Several factors play a big role in determining the cost of your car insurance. These include your age and where you live, your occupation and your driving history. But one of the most important factors is the make and model of the car you drive,
If you haven’t bought a car yet, or are thinking of changing yours, consider getting one that’s in a low car insurance group. There are 50 groups in total. Insurers band cars based on the likely costs to them if there’s a claim, and the likelihood of a claim. Large powerful cars with expensive parts will be at the higher end of the spectrum (groups 40-50), while less powerful cars that are cheaper to repair will be towards the bottom (groups 1-10).
To show you which cars are likely to cost you less to insure, our researchers crunched comprehensive car insurance data to produce top 10 league tables for different types of driver.
Cheapest cars to insure in the UK (Overall)
The overall cheapest cars to insure all share similar attributes. In general, they’re small, reliable, relatively easy to repair and have a small engine.
Top list | Model | Average cost: | - |
---|---|---|---|
Volkswagen Polo | 1.1L Zetec Ti-VCT 5dr | £522 | Get Quote |
Hyundai i10 | 1.0 TSI XCELLENCE 5dr | £540 | Get Quote |
Skoda Fabia | 1.0 Se 5dr Hatchback | £559 | Get Quote |
Dacia Sandero | 1.2 S 5d | £577 | Get Quote |
Ford Fiesta | 1.0 VVT-i X-Press 5dr | £597 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Corsa | 1.2 PureTech Allure 5dr Petrol Hatchback | £615 | Get Quote |
Nissan Micra | 1.2 PureTech Flair 5dr | £634 | Get Quote |
Toyota Yaris | 1.0 MPI 75 Colour Edition 5dr | £651 | Get Quote |
Toyota Aygo | 1.0 SCe Ambiance 5dr | £651 | Get Quote |
Fiat 500 | 1.4i ecoTEC Design 5dr | £651 | Get Quote |
SEAT Ibiza | 1.5L Icon Tech VVT-h 5dr | £667 | Get Quote |
Peugeot 108 | 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr Hatchback | £696 | Get Quote |
Citroen C1 | 1.5 Tech Edition 5dr | £696 | Get Quote |
Ford Focus | 1.2 Lounge 3dr | £708 | Get Quote |
Ford Puma | 1.3 A200 AMG Line 7G-DCT (s/s) 5dr | £719 | Get Quote |
Mazda 2 | 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr Hatchback | £740 | Get Quote |
Nissan Qashqai | 1.5 Cooper (s/s) 3dr | £760 | Get Quote |
Mini Hatch | 1.0 EcoBoost 125 ST-Line 5dr | £769 | Get Quote |
Mercedes A-Class | 1.0 EcoBoost Hybrid mHEV ST-Line X First Ed 5dr | £812 | Get Quote |
Volvo XC40 | T4 AWD Momentum Pro Automatic 2.0 5dr | £829 | Get Quote |
Cheapest cars to insure for young drivers
Car insurance for younger drivers is notoriously expensive (with good reason). Statistically, a younger driver is more likely to be involved in a road accident and make a claim. Insurers typically charge more for premiums to cover this risk.
With this in mind, choosing a vehicle that costs less to insure is a good way of reducing the overall costs associated with driving when you’re aged 25 or under. We checked a range of cars popular with younger drivers and ranked them by insurance cost.
- Volkswagen Polo
- Hyundai i10
- Ford KA
- Skoda Fabia
- Dacia Sandero
- Volkswagen UP
- Ford Fiesta
- Vauxhall Corsa
- Citroen C1
- Kia Rio
Make | 17yrs | 18yrs | 19yrs | 20yrs | 21yrs | 22yrs | 23yrs | 24yrs | 25yrs | Average | - |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Peugeot 108 | £2390 | £2234 | £1974 | £1873 | £1807 | £1710 | £1616 | £1540 | £1468 | £1846 | Get Quote |
Citroen C1 | £2390 | £1984 | £1974 | £1873 | £1807 | £1710 | £1616 | £1540 | £1468 | £1818 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Adam | £2343 | £2190 | £1935 | £1837 | £1771 | £1676 | £1584 | £1510 | £1440 | £1810 | Get Quote |
SEAT Ibiza | £2292 | £2142 | £1893 | £1797 | £1733 | £1640 | £1550 | £1476 | £1408 | £1770 | Get Quote |
Kia Rio | £2236 | £2090 | £1847 | £1753 | £1690 | £1600 | £1512 | £1440 | £1374 | £1727 | Get Quote |
Renault Twingo | £2236 | £2090 | £1847 | £1753 | £1690 | £1600 | £1512 | £1440 | £1374 | £1727 | Get Quote |
Toyota Aygo | £2236 | £2090 | £1847 | £1753 | £1690 | £1600 | £1512 | £1440 | £1374 | £1727 | Get Quote |
Ford KA | £1976 | £1794 | £1745 | £1657 | £1597 | £1512 | £1428 | £1360 | £1297 | £1596 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Corsa | £2113 | £1976 | £1745 | £1657 | £1598 | £1512 | £1429 | £1361 | £1298 | £1632 | Get Quote |
Volkswagen UP | £2049 | £1915 | £1692 | £1605 | £1549 | £1466 | £1385 | £1320 | £1259 | £1582 | Get Quote |
Ford Fiesta | £2049 | £1915 | £1692 | £1606 | £1549 | £1466 | £1385 | £1320 | £1259 | £1584 | Get Quote |
Dacia Sandero | £1919 | £1854 | £1638 | £1555 | £1500 | £1419 | £1341 | £1278 | £1219 | £1525 | Get Quote |
Skoda Fabia | £1919 | £1794 | £1584 | £1504 | £1450 | £1373 | £1297 | £1236 | £1179 | £1482 | Get Quote |
Hyundai i10 | £1855 | £1734 | £1532 | £1454 | £1402 | £1327 | £1254 | £1195 | £1140 | £1433 | Get Quote |
Volkswagen Polo | £1793 | £1676 | £1481 | £1406 | £1355 | £1283 | £1212 | £1155 | £1102 | £1385 | Get Quote |
Cheapest cars to insure for over-50s
Older and more experienced drivers typically benefit from cheaper car insurance rates (although rates climb again late in life). In general, there’s less risk associated with drivers aged over 50 and so premiums tend to be lower. To help you benefit from further cost reductions, we’ve run the data on models that are popular with drivers aged over 50, to find out which ones are cheapest to insure.
- MG 3
- Ford Fiesta
- Vauxhall Viva
- Vauxhall Astra
- Nissan Micra
- Vauxhall Meriva
- Kia Venga
- Hyundai Kona
- Ford B-Max
- Honda Jazz
Make | Model | 50yrs | 60yrs | 70yrs | 80yrs | Average | - |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MG 3 | 1.5 VTi-TECH 3Style+ (s/s) 5dr | £391 | £324 | £308 | £397 | £355 | Get Quote |
Ford Fiesta | 1.1L Zetec Ti-VCT 5dr | £404 | £335 | £318 | £426 | £370 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Viva | 1.0 Rocks 5dr | £404 | £335 | £318 | £426 | £371 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Astra | 1.4i 16V SRi 5dr | £416 | £346 | £328 | £440 | £382 | Get Quote |
Nissan Micra | 1.5 dCi Acenta 5dr Hatchback | £429 | £356 | £338 | £453 | £394 | Get Quote |
Vauxhall Meriva | 1.4 i 16v Tech Line 5dr | £440 | £366 | £347 | £465 | £404 | Get Quote |
Kia Venga | 1.4 2 (s/s) 5dr | £451 | £375 | £356 | £477 | £415 | Get Quote |
Hyundai Kona | SUV 1.0 T-GDi (120ps) Premium 2WD 5dr | £462 | £383 | £364 | £488 | £424 | Get Quote |
Ford B-Max | ZETEC NAVIGATOR 1.0 5dr | £479 | £398 | £378 | £506 | £440 | Get Quote |
Honda Jazz | 1.3 SE 5dr | £487 | £404 | £384 | £514 | £447 | Get Quote |
Toyota Prius | 1.8 VVT-h 120 Active CVT 5dr | £494 | £410 | £389 | £522 | £454 | Get Quote |
Skoda Rapid | 1.6 TDI CR S (s/s) 5dr | £514 | £427 | £405 | £543 | £472 | Get Quote |
Honda HR-V | 1.5 i-VTEC SE CVT (s/s) 5dr | £533 | £443 | £421 | £543 | £485 | Get Quote |
Honda Civic | 1.5 VTEC Turbo GPF Sport CVT (s/s) 5dr | £545 | £453 | £430 | £575 | £501 | Get Quote |
Volvo XC40 | D3 INSCRIPTION 2.0 5dr | £550 | £456 | £433 | £580 | £505 | Get Quote |
What makes a car cheaper to insure?
In the UK, every car that is registered is rated and grouped within one of 50 insurance categories. Category 1 is the cheapest and 50 is the most expensive. Cars in lower insurance groups generally cost less to buy, maintain and repair. This means that insurers will have to pay out less if a car needs to be repaired or replaced, so they’ll typically charge less to insure it. There are other nuances too, though, that might put two similarly priced cars, with similarly expensive parts, into different insurance groups.
Attributes that are likely to bring down the costs of insuring a car include:
- A low purchase cost. High-end luxury cars are are more expensive to repair and replace after they’ve been in an accident, causing higher premiums. Therefore, owning a vehicle that is cheaper to repair or replace should cost you less to insure. Insurance companies will also look at the likelihood of your car being stolen.
- Smaller engine size. The less powerful the engine (ie, the lower the horsepower) the less you’ll pay for your car insurance. That’s partly down to repair costs, and partly down to the fact that pushing a low-powered car to its modest limits is less likely to result in an incident than a turbo-charged monster. Petrol engines also cost less to repair, so insuring a petrol vehicle may be cheaper.
- Low car crash statistics. Insurance companies look at crash statistics and consider the level of risk before they insure any car. If your chosen vehicle is statistically less likely to be involved in road accidents, you may get a cheaper insurance rate.
- Good safety features. Cars that insurers consider safe tend to cost less to insure, primarily because they hold up well in an accident, thus decreasing claims. In some cases modern safety features may even help prevent accidents – such as Autonomous Emergency Braking. This uses a sensors and cameras to monitor the road ahead, alert the driver of an impending collision, and even perform an emergency brake if necessary.
- Car security features. Cars equipped with security features such as alarms or high security door locks could be rewarded with a lower insurance group rating.
- Easy to repair or replace. Cars that cost less to repair after an accident present a lower risk to insurers. Owning a vehicle that is easier to repair will result in lower premiums.
Why are some cars more expensive to insure?
In contrast, cars that fall within higher insurance groups will typically be more valuable, possess more powerful engines, and be more expensive to repair. All of these will push up the cost of insurance.
Here’s a list of some other factors that can bump up premiums.
- Sports cars and high performance vehicles. This is a red flag for insurers, as they assume such cars will typically be driven faster than a standard car. They’ll therefore face a higher risk of being more severely damaged.
- Soft tops or convertibles. Vehicles with soft tops are easier to break into than conventional cars, and they tend to need repairs at some point, so they represent a substantial risk to the insurer.
- Modified cars. Cars that have added features such as more horsepower or tinted windows are generally more expensive to cover, because they’ll cost more to repair.
- The age of your car. Spare parts can be much harder to track down for very old cars, in particular classics.
- Diesel cars. Diesel cars often cost more to repair than cars that need petrol.
- High-theft vehicles. Some types of cars are targeted more often by thieves, because they’re relatively easy to steal or strip for parts. Based on statistics alone, this could slightly elevate your rates.
Are electric cars cheaper to insure?
While costs are coming down as they become more popular, electric cars tend to be more expensive to insure than petrol or diesel cars. A 2023 report by specialist automotive research firm Thatcham Research found that insurance for electric cars costs about 25% more than their traditionally-fuelled equivalents. There are a few reasons behind this:
- Electric cars cost more to buy than their petrol or diesel equivalents. As with insurance, purchase prices are coming down, but there’s still a noticeable price gap. That’ll make it more expensive for an insurer to replace an electric car that’s stolen or written off.
- Electric cars are pricier to repair. They have unique parts compared with standard cars, and these parts can be expensive. Electric cars can also take longer to repair, and may need specialist mechanics to work on them.
- Electric require extra elements of insurance. As well as the car itself, an electric car insurance policy needs to cover charging equipment, for example.
However, provided you can mainly charge up at home, electric cars are generally cheaper to run overall than petrol and diesel cars.
How can I keep insurance costs down if I can’t change my car?
Opting for a car in a lower insurance group isn’t always realistic (or, in some cases, desirable). Regardless of the car you drive, there are tactics you can use to keep costs down. These include:
- Increase your voluntary excess. Your excess is the amount you need to pay towards any claim. Opting for a higher voluntary excess can cut your premium. Just don’t set it so high that you can’t afford to pay it if you need to claim
- Avoid paying in monthly instalments if possible. If you pay monthly, your insurer will apply interest. As a result, you’ll end up paying more overall than if you paid the full annual premium up front.
- Consider adding a named driver. Adding a lower-risk, experienced named driver to your policy could lower your premiums, especially if you’re young and new to driving.
- Drive safely. Not only will this reduce your risk of having an accident, but every year that you drive safely and avoid needing to claim will increase the no-claims bonus on the following year’s premiums.
- Avoid inessential modifications. Cosmetic or performance enhancements, such as a bespoke paint job or a pumped up engine, are likely to drive premiums up.
- Consider telematics insurance. This uses a small device – a “black box” – installed in your car to track your driving habits. Careful driving is rewarded with lower premiums.
- Tweak your job title. You can’t lie about your job. But, surprisingly, making small adjustments in how you describe your profession can change how much you pay for insurance.
- Shop around every year. Always compare car insurance prices rather than just renewing with the same insurer. The best-value insurer last year may not be the best value when renewal rolls around.
Bottom line
While picking a cheaper car to insure is a sure-fire way to save on your premiums, there are lots of other variables that determine your insurance rates. Some of them are within in your control. You can help push down your premiums by lowering your mileage, driving carefully, shopping around and paying upfront for the whole year.
Browse through our make and models hub to find out which insurance group your car is in, and how much it costs to insure based on your age and location.
Frequently asked questions
Finder survey: What proportion of Brits would consider upgrading their car to have a new sound system?
Response | 55+ | 45-54 | 35-44 | 25-34 | 16-24 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sound system | 10.8% | 19.88% | 13.98% | 25.47% | 33.01% |
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