Car insurance groups – what you need to know

What are car insurance groups and vehicle risk ratings?

Your car insurance group may also be allocated a letter after it, such as 8A or 41U. The letters indicate whether a vehicle meets, falls short of or exceeds industry security and safety requirements. Here are some examples...

Vehicle risk ratings

Brand-new model ranges launched from 1 August 2024 are assessed under the vehicle risk rating system. Note that this is about new models of car, not just any new car released after this date.

During the transition to the new system (expected to complete in the second half of 2026), newly launched models currently have both a group rating and a vehicle risk rating.

Rather than groups from 1 to 50, vehicle risk ratings run from 1 to 99, with cars assessed in five areas...

• Damage. How likely the vehicle is to be damaged in a collision and how severe that damage is likely to be.

• Repair. How easy and cost-effective the vehicle is to repair, including factors such as repair times, parts availability and repair methods.

• Security. How well the vehicle is protected against theft, including its security systems and how attractive it is to thieves.

• Safety. The vehicle's ability to protect drivers, passengers and other road users, plus any technology that helps prevent collisions.

• Performance. The vehicle's acceleration, speed and power, which can influence the likelihood and severity of claims.

Vehicle risk ratings have been introduced to provide a more up-to-date assessment of insurance risk. Modern vehicles are often more technologically advanced and built using different materials compared with older vehicles, which can affect everything from theft risk to repair costs.

What's more, unlike insurance groups, vehicle risk ratings can be updated over time using insurance claims data, meaning they can better reflect changing repair costs, theft trends and vehicle technology.

What insurance group is my car?

You can easily check your vehicle's insurance group using free online tools. The simplest way is to use the car's registration, but if you don't know that, you can use other details, such as the make, model, engine size and year.

Once you have the relevant information to hand, try the free car insurance grouping tools from MoneySupermarket or Parkers to find out where your car sits.

In contrast, although insurers can use vehicle risk rating data when pricing policies, individual scores aren't currently available for you to look up. That could change in future as the system becomes more established.

How do car insurance groups and vehicle risk ratings affect the cost of insurance?

Car insurance groups can have a big impact on the cost of insurance, although they're not always used by every insurer, and not always in the same way. And while there's less published data available on vehicle risk ratings so far, the same principle applies: lower-risk vehicles are generally cheaper to insure.

For example, when it comes to car insurance groups, the average cost of cover for a car grouped between 41 and 50 can be nearly double that of a car grouped between 1 and 10. Group 1 cars are typically small, low-powered and cheap to repair, with strong safety ratings. While cars in higher insurance groups are often faster, expensive to repair and attractive to thieves.

Here are examples of average costs depending on the car insurance group...

What are the insurance groups of common car models?

Cars with small engines and compact designs tend to sit in the lowest car insurance groups. Examples include city cars such as the Citroen C1, Fiat Panda and Vauxhall Corsa, with some versions currently placed in insurance group 1.

In contrast, the lowest scoring cars under the vehicle risk ratings system aren't always the slowest, smallest or cheapest ones. Thatcham Research says that "they're the ones that have been holistically engineered to be safer, more secure, and more economical to repair". However, equivalent examples aren't yet available as individual vehicle risk ratings aren't currently published for consumers.

The highest car insurance group is 50 and will include the likes of an Audi Quattro, Audi R8 and BMW 6-series convertible. Here's an overview of some of the cars you'll find across the different groups...

Why can similar cars have different insurance ratings?

Even cars that look identical can end up with different insurance groups or vehicle risk ratings. That's because insurers look at the exact version and risk profile of the car, not just the model name. Insurance groups and vehicle risk ratings can vary due to:

• Model year changes. Newer versions may include improved safety features.

• Engine type. Hybrid and electric cars can be more expensive to repair.

• Specification level. Higher-spec versions often cost more to fix or replace.

• Optional extras. Add-ons such as security or performance packs can affect risk.

• Claims data. If a model is frequently stolen or written off, insurers may reclassify it.

Always check the exact model and spec to get an idea of insurance costs.