Quick answer
If the premium is all that matters, the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Suzuki Celerio sit near the bottom of the scale. If you want the best first car that is still cheap to insure, the Skoda Fabia, VW Polo and Toyota Yaris are the picks — capable enough to keep for years, with entry trims still rated low. In every case the trim matters as much as the model.
We publish a straight ranking elsewhere — the low insurance group cars list sorts every car we cover by its entry group, and that is the right tool if the premium is the only question. This page does something different, because “cheapest to insure” and “best first car” are not the same thing.
A first car has to survive a learning curve, carry your life around, not cost a fortune to run, and protect you if the worst happens. A car that wins on premium but fails on three of those is a false economy. So these picks weigh five things, with the group as the entry requirement rather than the verdict.
A low group is the entry requirement rather than the whole answer. Every car here has an entry trim in the low teens or below, which is the band where premiums stop being the dominant cost of ownership.
A cheap premium is poor value if the car does not protect you. We favour cars that scored well when tested and that came with meaningful safety equipment as standard rather than as an option pack.
The same thing that keeps a group low keeps your repair bills low. Cars sold in large numbers with widely stocked panels are cheaper to put right after the small knocks that define a first year of driving.
Fuel, tyres, servicing and MOT failures are the costs that sneak up. A car that is cheap to insure but needs a cambelt and four tyres has not saved you anything.
Popular cars are easier to buy well and easier to sell on. It also means more independent garages know them, which keeps labour rates sensible.
Group figures below are the typical range across each model's derivatives, taken from the same data as our model pages. The low end is what an entry trim tends to attract; the high end is why checking the exact version matters.
City cars with tiny engines, cheap panels and nothing expensive to replace. These are the lowest-rated cars we cover, and nothing else will beat them on insurance alone.
Close to the floor of the whole scale. Light, simple and genuinely cheap to repair, with a surprisingly roomy cabin for the footprint.
Trim warning: Used only — check service history carefully, as condition varies more than specification does.
The sensible default. Rates about as low as modern motoring gets while still feeling like a proper car, with cheap parts and a strong dealer network behind it.
Trim warning: N Line adds styling rather than performance but climbs several groups for it — not worth it on a first policy.
Much the same proposition as the i10 underneath, with a reputation for shrugging off a first year of kerbs and clumsy parking.
Trim warning: Higher trims add alloys and kit that nudge the group up without changing how it drives.
Superminis that are big enough to be a genuine do-everything car. Slightly higher entry groups than a city car, but a much wider margin of usefulness — and all three have entry trims that stay cheap.
The best all-rounder here. VW-group mechanics and a boot that embarrasses cars a class above, with entry versions still rated very low.
Trim warning: The plain non-turbo engine is the one that keeps the premium down; TSI and Monte Carlo trims push it well up the range.
Feels a class above on the motorway, which matters more than people expect once you start driving further than your test radius. Good crash-protection record for its era.
Trim warning: Entry trims rate low, but the GTI is a different car entirely and sits near the top of the range.
Hard to break and cheap to keep. The hybrid versions cut fuel costs sharply without the insurance penalty people assume hybrids carry.
Trim warning: The GR Yaris shares little but a name — it is a genuine performance car and prices accordingly.
The compromise most first-car lists ignore. You can have back seats that adults fit in and still keep a low group, as long as you stay on the entry engines.
Unmatched space per pound of premium. If you need more than a city car but still want single-digit insurance, this is the obvious answer.
Trim warning: The Stepway sits noticeably higher for what is mostly ride height and trim — worth checking against the standard car.
A tall, boxy supermini with genuinely useful rear space and an easy driving position. Undervalued because it was never fashionable.
Trim warning: Used only now; the higher-equipment versions carry a modest group penalty.
A family car on a supermini insurance budget if you buy the right engine. Enormous boot, comfortable over distance.
Trim warning: Entry engines only — the vRS versions are nearly twenty groups higher.
Small SUVs usually cost more to insure than the hatchback they are based on, because of ride height, wheel size and bodywork. These three are the exceptions that stay reasonable.
The value play. Priced to undercut everything and rated lower than most rivals, with a long warranty on newer examples.
Trim warning: The EV version is a different rating proposition — check it separately rather than assuming it matches the petrol.
An Ibiza underneath, so it drives tidily rather than wallowing. One of the better small crossovers to live with day to day.
Trim warning: FR trim and bigger alloys add groups for appearance; the entry trim is the value.
Unexciting and all the better for it — soft, practical, cheap to fix, and widely available used at low money.
Trim warning: Mid trims add sensors and cameras that can raise repair costs; the basic cars rate lowest.
Buying the model, not the derivative. Every pick above carries a trim warning for a reason. A supermini can span twenty groups between its entry engine and its performance version, so “a Fiesta is cheap to insure” is only true of some Fiestas.
Buying the car before quoting it. The group is fixed for the life of the car and cannot be improved afterwards, so it is the one decision worth taking slowly. Quote the exact derivative you are about to buy, not something similar — see checking the group before you buy.
Assuming modifications are harmless. Alloys, a remap or a suspension change will not alter the published group, but they will change your premium and must be declared. Our guide to modified car insurance groups explains what insurers do with them.
Going too old to save money. Very old cars can price slightly lower, but they are more likely to have poor crash protection, failing parts and an MOT bill waiting. The sweet spot on our own estimates is around five to eight years old.
The car is half the job. The other half is the policy — excess, mileage, telematics, named drivers and how you pay all move the final figure, sometimes by more than the car choice did. That side is covered in first-car insurance tips, and insurance groups for young drivers sets out what each group band realistically costs at 17, 21 and 24.
Found a car already? Check its insurance group by registration before you put down a deposit.
For the lowest possible premium, the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Suzuki Celerio sit near the bottom of the scale. For a better all-round first car that is still cheap to insure, the Skoda Fabia, VW Polo and Toyota Yaris are the strongest picks — all have entry trims rated in the low single digits to low teens while being genuinely usable cars.
Not necessarily. The absolute cheapest cars to insure tend to be small, old and limited, and a car you outgrow in a year is a false economy once you factor in buying and selling costs. The best first car is usually the most capable one available inside your insurance budget, not the one with the lowest possible group.
Groups 1 to 7 if you are taking out your first policy at 17 or 18, and up to around group 15 from 21 or once you have a year of no-claims. Every car on this page has an entry trim within reach of those targets.
Usually they cost more than the hatchback they are based on — ride height, larger wheels and more bodywork all add to repair cost. But the gap is smaller than it used to be, and a few models such as the MG ZS, Seat Arona and Vauxhall Crossland stay in reasonable territory on entry trims.
Less than people assume. A hybrid supermini like the Toyota Yaris rates comparably to its petrol equivalent, and the fuel saving on town driving is substantial. Full electric cars are a different matter — battery repair economics push most of them higher.
Enormously. Ratings are assigned per derivative, so trim, engine, wheel size and safety packs all change the number. The same model can span twenty groups or more, which is why every pick on this page comes with a note about which versions to avoid.
Used, almost always, on cost grounds — but not very old. Our estimates put the cheapest insurance on cars around five to eight years old, where values have fallen but safety equipment and parts availability are still good.
Enter its registration in our free checker — we look up the DVLA record and match it to an insurance group. For a car you have not found yet, check the specific engine and trim on our model pages rather than the model name alone.
The explainer: why groups 1–10 is the advice, and what each band actually costs at 17–24.
Age-specific: first policy at 17, telematics, named drivers and what it realistically costs.
For anyone newly qualified at any age — why passing late changes the maths.
The data: every car we cover with an entry trim in groups 1–10, ranked.
The policy side only — excess, mileage, telematics and the fronting rules.
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