Imported car insurance groups
Quick answer
Most imports have no UK insurance group at all. The 1–50 scale only covers derivatives submitted to the Group Rating Panel for the UK market, so a grey import that was never sold here was never rated. Insurers assess these cars individually instead — on engine output, value, parts availability, repair cost and security. Parallel imports of models also sold here usually do have a usable group.
Why the number is missing rather than hidden
When a lookup returns no insurance group for an imported car, nothing has gone wrong. The Group Rating Panel rates derivatives that are sold in the UK, using testing from Thatcham Research on cars available here. A Japanese-market model that never officially reached a UK showroom was never put through that process, so there is no rating to publish.
That matters because the obvious workaround is wrong. Borrowing the group of a similarly-named UK model can be badly misleading — a nameplate sold in both markets often covers mechanically different cars, with different engines, different safety equipment and completely different parts supply. A number that looks authoritative but describes a different vehicle is worse than no number at all, which is why our registration checker tells you when a car falls outside the rated set rather than guessing.
Three kinds of import, three different answers
“Import” covers very different situations, and which one you have decides whether a group exists.
Parallel import
Group usually existsBuilt for a European market and brought to the UK through a non-official channel
Often has a UK group, or one close enough to be usable — the specification is frequently identical or near-identical to the UK model.
The easiest case. A European-market car of a model also sold here usually shares its mechanicals, parts supply and dealer support, so insurers can price it against the equivalent UK derivative. Differences tend to be equipment and lighting rather than anything structural.
Grey import
Usually no groupBuilt for a non-European market — commonly Japan, but also the US, Middle East or Australia
Usually no UK insurance group exists. The derivative was never submitted to the Group Rating Panel because it was never sold here.
The case that brings most people to this page. A Japanese-market model may have a different engine, different safety equipment and a parts supply that runs through importers rather than a UK dealer network. There is no published rating because there was nothing to rate.
Personal import
DependsA car you owned abroad and brought back when relocating to the UK
Depends entirely on whether the model was also sold here — a UK-market model will have a group, an overseas-only one will not.
Mechanically the same question as the two above, but with extra paperwork: registration with the DVLA, possibly an Individual Vehicle Approval test, and documentation insurers will want to see before quoting.
How an underwriter prices a car with no rating
Without a group to start from, the assessment is done by hand — and it looks much like the panel's own criteria applied to one vehicle. The underwriter considers engine size and power output, the car's UK market value, how readily parts can be sourced and at what cost, whether a local bodyshop could repair it at all, what security the car was built with, and whatever claims experience the insurer has on comparable vehicles.
Two practical consequences follow. First, quotes vary enormously between insurers, because each is making its own judgement rather than reading from a shared reference — so shopping around is worth far more on an import than on an ordinary car. Second, many mainstream insurers simply decline, since the manual work is not worth it for one policy. Comparison sites often cannot process a vehicle with no UK derivative record at all, which is why specialist import brokers are usually the right starting point.
Why imports generally cost more
It is rarely about the car being exotic. It is about repair logistics. A panel for a UK-market hatchback is on a shelf; the same panel for a Japanese-market equivalent may be a six-week wait through an importer, during which the insurer is paying for a hire car. Unfamiliar models take longer to diagnose and repair, and a shortage of comparable sale data makes a total-loss valuation harder to settle.
Security is the other factor. Cars built for markets with different theft patterns may lack the immobiliser standards Thatcham tests against, and performance imports are disproportionately targeted. This is one area where an approved aftermarket alarm or tracker can genuinely help your quote — though as with any car, fitting one does not create or change a group rating. See whether an insurance group can change for why that is.
What to do before you buy one
The single most important step is to get real quotes before committing. On an ordinary UK car you can check the group, estimate the cost and be roughly right. On an import there is no group to check, so the quote is the information — and discovering after purchase that cover costs three times what you assumed is a common and expensive surprise.
Alongside that, confirm the car is correctly registered with the DVLA and that the V5C reflects the import status — you can verify the basic record free through the DVLA vehicle enquiry service. Check whether an Individual Vehicle Approval test was required and passed, whether the odometer reads in miles or unconverted kilometres, and how parts are sourced for that specific model. Ask the seller for the import documentation rather than taking it on trust.
If an import turns out to be uninsurable at a sensible price, the fallback is to compare it against UK-market equivalents where the rating is known. Our 1–50 groups list and vehicle-type hubs let you see what a comparable rated car would cost to insure, which at least gives you a baseline to judge the import premium against.
Frequently asked questions
Do imported cars have an insurance group?
Often not. The 1–50 scale covers derivatives submitted to the Group Rating Panel for the UK market, so a grey import that was never sold here generally has no group at all. Parallel imports of models also sold in the UK usually do have a usable group, because the specification is close to the UK car.
What is the difference between a grey import and a parallel import?
A parallel import was built for another European market and brought in outside official channels — usually very similar to the UK car. A grey import was built for a market outside Europe, most commonly Japan, and may differ substantially in engine, equipment and parts supply. The distinction matters because it decides whether a UK group exists.
Why does my import show no insurance group on checkers?
Because there genuinely is not one, not because the lookup failed. We would rather tell you no rating exists than show a number borrowed from a different car — a UK-market model with the same name can be a mechanically different vehicle from its Japanese-market counterpart.
How do insurers price an imported car without a group?
By individual assessment. An underwriter looks at engine size and output, the car's value and parts availability, repair cost and whether a UK bodyshop can source panels, security specification, and claims experience on similar vehicles. Many mainstream insurers decline rather than do this work, which is why specialist import insurers exist.
Are imported cars more expensive to insure?
Usually yes, for three reasons: parts take longer and cost more to source, repairers may be unfamiliar with the model, and the underwriter has less data so prices more cautiously. The gap is smallest for parallel imports of ordinary models and largest for performance grey imports.
Can I insure a right-hand-drive Japanese import in the UK?
Yes — plenty of insurers cover Japanese imports, and right-hand drive removes one complication. Use a specialist import broker rather than a comparison site, which frequently cannot handle a vehicle with no UK derivative record.
What should I check before buying an import?
Get real insurance quotes before you commit, not after. Also confirm the car is properly registered with the DVLA, check the mileage is in miles rather than unconverted kilometres, verify parts availability for that specific model, and ask whether an Individual Vehicle Approval test was required and passed.
Does an import have a Vehicle Risk Rating instead?
Generally no. Vehicle Risk Rating applies to new model ranges launched in the UK from August 2024, so it has the same gap as the group system for vehicles never sold here. An import is assessed individually under either regime.
Other cases where the group isn't the whole story
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Check my insurance group →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.