Each new passenger car built to a UK specification is classified by the Group Rating Panel, who meet on a monthly basis. This panel is comprised of members from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Lloyds Market Association (LMA). A vast majority of the information used by the Panel is conducted by the Motor Insurance Research Centre otherwise known as Thatcham.
The panel assign new car models to 1 of 50 insurance groups, which has fairly recently changed from a structure which had 20 insurance groups for cars. The general rule to understand is that cars in the highest groups, typically high performance models, are those which are likely to cost insurers the most in insurance claims. High performance cars therefore attract a higher insurance premium.
Car Insurance Groups Explained
The cost of car insurance is intrinsically linked to Car Insurance Groups. Owning a car in the UK with a lower insurance group is a pretty sure–fire way of reducing your annual car insurance premium. So it’s more than worthwhile understanding how insurance groups work and finding out what car models sit in which insurance group. So here is our car insurance groups guide.
Car insurance bands 1 to 12, where the make, model and trim sit within the lower road tax bands A to E, are fully listed below; simply click on the group of your choice for a full list of cars available. For a simple list of new cars that are in car insurance bands 1-5 and the lower road tax bands, click here: cheapest cars to tax and insure, or click here for our cheap cars to insure 2012 article.
Insurance groups explained UK: the simple rule is, the lower the car insurance group number the better!
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For more cost-effective motoring, don't miss our articles: Highest MPG Cars 2012 | Cheapest Cars To Tax And Insure
Car Insurance Bands 1-12
| Insurance Group 1 | Insurance Group 2 | Insurance Group 3 |
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| Vauxhall Corsa | Toyota Yaris | Ford Ka |
| Insurance Group 4 | Insurance Group 5 | Insurance Group 6 |
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| Volkswagen Polo | Fiat 500 | Ford Fiesta |
| Insurance Group 7 | Insurance Group 8 | Insurance Group 9 |
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| Citroen C3 | MINI First | Vauxhall Astra |
| Insurance Group 10 | Insurance Group 11 | Insurance Group 12 |
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| Ford Focus | VW Golf | Vauxhall Zafira |
>> Alfa Romeo
>> Daihatsu
>> Citroen
>> Chrysler
>> Chevrolet
>> Cadillac
>> Audi
>> Aston Martin
