What is a good insurance group?
Quick answer
Groups 1–10 are genuinely cheap on any driver profile, and 11–20 is comfortably below average. Group 25 is the midpoint of the 1–50 scale, so anything below it beats the average car. But “good” depends on who you are: single digits for a 17-year-old, up to the low twenties for a driver with a few years' no-claims, and above group 40 is expensive for everyone.
Where the scale actually sits
The UK scale runs from 1 to 50, with 1 the cheapest. Two things about it are worth fixing in your head before judging any individual number. First, the scale is not evenly populated — very few cars sit in group 1 or group 50, and the great majority of mainstream cars on UK roads fall somewhere between groups 8 and 30. Second, the cost difference per group is not linear in how it feels: moving from group 2 to group 6 barely registers, while moving from group 15 to group 30 changes your budget.
The five bands and what they cost
The figures below are our own transparent estimates at the band midpoint, using the documented methodology — a six-year-old car, medium-risk postcode and comprehensive cover. They are a like-for-like comparison of the bands, not a quote for any specific car.
| Band | Verdict | Driver aged 30–49 | Driver aged 17–20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very low (1–10) | Cheapest available | £330 | £885 |
| Low (11–20) | Below average | £545 | £1,465 |
| Medium (21–30) | Average | £760 | £2,045 |
| High (31–40) | Expensive | £975 | £2,625 |
| Very high (41–50) | Most expensive | £1,190 | £3,210 |
Estimates only, not quotes. Calculated at each band's midpoint group with our published methodology.
“Good” depends on who is asking
This is the part most answers to this question skip. A group that is excellent for one driver is irrelevant to another, because the group is multiplied by everything else about you. Here is what a sensible target looks like across different profiles.
17–20, first policy
Groups 1–7At this age the age loading is so large that every group you can shed matters. Below group 7 is where first-year premiums become merely painful rather than impossible.
21–24, a year or two of driving
Groups 1–15The age multiplier has eased and a year of no-claims is working for you, so the practical ceiling rises. Group 15 opens up far better cars without the premium running away.
25–29, some no-claims built
Groups up to around 20You can treat the group as a budgeting factor rather than a hard constraint. Group 20 covers most mainstream family hatchbacks and small SUVs comfortably.
30+ with full no-claims
Group is no longer the binding limitWith the personal factors working in your favour, the group becomes one line item among several. Anything up to the low 30s is unremarkable; above 40 is where it starts to dominate again.
Any age, keeping costs as low as possible
Groups 1–10The very low band is the cheapest insurance available on any profile. If the premium is the deciding factor in your car choice, this is the band to shop in.
Why chasing group 1 is usually the wrong goal
Group 1 sounds like the obvious target, but very few cars are rated there, and the ones that are tend to be small, old and limited in what they can do. The honest maths is that the saving between group 1 and group 8 is modest, while the compromise in practicality can be large.
A better framing: decide the highest group you are willing to pay for, then buy the best car available at or below it. That usually means shopping in the single digits as a new driver and in the teens thereafter — and it means paying attention to the derivative, because the same model can span twenty groups. The entry engine of a family hatchback and its hot version share a badge and nothing else as far as the rating is concerned.
Judging a specific car
Three quick tests. Is the figure for the exact engine and trim, or for the model name? Is it below group 25, the midpoint of the scale? And is the top of the model's range still acceptable, in case you end up buying a higher trim than planned?
You can check any car you already own or are viewing by entering its registration, browse the whole scale in the 1–50 groups list, or start from the cheapest insurance groups if the premium is what is driving your choice. For the group-by-group cost detail behind the band table above, see how the group affects your premium.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good insurance group?
Anything in groups 1–10 is genuinely cheap on any driver profile, and 11–20 is comfortably below average. For a young or new driver, a good group means single digits. For a settled driver with full no-claims, groups into the twenties and low thirties are unremarkable. 'Good' is relative to your own risk profile, not an absolute number on the scale.
What is a low insurance group?
Groups 1 to 10 are the low end — typically small, modest-engined cars with cheap parts and simple repairs. Groups 11 to 20 are best described as below average rather than low: popular family hatchbacks and small SUVs cluster there.
What insurance group is the cheapest?
Group 1 is the cheapest on the scale. In practice very few cars sit in group 1, and the difference between groups 1 and 5 is small compared with the gap between groups 5 and 25 — so a realistic target is the low single digits rather than hunting group 1 specifically.
Is group 20 a high insurance group?
No — group 20 is the top of the low band and close to the middle of the practical market. Plenty of mainstream family cars sit at or just above it. It is a perfectly sensible group for anyone who is not in their first couple of years of driving.
What is the average car insurance group in the UK?
There is no official published average, but the mathematical midpoint of the scale is group 25, and the bulk of mainstream cars on UK roads sit somewhere between groups 8 and 30. Group 25 is a fair mental benchmark for 'average' when comparing a car you are considering.
Is a higher insurance group always more expensive?
Almost always, and the relationship holds reliably across the scale — but it is not the whole price. A group 30 car insured by a 50-year-old with nine years' no-claims in a rural postcode will cost far less than a group 5 car insured by a 17-year-old in a city.
What insurance group should I aim for as a young driver?
Groups 1 to 7 for a first policy, widening to around group 15 once you have a year or two of no-claims behind you. Our young-driver guide sets out what each band realistically costs at 17, 18, 21 and 24.
Does a low insurance group mean a bad car?
Not any more. Low-group cars used to mean basic transport, but modern small cars carry decent safety equipment, good warranties and genuinely usable space. The things that keep a group low — cheap parts, simple repairs, modest performance — are not the same as poor quality.
More on insurance costs
How group affects your premium
The group-by-group cost comparison and what else moves the number.
What else affects your price
Everything outside the car: age, postcode, mileage, claims, cover type and excess.
How to lower your costs
What actually works once the car is already on your driveway.
Check the group before you buy
The pre-purchase checks that lock in a lower premium for years.
Check your car's insurance group free
Enter your registration and we'll look up the DVLA record and match it to an insurance group in seconds. No signup, no cost, and we don't store your reg.
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.