Car insurance groups: a quick guide
Finding out the insurance group of your car before you buy can help save you money on your insurance. This quick guide shows you how.
To make quoting for car insurance easier, a body called the Insurance Group Rating Panel placed every make and model of car into one of 20 car insurance groups, with Group 1 the lowest risk and Group 20 the highest. The exact model of your car is important; a single range might include models in 5 or 6 different car insurance groups.
What makes a group?
Generally, the bigger your car's engine, the higher the group and consequently the more your insurance will cost. But several other factors play their part, including:
- the price of spare parts for your particular make and model of car
- repair times - if only a few dealers can fix any damage, it will take longer to repair and labour costs will be higher
- the purchase price (including add-ons like trims and finishes)
- the car's acceleration, power and top speed
- security features- the more secure a car is, the less likely it is to be broken into
- the weight of your car - heavier cars can do more damage if they hit something
You might assume a smaller car would fall into a lower insurance group, but that's not always the case. So-called "super minis" can match the acceleration and performance of larger cars, and electric windows, modern computer systems and so on mean some small cars are now just as expensive to repair as larger models.
Security ratings
Most new cars also have a security rating, based on features like alarms and immobilizers, which can affect a car's insurance group. The ratings are:
- E = Exceeds the security requirements for a car of this type and so is in a lower group. A group 8 car with this security level would be rated 7E.
- A = Acceptablesecurity for the car's group.
- P = Provisional rating, because there was incomplete data when the model of car was launched.
- D = Does not meet the security requirements for a car of this type, and the group has been increased. A group 8 car with this rating would be listed as 9D.
- U = Unacceptable Cars with this rating have security significantly below the standard. You might have to install some new security features before you can get cover.
Find out which group your car is in
The website of the insurance industry's research organisation Thatcham has an online tool that will show your car's insurance group and security rating.
Check your car's insurance group now
Key Points
Check before you buy - the lower the insurance group for your car, the lower your insurance premium will be, so check before you buy.
Consider different models - remember different models and even different paint finishes or trims could determine which insurance group the car falls into.
Security counts - a car with particularly good security might be in a lower group than other cars of its type
Next steps
Once you know what you're looking for, it's time to compare car insurance policies.
Find out more