Insurance group 2 cars & cost explained (UK 2026)
A car in insurance group 2 typically costs a mid-range driver about £400–£550 a year to insure comprehensively in 2026 — comfortably below the ~£600 UK average. Group 2 sits in the cheapest band of the 1–50 scale, covering small, low-powered city cars like the Hyundai i10, VW Up!, Toyota Aygo and Kia Picanto. Your age, postcode and claims history still move the price far more than the group alone. Here is what group 2 means, which cars are in it and how to pay less.
What “insurance group 2” means
Every car sold in the UK is placed in one of 50 insurance groups, 1 to 50, and group 2 is the second-cheapest to insure. It sits one step above group 1 in the cheapest band of the scale, so cars in it are still among the least expensive to cover — small, low-powered petrol city cars that are cheap and quick to repair, inexpensive to replace and well protected by security equipment. The ratings are set by the Group Rating Panel, made up of members from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the Lloyd’s Market Association, using research and testing from Thatcham Research. A car is scored on repair cost and time, parts prices, new-car value, performance, bodyshell cost, safety and security and courtesy-car cost. The group only sets your base premium; your age, postcode, mileage and claims history do the rest. For brand-new models registered since August 2024, insurers increasingly use the newer Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) 1–99 scale, but the familiar 1–50 group system still drives the quote for the small, affordable cars most group 2 buyers are looking at.
| Driver age band | Indicative group 2 annual premium (comprehensive) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17–24 (young / new driver) | ~£1,050–£1,400 | Age and inexperience dominate; a black box cuts this most |
| 25–34 | ~£550–£750 | Falls fast as no-claims builds |
| 35–64 | ~£400–£550 | The cheapest band for a group 2 car |
| 65+ | ~£450–£650 | Creeps up gently at the oldest ages |
| UK average (all cars & ages, 2026) | ~£600 | Confused.com Price Index |
Sources: ABI/Thatcham Group Rating; Confused.com 2026 Price Index (UK average ~£600; drivers aged 17–24 average ~£1,099 across all cars); Car Insurance Expert composite quote sample for a typical group 2 city car. Figures are indicative for a driver with full no-claims and are illustrative only — your postcode, mileage, exact car version and history change the price more than the group itself. Refresh: quarterly.
Cars often rated around insurance group 2
The same model can span several groups depending on engine, trim, gearbox and year, so no car is always group 2 — always confirm the exact version. That said, cars often rated in or around group 2 include:
- Hyundai i10 (1.0 petrol) — frequently group 1–2; the standard manual often lands in group 2, one of the cheapest new cars to insure.
- Volkswagen Up! (1.0 petrol) — typically group 1–2; discontinued but plentiful used and a first-car favourite.
- Toyota Aygo (1.0 petrol) — lower trims sit around group 1–3, with entry versions near group 2.
- Kia Picanto (1.0 petrol) — base versions rate around group 2–4, backed by Kia’s long warranty.
- Citroën C1 (1.0 petrol) — the Aygo/108 sister car, low trims around group 2–4.
- SEAT Mii / Skoda Citigo (1.0 petrol) — VW Up! siblings, commonly group 1–2 used.
The pattern is clear: sub-1.2-litre petrol city cars in their lowest-powered trims. Add a turbo, a sportier engine or a premium badge and the group climbs quickly. To check any specific car, use our car insurance by vehicle pages or a free online group checker before you buy.
How to pay less in group 2
Group 2 already gives you a low base, but the group is only part of the quote. These moves stack on top:
- Consider a black box (telematics) — for under-25s this is usually the single biggest saving on a group 2 car.
- Pay annually, not monthly — monthly instalments carry interest (often 20–30% APR), so paying in one go is cheaper.
- Raise your voluntary excess — a sensible increase lowers the premium, provided you could still afford to claim.
- Build and protect no-claims — every claim-free year cuts the price; protecting your bonus keeps it if you do claim.
- Set accurate mileage and secure parking — lower annual miles and off-road/driveway parking both reduce the quote.
- Shop around and renew early — quoting around three weeks before renewal typically beats auto-renewal; compare like-for-like cover, not just price.
- Check the exact trim before buying — a lower-group version of the same model can save more than any single discount.
Insurance group 2 FAQs
Our sources
- Thatcham Research — Group Rating system — the 1–50 scale, the rating factors and the Group Rating Panel
- Association of British Insurers (ABI) — Group Rating Panel membership and methodology
- Confused.com Price Index — 2026 UK average comprehensive premium (~£600) and 17–24 average (~£1,099)
- Quotezone — car insurance groups — group-by-model data and group 2 example cars
- Thatcham Research — Vehicle Risk Rating — the new 1–99 scale introduced August 2024
- See also our UK car insurance cost index, all insurance groups, and the adjacent group 1 and group 3 guides.
Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team
Group ratings are taken from ABI/Thatcham Group Rating data and average premiums from the Confused.com Price Index, cross-checked against our own multi-insurer quote sampling and reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team. Methodology: example premiums are indicative for a driver with full no-claims unless otherwise stated. Questions: editorial@carinsuranceexpert.co.uk.
Last updated: 2026-07-06
More Insurance Groups pages
- Insurance group 12 cars and cost
- Insurance group 16 cars and cost
- Insurance group 13 cars and cost
- Insurance group 15 cars and cost
- Insurance group 11 cars and cost
- Insurance group 50 cars and cost
- Insurance group 49 cars and cost
- Insurance group 47 cars and cost
- Insurance group 48 cars and cost
- Insurance group 45 cars and cost
- Insurance group 44 cars and cost
- Insurance group 46 cars and cost
- Insurance group 43 cars and cost
- Insurance group 42 cars and cost
- Insurance group 41 cars and cost
- Insurance group 39 cars and cost
- Insurance group 40 cars and cost
- Insurance group 37 cars and cost
- Insurance group 38 cars and cost
- Insurance group 36 cars and cost
- Insurance group 34 cars and cost
- Insurance group 33 cars and cost
- Insurance group 35 cars and cost
- Insurance group 32 cars and cost