Car Insurance Group 15: Cars & Cost (UK 2026)
A car in insurance group 15 typically costs a mid-range driver around £600–£800 a year for comprehensive cover in 2026 — group 15 covers affordable family hatchbacks and small SUVs like the Ford Focus, VW Golf and Kia Ceed.
What does insurance group 15 mean?
Every car sold in the UK is placed in an insurance group from 1 to 50, where group 1 is the cheapest to insure and group 50 the most expensive. The groups are set by Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) based on repair costs, the price and availability of parts, the time a car takes to fix, its performance, its new and used value, and how good its security is.
Group 15 sits just below the middle of the 1–50 scale. Cars here are affordable, mainstream family models — small-to-medium hatchbacks, estates and compact SUVs with sensible engines and readily available parts. That keeps claims relatively cheap, so group 15 is a genuinely economical bracket to insure. For a typical mid-range driver, expect roughly £600–£800 a year for comprehensive cover, against a UK overall average of about £600 (Confused.com Price Index, 2026).
Two things matter more than the group itself: your own risk profile (age, postcode, claims and licence history) and the exact trim you choose. The same model can span many groups — a 1.0-litre petrol Focus may sit around group 8–14 while a sporty ST version climbs past group 30 — so always check your specific car and registration. Cars registered from August 2024 are additionally scored under the newer 1–99 Vehicle Risk Rating system, though the familiar 1–50 groups remain in wide use.
Indicative group 15 premiums by driver age
Your age is one of the strongest drivers of price. The table below shows indicative comprehensive premiums for a car rated around group 15, for a driver with a clean licence and an average postcode. These are illustrative estimates only — your own quote will vary with location, mileage, claims history and no-claims discount.
| Driver age band | Indicative annual premium (group 15 car) | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| 17–24 (new / young driver) | £1,350–£1,600 | Highest — young-driver risk loading dominates |
| 25–34 | £700–£850 | Falls sharply once experience builds |
| 35–64 | £520–£650 | Lowest — around the UK average |
| 65+ | £580–£720 | Edges up again in later years |
Sources: indicative estimates modelled on the Confused.com Price Index (average UK comprehensive premium ~£600 in 2026; 17-year-olds ~£1,695) and ABI premium tracker age patterns. Figures are illustrative for a group 15 vehicle and a clean-licence driver; they are not quotes.
Cars often rated around group 15
Insurance groups vary by engine, trim and gearbox, so a model rarely sits in a single group. The cars below have popular versions that are often rated in or around group 15 — always confirm the exact group for the specific spec and registration you are looking at.
- Ford Focus — mid-spec diesel and EcoBoost versions (e.g. 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium) frequently land around groups 14–16.
- Volkswagen Golf — economical trims such as the 1.6 TDI SE commonly sit near group 15.
- Kia Ceed — the 1.6 CRDi family hatch is a typical group 15 example.
- Toyota Corolla — the 1.8 hybrid Icon is a reliable, parts-cheap car that appears around this group.
- Vauxhall Astra — turbo petrol SRi versions often fall close to group 15.
- Hyundai i30 / Skoda Octavia — practical diesel estates and hatchbacks that are frequently rated at group 14–15.
Prefer something even cheaper to run? Compare with group 14, or step up to group 16 for slightly larger or better-equipped versions. You can also browse cover by model on our car insurance by vehicle pages.
How to pay less in group 15
- Compare and buy early. Quotes tend to be cheapest around 20–26 days before your renewal date — never auto-renew without checking rivals.
- Increase your voluntary excess to a level you could genuinely afford after a claim — it usually lowers the premium.
- Add a named experienced driver (a spouse or parent) where genuine — never as the main driver, which is illegal “fronting.”
- Consider a telematics (black box) policy if you are a younger driver — safe driving can cut group 15 premiums significantly.
- Pay annually rather than monthly to avoid interest, and build and protect your no-claims discount.
- Improve security and mileage accuracy — a garage, an approved alarm and a realistic annual mileage all help.
Group 15 car insurance FAQs
Our sources
Figures and definitions are drawn from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), Thatcham Research (which sets the 1–50 group ratings) and the Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index. Premium figures are indicative estimates, not quotes. For the wider picture see our UK car insurance cost index and all insurance groups.
Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team.
Last updated: 2026-07-06
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