost to repair certain areas of a car, so smaller cars with lower-priced parts will usually end up being cheaper to insure as a result.
Are older cars cheaper to insure?
Yes. Because older cars tend to be cheaper than brand-new alternatives, they tend to be cheaper to insure. However, they still fall within the aforementioned insurance groups, so you’ll have to bear that in mind.
This doesn’t always apply to high-performance or classic cars, either. Even if a car is older, if it has a larger engine or costs a lot to purchase, then insurance will still be high. A rare historic car will also command higher premiums because replacement parts would be expensive and tricky to source.
Are cars in higher insurance groups harder to sell?
Cars in higher insurance groups can often be harder to sell since the overall cost of ownership will be greater than on a smaller, less expensive car. Vehicles in higher insurance groups will often use more expensive parts and have larger, more powerful engines that all push up the cost of repairs and general maintenance.
A high-performance car in a higher insurance group will cost more to own overall, making it trickier to sell.
