With car insurance prices on the up, it’s vital to equip yourself with the knowledge of what factors are likely to impact the price of your policy, especially if you’re purchasing a new vehicle.
Car insurance groups are ratings that indicate the level of risk associated with your motor.
The system is advisory, so insurers don’t have to follow it. But being aware of the group can give you a good idea of how expensive that insurance bill could be.
How do car insurance groups work?
The ratings are set by a group of independent institutions, based on research gathered by insurance research centre Thatcham.
“There are 50 groups your car could belong to, group one being the cheapest and 50 the most expensive to insure – usually a faster, rarer, more expensive type of car,” explains Greg Wilson, founder and chief executive of car insurance comparison site Quotezone.co.uk.
Insurers can then use these bands as a basis for how they calculate your car insurance. But this doesn’t mean that you can work out the exact price of your insurance based on the group: other factors like the driver’s age and experience, where you live, and the expected annual mileage are also taken into account.
It is still helpful to know the group, so you can understand how it factors into the overall cost of insuring your car. Many comparison websites offer a free checker so you can find out your group while looking at insurance packages. Or you could go straight to Thatcham, which sets the rates, and use their online vehicle search.
What affects my car insurance group?
“These group ratings are used by most insurance providers and consider the cost of the car itself, cost of repairs, performance, repair times, security and safety,” Mr Wilson says.
The grouping might reflect what kinds of materials and repair work would be needed to fix the car in the event of any damage. That will help your insurer know how much they’re likely to need to pay out in the event that you have an accident, and they’ll charge you accordingly.
In addition to the group number from 1 to 50, you might also find that there is a letter assigned to your car. This reflects how secure the car is, based on theft deterrents such as locks and security devices.
The top rating, ‘E’, means the car has exceeded the security requirements for a vehicle of its type, and this actually means the group is taken down a level. A group 15 car might therefore be listed as a 14E.
Conversely if your car is rated a “D”, this denotes that is doesn’t meet security requirements and the numbered grouping can be increased as a result, bumping your group 10 car to an 11D.
Otherwise, an “A” for “acceptable” will be the standard rating if there’s nothing wrong with the car’s security. It might also be assigned a “P” for provisional or a “G” for import. If a car gets a “U” for unacceptable, then it won’t be insurable at all, though you might be able to get the security upgraded.
How can I get cheaper car insurance?
The process of reducing your bill starts at the dealership, Mr Wilson says. “If you want to reduce car insurance premiums then one of the most significant ways is to choose a vehicle in a lower insurance group, usually smaller, cheaper and with a smaller engine size.”
It is worth remembering, though, that many other things go into how much you are charged for car insurance. A lower group will help, but it won’t guarantee you a manageable bill, especially at the moment with inflation pushing premiums higher. Keeping an eye on other ways you can save will ensure you get the best deal possible.
“There are other ways to save such as paying annually, keeping mileage low and reviewing where the car is parked overnight,” Mr Wilson advises. “Savings are always possible, shop around and never let policies auto-renew.”
Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.