How Many Car Insurance Groups Are There in the UK?

Written by Brijesh Patel
Reviewed by Andrea Troy
6 min read
Updated: 12 Oct 2026
Car Insurance Guides
How Many Car Insurance Groups Are There in the UK?

Car insurance groups run from 1 to 50 in the UK, with group 1 the cheapest cars to insure and group 50 the most expensive. Every make and model is placed into one of these 50 bands by a panel that assesses how costly a car is likely to be to repair, replace and keep secure. A lower group number generally points to a lower premium, all other things being equal.

The rating is set by the Group Rating Panel, administered by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and informed by data from Thatcham Research. It is only one input, though. Your age, address, mileage and no-claims history all shape the final quote, which is why two drivers looking at the same group 15 car can be quoted very different prices.

Free Price Compare sources this explainer from ABI and FCA publications and compares cover across a panel of 130+ insurers, so you can see how a car’s group feeds through to a real price for your circumstances.

Quick Answer: How Many Car Insurance Groups Are There in the UK?

  • UK car insurance groups are numbered 1 to 50, set by the ABI’s Group Rating Panel using Thatcham Research data.
  • The system started with 20 groups and expanded to 50 by 2009 to reflect the wider range of cars on the road.
  • A lower group is usually cheaper, but it is not guaranteed: a group 40 car can occasionally be quoted lower than a group 30 car for the same driver.
  • Car repair costs remain a key cost pressure, which the ABI cited alongside a stable average motor premium of £560 in Q1 2026.
  • A separate 0-99 Vehicle Risk Rating system for newer cars was introduced in September 2024, sitting alongside the familiar 1-50 groups.

Last updated: September 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed September 2026

Content in this article

The 1 to 50 scale explained

UK cars are sorted into 50 insurance groups, numbered 1 to 50, where group 1 holds the cheapest cars to insure and group 50 the most expensive. Insurers use the number as shorthand for how much a particular model is likely to cost them if it is damaged, written off or stolen. The scale is national, so a group 20 rating means the same thing whichever insurer you approach, even though each insurer prices it differently.

The groups are set by the Group Rating Panel, which the ABI administers, drawing on research from Thatcham Research. A car’s group reflects factors such as the cost and availability of parts, typical repair times, the price of a replacement vehicle, performance, and how well the car resists theft. A fast, expensive-to-repair hatchback lands high; a small, cheap-to-mend city car sits low.

You will sometimes see a letter after the number, such as group 23E. The letter is a security marker: E means the car meets the expected security standard for its group, while other letters flag better-than-expected or below-standard security, which can nudge the rating up or down.

Why did the number of groups change?

The number of car insurance groups grew from 20 to 50, reaching the current 50-band system by 2009, because 20 groups could no longer separate the growing range of cars on UK roads. When the market had fewer models with narrower price and performance spreads, 20 bands did the job. As cars became more varied in value, technology and repair complexity, a finer scale was needed to price them fairly.

Expanding to 50 groups gave insurers more precise steps between the cheapest and most costly cars. A modern city car and a high-performance saloon needed more separation than 20 bands allowed, so the extra groups let the rating reflect real repair and replacement costs more closely.

A newer layer arrived in September 2024: a Vehicle Risk Rating system that scores newer models on a 0-99 scale, giving insurers a more detailed risk picture that accounts for advanced driver-assistance technology and repair complexity. For the vast majority of cars already on the road, and across most consumer guidance, the familiar 1-50 groups remain the reference point.

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What is the difference between group 1 and group 50?

The difference between group 1 and group 50 is the expected cost to the insurer: group 1 cars are the cheapest to repair, replace and secure, while group 50 cars are the most expensive on every count. Group 1 typically holds small-engined city cars with modest performance and inexpensive parts. Group 50 tends to hold high-value, high-performance vehicles where a single repair or claim can run into thousands of pounds.

That gap feeds directly into pricing potential. A group 1 car gives an insurer little to lose, so the base risk it prices from is low. A group 50 car carries far higher potential payouts, so the starting point is higher before your personal details are even added. For the typical Free Price Compare buyer choosing comprehensive cover, the group sets the floor and your own profile does the rest.

Feature Group 1 (lowest) Group 50 (highest)
Typical car type Small city cars, low power High-value, high-performance cars
Repair costs Low, common parts High, specialist parts
Replacement value Low High
Effect on base premium Lowest starting point Highest starting point

Figures are indicative and may change.

What is the difference between group 1 and group 50

Is a lower insurance group always cheaper?

A lower insurance group is usually cheaper, but not always, because the group is only one factor in a quote and insurers weight the others differently. Drivers regularly find that a car in a higher group is quoted at a similar or even lower price than one in a lower group for the same person. A group 40 car can occasionally come in below a group 30 car once an insurer’s own claims data, the car’s theft record and your profile are applied.

The reason is that each insurer builds its own pricing model on top of the national group. One insurer may hold favourable claims experience for a particular model and price it keenly; another may have paid out heavily on it and load the price. Your age, postcode, annual mileage, occupation and no-claims history then move the number further, which is why the only reliable way to know is to run real quotes.

This is also why the same car can appear in slightly different groups on different tools. Some checkers show the standard group while an insurer applies a trim-specific or updated rating. If you want to understand the wider effect a car’s rating has on price, our overview of how insurance groups affect premiums sets out how the two connect.

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How do I check what insurance group my car is in?

You can check your car’s insurance group using its registration number on a free online group checker, or by looking at the manufacturer’s specification for your exact make, model and trim. The rating is tied to the specific version of the car, so a base trim and a sportier version of the same model can sit several groups apart. Always match the engine size and trim, not just the model name.

Lowest insurance group cars, which draw the highest search interest of any group query, are typically small hatchbacks and city cars with modest engines. Popular examples of low-group cars include entry-level superminis; a Skoda Fabia can sit as low as group 2 in its cheapest form, while a MINI Cooper or a sportier supermini climbs higher into the teens. The Hyundai ix35 and similar family SUVs tend to sit in the mid-range, though the exact group depends on engine and trim.

  • Use a reg-based group checker for a quick answer, then confirm against the trim.
  • Check the group before you buy a car, not after, so the running cost is no surprise.
  • If two checkers disagree, trust the group your insurer applies at quote stage.

Because a car’s rating is fixed but your personal details are not, comparing widely matters. Before you commit, it is worth running through the key questions to ask when comparing quotes so you compare like for like.

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How car insurance groups fit into your overall price

Car insurance groups set the baseline risk of the vehicle, but the final premium is built from your personal risk on top of that baseline. The FCA-regulated insurers on the market each combine the group with dozens of rating factors, which is why the group alone never gives you a price. It tells you the direction of travel, not the destination.

Across the wider market, the average UK comprehensive motor premium was around £560 in Q1 2026, a marginal £1 (0.2%) rise on the previous quarter and £20 lower than Q1 2025, according to the ABI Motor Insurance Premium Tracker. The ABI noted that repair costs remain high even as premiums have stabilised, and repair cost is one of the main things a car’s group captures. A car that is expensive to fix pushes both its group and, indirectly, its price upward.

Choosing a lower-group car is a legitimate way to reduce cost before you even shop, alongside building a no-claims bonus, keeping mileage realistic and avoiding modifications. Around 98-99% of cars quoted through Free Price Compare have no modifications, which helps keep quotes clean, and our guide to modifications that affect your premium explains why a change can move you outside standard cover. If you drive limited miles, it is also worth checking whether pay-by-mile cover works out cheaper than a standard policy.

How many insurers and providers price these groups?

The UK motor market is highly competitive, with around 100 firms underwriting motor insurance, according to the government’s Motor Insurance Taskforce final report. That volume of competition is the reason the same car and driver can attract widely varying quotes, because each underwriter reads the shared 1-50 group through its own claims data and appetite for risk.

Free Price Compare draws on a panel of 130+ insurers across 60+ insurance products, so a single search shows how different insurers price the same group for you. The spread can be substantial: a car sitting in a mid-range group might be loaded by one insurer and priced keenly by another that holds better experience of that model. Comparing across the whole panel is how you find the insurer whose model happens to favour your car and profile.

Around 88-89% of Free Price Compare car insurance quotes are for comprehensive cover, rising to roughly 88-91% of actual purchases, so most buyers are comparing like-for-like comprehensive prices where the group’s influence is clearest. If your car sits in a higher group and you are weighing lower-cover options, our explainer on the difference between the questions insurers ask helps you understand what drives the final figure.

How many insurers and providers price these groups

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FAQs about car insurance groups

How many car insurance groups are there in the UK?

There are 50 car insurance groups in the UK, numbered 1 to 50. Group 1 holds the cheapest cars to insure and group 50 the most expensive. The bands are set nationally by the Group Rating Panel, administered by the ABI using Thatcham Research data, so a group number means the same thing across all insurers.

What are the lowest insurance group cars?

The lowest insurance group cars are small hatchbacks and city cars with modest engines, inexpensive parts and good security. Entry-level superminis such as a base Skoda Fabia can sit as low as group 2. The exact group depends on the specific engine and trim, so always check the version you plan to buy rather than the model name alone.

What insurance group is a Hyundai ix35?

The Hyundai ix35, a mid-size family SUV, typically sits in the mid-range of the 1-50 scale, with the precise group depending on the engine, transmission and trim level. A diesel or higher-spec version usually rates higher than a smaller-engined petrol. Check your exact model using a reg-based group checker for the accurate figure.

What does insurance group 23E mean?

Insurance group 23E means the car is in group 23, and the letter E indicates its security meets the expected standard for that group. Security letters sit alongside the number to show whether a car's anti-theft measures are as expected, better than expected or below standard, which can adjust where the car falls on the scale.

Why did car insurance groups change from 20 to 50?

Car insurance groups expanded from 20 to 50 by 2009 because 20 bands could no longer separate the growing variety of cars on UK roads. As vehicles became more varied in value, performance and repair complexity, more groups were needed to price them fairly and give insurers finer steps between the cheapest and most costly cars.

Is a lower insurance group always cheaper to insure?

A lower insurance group is usually cheaper but not guaranteed, because the group is only one factor in a quote. Each insurer applies its own claims data and pricing model, and your age, postcode, mileage and no-claims history all count. Drivers sometimes find a higher-group car quoted lower than a lower-group one, which is why running real quotes is the only reliable check.

Why does my car show a different group on different sites?

A car can show different insurance groups on different tools because some display the standard national group while an insurer applies a trim-specific or more recently updated rating. When checkers disagree, the group your insurer uses at quote stage is the one that affects your price. Minor discrepancies usually reflect timing or trim detail rather than an error.

How many claims can I make on car insurance in a year?

There is no fixed limit on how many claims you can make in a year, but each claim can affect your no-claims bonus and future premiums. Multiple claims in a short period may lead an insurer to increase your price at renewal or, in some cases, decline to renew. Fault claims typically have a larger effect than non-fault ones.

What is the new 0-99 vehicle risk rating system?

The Vehicle Risk Rating system, introduced in September 2024, scores newer car models on a 0-99 scale to give insurers a more detailed risk picture. It accounts for factors such as advanced driver-assistance technology and repair complexity. For most cars already on the road and across most consumer guidance, the traditional 1-50 groups remain the main reference.

Does the insurance group affect the type of cover I need?

The insurance group does not dictate your cover level; you can choose comprehensive, third party fire and theft, or third party only regardless of a car's group. Around 9 in 10 buyers choose comprehensive cover. A higher-group car simply tends to start from a higher base price, so comparing cover levels and insurers matters most on expensive-to-insure models.

Can two identical cars be in different insurance groups?

Two cars that look identical can sit in different insurance groups if they have different engines, trims or factory security specifications. The rating applies to the exact version, so a higher-powered or better-equipped trim of the same model can rate several groups higher. Always confirm the group for your specific specification rather than assuming from the model name.

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Information correct as of 16 September 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

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