Car insurance group 9: cars and cost (UK 2026)
A group 9 car typically costs a mid-range driver around £500–£650 a year for comprehensive cover in 2026 — group 9 sits in the low-cost supermini band, so it is one of the cheaper groups to insure.
What car insurance group 9 means
Every new car sold in the UK is placed into an insurance group on a scale from 1 to 50, where group 1 is the cheapest to insure and group 50 the most expensive. Group 9 sits near the bottom of that scale, in the band of affordable superminis and small hatchbacks. Cars here tend to have modest engines, low repair and parts costs, decent security and a strong safety record — all of which push premiums down.
The groups are set by Thatcham Research and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) using five main factors: the cost of parts, how long repairs take, the car's performance, its new and used value, and its security features. Insurers use the group as a starting point, then adjust for who is driving.
Note that cars registered from August 2024 are assessed under the newer Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) system, which uses a 1–99 scale. Older cars still carry a 1–50 group rating, and most quote engines and comparison tools continue to reference the familiar 1–50 groups. For a full picture of every band, see our guide to all insurance groups.
How much does a group 9 car cost to insure?
As a guide, a group 9 car costs a typical mid-range driver roughly £500–£650 a year for comprehensive cover in 2026, against a UK average of about £600 across all cars (Confused.com Price Index). But the group is only one input — your age, postcode, mileage, claims history and no-claims discount move the price far more than the group number alone. A 17-year-old in a group 9 car will still pay several times what a 50-year-old pays in the same car.
| Driver age band | Indicative annual premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 17–24 | £1,000–£1,800 | Highest risk band; a low group like 9 helps but telematics helps more |
| 25–34 | £600–£850 | Falls sharply once a few years of no-claims build up |
| 35–64 | £400–£600 | Cheapest band; full no-claims discount and stable history |
| 65+ | £450–£650 | Edges up again as age is treated as higher risk |
Indicative figures for illustration only — not quotes. Ranges are our estimates for a group 9 car built from the UK average premium and published age-band data. Sources: Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index (2026); ABI premium tracker; Thatcham Research group ratings; internal analysis. Actual prices depend on your postcode, mileage, history and cover level.
To see how group 9 compares with the rest of the market, check the UK car insurance cost index.
Cars often rated around group 9
Insurance groups vary by exact trim, engine and model year, so the same nameplate can span several groups. The cars below have versions that are commonly rated at or around group 9 — always check the specific variant you are buying rather than assuming the whole range sits in one group.
- Fiat 500 (1.2 petrol) — standard petrol 500s frequently fall in the group 8–10 band, making this stylish city car a common group 9 example.
- Skoda Fabia (1.0 TSI) — the turbocharged 1.0 TSI variants of the Fabia are often rated around groups 9–13, with entry TSI trims sitting near group 9.
- Toyota Aygo / Aygo X — higher trims of Toyota's city cars reach into groups up to 9, while base versions sit lower.
- Hyundai i10 — certain i10 trims and engines are listed around group 9, though entry versions can be much lower.
- Vauxhall Corsa (older 1.2/1.4 petrol) — popular used superminis with mid-range trims often land near group 9.
- Ford Fiesta (1.0/1.25 petrol, lower trims) — many used Fiesta variants sit in the high single-digit groups, with some around group 9.
You can look up any specific car by make and model on our car insurance by vehicle pages, or compare the neighbouring bands: group 8 and group 10.
How to pay less in group 9
Even in a low group, the right choices can shave hundreds of pounds off your premium:
- Compare widely and switch at renewal — loyalty rarely pays; the cheapest insurer changes year to year.
- Consider a black box (telematics) policy — young and new drivers can save 20–40% by proving safe driving habits.
- Build and protect your no-claims discount — this is one of the biggest levers on price.
- Pay annually rather than monthly — monthly instalments carry interest that adds to the cost.
- Increase your voluntary excess sensibly — a higher excess lowers the premium, but only pledge what you could afford to pay in a claim.
- Add a trusted experienced named driver — a parent or partner with a clean licence can reduce a young driver's price (never "front" a policy, which is fraud).
- Improve security and keep mileage honest — a garage, an approved alarm and accurate low mileage all help.
Group 9 car insurance: frequently asked questions
Group 9 is cheap. On a 1–50 scale it sits near the low-cost end, in the affordable supermini band. A typical mid-range driver pays roughly £500–£650 a year for a group 9 car in 2026, close to or just below the UK average of about £600.
Your age, postcode, annual mileage, claims history, no-claims discount, occupation, chosen excess and cover level all affect the price — usually far more than the group itself. Two drivers in the same group 9 car can pay wildly different premiums.
Use a free group checker by entering your registration or searching your make, model and trim. Group ratings are published by Thatcham Research and the ABI. Remember that different engines and trims of the same model can sit in different groups, so check your exact variant on our by-vehicle pages.
To pay less, look at cars in the very lowest bands — groups 1 to 8. Base-trim city cars and small-engine superminis such as entry Hyundai i10, Toyota Aygo and Volkswagen Up variants often sit in single-digit groups. Compare group 8 to see the next step down.
No. The group is only a starting point that reflects the car's risk and repair cost. Insurers then price the driver — your age, address, experience and history typically outweigh the group. A low group like 9 helps, but it will not on its own make a high-risk driver cheap to insure.
Newer cars are assessed under the Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) system, which uses a 1–99 scale rather than 1–50 groups. Most quote engines still show a familiar group number, but a car equivalent to old group 9 will now carry a VRR score instead. The underlying idea — low repair cost and low risk equals a cheap band — is the same.
Sources and review
This page draws on the UK car insurance cost index and the following industry sources:
- Association of British Insurers (ABI) — car insurance group system and premium tracker.
- Thatcham Research — group rating methodology and Vehicle Risk Rating.
- Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index (2026) — average UK premium and age-band data.
Indicative premiums are illustrative estimates, not quotes; your price depends on your own circumstances.
Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team.
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