Cheapest car insurance groups (and the most expensive)
Quick answer
The cheapest car insurance group is group 1, and groups 1–10 as a whole make up the cheapest band on the UK's 1–50 scale. The highest and most expensive is group 50. Below, we compare typical costs and example cars at both ends of the scale.
Cheapest: groups 1–10
Typical estimate for group 1: £175–£275/yr
Most expensive: groups 41–50
Typical estimate for group 50: £1020–£1595/yr
What actually makes a group cheap or expensive?
The Group Rating Panel weighs repair cost, parts price, performance, security and safety when setting a group — see the full breakdown in how insurance groups work. In practice, that means small-engined hatchbacks with cheap, widely-available parts cluster at the bottom of the scale, while high-powered performance cars and complex luxury SUVs cluster at the top.
Cheapest, lowest and cheap insurance groups — same answer, many phrasings
Whether you searched for the cheapest insurance group, cheapest car insurance group, cheapest car insurance groups, cheapest insurance group cars UK, cheap car insurance groups, cheap car insurance groups UK, a cheap insurance group, or a cheapest insurance group for cars, the answer is always group 1 and the group 1–10 band above. The same goes for lowest car insurance groups, lowest car insurance group, low insurance groups, low insurance group cars UK and low insurance group cars — they're all asking which groups sit at the bottom of the scale. Asked as a question — what is the cheapest car insurance group, whats the cheapest car insurance group, what's the cheapest insurance group, which insurance group is the cheapest, which is cheapest insurance group, what insurance group is cheapest, what is cheapest insurance group, what's the lowest insurance group, or what is lowest insurance group — the answer is identical.
Best and highest insurance groups
If you're after the best insurance group cars, best car insurance group or simply the best insurance group, see our note above on cheapest-vs-best-value. And if you meant the opposite end of the scale — the highest insurance group — group 50 is it, whichever way you phrase the question: whats the highest insurance group, or what's the highest insurance group.
See every group, not just the extremes
This page focuses on the two ends of the scale — run an insurance group comparison, compare insurance groups, or check the difference in insurance groups for the full picture on the complete insurance groups list with all 50 groups and a sortable prices table, or check your own car with the insurance group checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest car insurance group?
Group 1 is the cheapest of the 50 UK insurance groups — cars here are typically small-engined, inexpensive to repair and cheap to insure as standard. Groups 1–10 as a whole are considered the "very low" band; see the examples above.
What is the lowest insurance group?
Group 1 is the lowest insurance group on the UK's 1–50 scale, and groups 1–10 make up the lowest band overall — the cars listed above are typical examples.
What is the best insurance group?
If "best" means cheapest to insure, that's the lowest groups (1–10). If you mean best value for a car you actually want to drive, it's worth comparing a few models in the group 5–15 range, where you still get reasonable performance and space at a moderate cost.
What is the highest insurance group?
Group 50 is the highest insurance group — reserved for the most powerful, expensive-to-repair and complex cars sold in the UK, from performance cars to luxury SUVs. See the examples above.
How do I compare insurance groups fairly?
Our insurance group comparison uses the same documented premium-estimate methodology across every group, so the difference you see here reflects the group itself, not inconsistent assumptions. See the full insurance groups list to compare every group side by side.
Is cheap insurance without black box possible?
Choosing a low insurance group car is one of the most effective ways to cut your premium before you even compare quotes — but it's not the only lever. Cheap insurance without a black box is possible too; it depends on the policy type (telematics vs standard) rather than the group alone, though pairing a genuinely low group car with a telematics policy tends to produce the biggest savings for newer or younger drivers.
Sources & further reading
- Thatcham Research — The motor insurers' automotive research centre. Co-runs the Group Rating Panel that sets UK insurance groups, and publishes the Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) framework.
- Association of British Insurers (ABI) — The trade body for UK insurers. Co-runs the Group Rating Panel behind the 1–50 insurance group scale.
- DVLA — Get vehicle information — The official GOV.UK service for vehicle details by registration. Our checker uses the DVLA's Vehicle Enquiry Service API, the same underlying record.