4x4 insurance groups
Quick answer
"4x4" overlaps heavily with SUVs and pickups in everyday UK use, so we group four-wheel-drive SUVs and pickups together here as one vehicle insurance group category. Four-wheel drive itself isn't a rating factor — the vehicle group you end up with is driven by weight, performance, parts cost and, for pickups, how the vehicle is used.
Typical group range here
Groups 9–50
Typical annual estimate*
£315–£1595
*Estimate only, not a quote — driver aged 30–49, medium-risk postcode, comprehensive cover. The midpoint (30) sits in the medium band. How we calculate this.
Cheapest to insure here
| Model | Typical group range | Band | Typical cost* |
|---|---|---|---|
| MG ZS | 9–22 | Low | from £315 |
| Vauxhall Crossland | 10–18 | Low | from £330 |
| Seat Arona | 10–19 | Low | from £330 |
| Renault Captur | 10–18 | Low | from £330 |
| Ford EcoSport | 11–19 | Low | from £350 |
*Estimate only, not a quote — based on the lowest trim in each model's range.
Four-wheel drive isn't the rating factor people assume
The Group Rating Panel doesn't score drivetrain layout directly. An all-wheel-drive version of a car often does sit a group or two above the two-wheel-drive version — but that's because it's heavier, usually more powerful and has more hardware to repair, not because the driven wheels are counted. Plenty of front-wheel-drive performance cars sit far higher than a modest 4x4.
Pickups are a special case
Double-cab pickups often sit higher than their size suggests, partly because of repair cost and partly because many are used commercially. If a pickup is used for business, the policy type matters as much as the group — commercial use is rated differently from private use regardless of where the vehicle sits on the scale.
Finding cheap 4x4 insurance
People search this every which way — cheap 4x4 insurance, 4x4 cheap insurance, cheap insurance 4x4 — and the word order changes nothing about the answer. Cheap 4x4 insurance is mostly a question of which 4x4 you buy, not which insurer you find. The low insurance 4x4 cars in our data are the smaller, softer crossovers with modest engines — those are the cheapest 4x4 to insure by a wide margin, and the table above ranks them. A compact crossover in the low teens and a large diesel SUV in the thirties are both "4x4s" in everyday language, but they are not remotely the same insurance proposition.
We don't sell policies, so we can't hand you a 4x4 insurance quote — but it is worth knowing how the market is shaped before you start gathering 4x4 insurance quotes or running a 4x4 insurance comparison. Mainstream insurers cover ordinary crossovers and family SUVs without fuss. Specialist 4x4 insurance companies become relevant for genuine off-roaders, modified vehicles and anything used off the public road, because standard policies often exclude off-road use entirely. If you want 4x4 off road insurance for green-laning or land use, that is a specialist product rather than a cheaper version of a normal policy.
Two practical points for anyone comparing cheap 4x4 car insurance. First, the four-wheel-drive version of a model usually sits a group or two above the two-wheel-drive version, so if you don't need the extra traction you are paying for it twice — in the purchase price and in the premium. Second, the best 4x4 insurance for most people is simply comprehensive cover on a low-group crossover with an honest mileage declaration; cheap 4x4 insurance UK deals advertised on headline price often carry high compulsory excesses that only show up at claim time.
Highest-group models here
- Land Rover Defender — up to group 50 (very high band)
- Land Rover Range Rover — up to group 50 (very high band)
- Porsche Cayenne — up to group 50 (very high band)
All 42 models we cover here
- MG ZS (9–22)
- Vauxhall Crossland (10–18)
- Seat Arona (10–19)
- Renault Captur (10–18)
- Ford EcoSport (11–19)
- Nissan Juke (11–21)
- Skoda Kamiq (11–18)
- Ford Puma (11–28)
- Vauxhall Mokka (11–23)
- Volkswagen T-Roc (12–22)
- Hyundai Kona (12–22)
- Renault Kadjar (12–20)
- Nissan Qashqai (13–26)
- Hyundai Tucson (13–25)
- Peugeot 2008 (13–22)
- Hyundai ix35 (14–21)
- Ford Kuga (14–27)
- Kia Sportage (14–27)
- Toyota C-HR (14–24)
- MG HS (14–22)
- Volkswagen Tiguan (15–28)
- Peugeot 3008 (15–26)
- Kia Niro (15–26)
- Toyota RAV4 (17–28)
- Honda CR-V (17–28)
- Mazda CX-5 (17–27)
- Mini Countryman (18–35)
- Audi Q3 (20–42)
- BMW X3 (21–35)
- BMW X1 (21–36)
- Volkswagen ID.4 (21–34)
- Kia Sorento (22–32)
- Mercedes-Benz GLA (25–46)
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (25–36)
- Land Rover Discovery Sport (26–37)
- Ford Ranger (29–41)
- Nissan Navara (30–41)
- Land Rover Defender (36–50)
- Land Rover Range Rover (40–50)
- Porsche Cayenne (40–50)
- Tesla Model Y (45–50)
- Tesla Model X (48–50)
How these ratings are set
Every figure here comes from the same ABI/Thatcham 1–50 scale used across the site — there is no separate scale for a body style or a brand. See how insurance groups are decided for the rating factors behind each number, or car insurance groups explained for the wider picture. For model ranges launched since August 2024, check our Vehicle Risk Rating guide — those cars are increasingly rated on a different framework.
Frequently asked questions
Does four-wheel drive increase your insurance group?
Indirectly at most. AWD versions are usually heavier and more powerful than the 2WD equivalent, which can lift the group — but the drivetrain itself isn't a scored factor.
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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.