Car Insurance Group 40: Cars & Cost (2026)
A group 40 car typically costs a mid-range UK driver around £1,100–£1,600 a year for comprehensive cover in 2026 — indicative only, as your age, postcode and history matter more than the group itself.
What car insurance group 40 means
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) using factors such as the cost and availability of parts, how long repairs take, performance, the car's new and used value, and how good its security is.
Group 40 sits well up in the higher-cost band — four-fifths of the way along the scale. Cars here tend to be premium executive models, larger and more powerful SUVs, performance hatchbacks and a growing number of electric vehicles, whose heavy battery packs and specialist repairs push them up the groups. Because these cars are more valuable, faster or more expensive to fix, insurers charge more than for a typical family runaround. For context, the overall UK average comprehensive premium is about £600 a year (ABI, 2026), so a group 40 car usually sits well above the national average.
Note that cars first registered from 1 August 2024 also carry a new Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) score from 1–99, which runs alongside the traditional 1–50 group system. The 1–50 group still applies to the vast majority of cars on the road today.
How much does a group 40 car cost to insure?
The single biggest driver of your premium is not the insurance group — it is your age, address, claims history and annual mileage. A 19-year-old and a 55-year-old insuring the same group 40 car can be quoted figures that differ by thousands of pounds. The table below shows indicative annual comprehensive premiums for a group 40 car by driver age band. Treat these as ballpark ranges to compare against, not quotes.
| Driver age band | Indicative annual premium (group 40) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17–24 | £2,900–£6,000+ | Youngest drivers pay the most; many insurers will not cover new drivers on higher-group cars at all. |
| 25–34 | £1,400–£2,300 | Premiums fall sharply once a no-claims bonus builds. |
| 35–64 | £1,100–£1,600 | Cheapest band for most drivers with a clean record. |
| 65+ | £1,200–£1,800 | Costs edge up again at older ages. |
Sources: indicative ranges compiled by Car Insurance Expert from published group 40 averages (Finder UK quotes an average comprehensive premium of roughly £1,300 for a group 40 car) and ABI 2026 market data. Figures are illustrative estimates, not quotes; your actual price depends on the car, postcode, mileage and history.
Cars often rated around group 40
Insurance groups vary by exact model, trim, engine and year, so the same nameplate can span several groups. The cars below are frequently rated in or around group 40 — always check the specific variant you are considering rather than assuming the whole range sits here.
- BMW X4 — this coupe-styled mid-size SUV runs across a broad band, with higher-output petrol and diesel trims commonly rated around group 40 (the M40i sits higher again).
- Volvo XC90 — Volvo's large seven-seat SUV spans roughly groups 36–42 by engine and trim, with plug-in hybrid Recharge models often landing near the top of that range.
- Lexus RX L — the seven-seat hybrid luxury SUV, whose larger replacement parts and complex hybrid drivetrain push it above standard SUVs of the same size.
- Jeep Grand Cherokee — a large American 4x4 whose value, weight and repair costs place it in this higher band.
- Audi Q7 / Q8 (higher trims) — Audi's full-size premium SUVs regularly sit around the high 30s to low 40s in their more powerful versions.
- Tesla Model X — a large electric SUV whose high value and specialist battery and body repairs typically place it in the group 40 region.
Want to check a specific model? Browse cars by manufacturer on our by-vehicle hub, or see the full 1–50 breakdown on our all insurance groups page.
How to pay less in group 40
- Compare widely and early. Get quotes from several insurers and start about three weeks before renewal — that tends to secure the lowest price.
- Increase your voluntary excess (only as much as you could genuinely afford to pay in a claim) to lower the premium.
- Build and protect your no-claims bonus — it is one of the largest single discounts available, and it matters most on higher-group cars.
- Add a named experienced driver where genuine, and never “front” a policy (an illegal practice that voids cover).
- Consider telematics if you are a younger or lower-mileage driver — a black box can cut premiums sharply in this expensive group.
- Improve security and cut mileage. An approved alarm/tracker, a locked garage and a realistic annual-mileage estimate all help, and a tracker is often expected on higher-value cars.
- Pay annually if you can to avoid the interest charged on monthly instalments.
Group 40 insurance: common questions
Yes. Group 40 sits four-fifths of the way up the 1–50 scale, so it is one of the more expensive bands to insure. A mid-range driver might pay roughly £1,100–£1,600 a year for comprehensive cover, versus a UK average of about £600. It is not the very top, though — the highest-performance and luxury cars in groups 45–50 cost considerably more again.
Your personal risk profile matters far more than the group itself: driver age, postcode, claims and convictions history, annual mileage, and how you pay. The insurance group reflects the car; everything else reflects you. That is why two drivers in the same group 40 car can be quoted wildly different prices.
Check the exact make, model, trim, engine and year — the group can differ across a single model range. You can look it up using free group checkers from Thatcham Research, Parkers or Confused.com, or browse our all insurance groups guide and our by-vehicle pages.
Yes. Choosing a lower-output trim of the same model, or stepping down several groups to group 39 or lower, usually reduces your premium. Smaller engines, standard (non-performance) trims and cars with strong security tend to sit in lower groups. See our UK car insurance cost index for how costs compare across the scale.
No. The group is just one input. Insurers combine it with your age, address, occupation, mileage, claims history, chosen excess and add-ons to calculate the final premium. Two cars in the same group can also price differently once insurers apply their own claims data. Always compare quotes rather than judging cost by group alone.
Sources & editorial
Sources: Association of British Insurers (ABI) — UK motor premium data 2026; Thatcham Research — car insurance group and Vehicle Risk Rating methodology; Confused.com — car insurance group guides and price index; Finder UK — group 40 average premium data.
Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team.
Last updated: 2026-07-06
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