Cheap Cars to Insure in the UK 2026
With insurance being one of the biggest costs of car ownership in the UK, purchase price aside, many motorists are keen to buy a car that is cheap to insure—the car you drive has a big impact on the cost of car insurance, and is a factor you can control (unlike your age). We've taken a deep dive into low insurance group cars to find out just how much they cost to buy and insure. See our list of the best UK cheap car insurance companies.
A note on insurance groups in 2026: Every car sold in the UK is assigned to one of 50 insurance groups, with group 1 being the cheapest to insure and group 50 the most expensive. From August 2024, brand new car models entering the market are assessed under a new Vehicle Risk Rating (VRR) system using a 1–99 scale. Both systems are currently in use during a transition period expected to run until early 2027. The cars in this article were all launched before August 2024 and use the traditional 1–50 group system.
Cheap Cars to Buy and Insure
If you want to lower your cost of car insurance, you may want to consider a car in a low insurance group. We looked at cars in insurance groups 1–5 — the range where premiums are genuinely lowest — and checked which trim levels qualify, how widely available they are and what they cost to buy.
Insurance group can vary significantly for different trim levels of the same make and model car, so the specific trims listed below are important. You can verify a car's exact group at Parkers.
| Cheap Cars to Insure UK 2026 | Insurance Group | Key Trim(s) | New/Used Price Range | Used Market Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dacia Sandero | 3–5 | Essential 1.0 SCe 65, Expression 1.0 TCe 90 | £14,995 new; £6,000–£16,000 used | 100+ |
| Hyundai i10 | 1–2 | 1.0 SE, 1.0 SE Connect AMT | £16,995 new; £7,000–£18,000 used | 100+ |
| Kia Picanto | 1–4 | 1.0 2, 1.0 3 | £15,745 new; £7,000–£20,000 used | 100+ |
| Renault Clio | 3–5 | Evolution 1.0 SCe 65 5d | £18,995 new; £5,000–£20,000 used | 100+ |
| SEAT Ibiza | 2–5 | 1.0 MPI 80 S, 1.0 MPI 80 Xcellence | £19,870 new; £6,000–£22,000 used | 100+ |
| Skoda Fabia | 2–4 | 1.0 MPI 80 SE Edition, 1.0 MPI 80 S | £18,895 new; £8,000–£22,000 used | 100+ |
| Toyota Aygo X | 3–5 | 1.0 VVT-i Pure, 1.0 VVT-i Edge | £17,490 new; £12,000–£20,000 used | 50–100 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 3–5 | 1.2 SE, 1.2 Design | £18,760 new; £5,000–£23,000 used | 100+ |
| Volkswagen Polo | 2–4 | 1.0 MPI 80 Life, 1.0 MPI 80 Essentials | £20,425 new; £8,000–£24,000 used | 100+ |
| Fiat Panda | 2–4 | 1.0 Mild Hybrid, 1.0 Cross Mild Hybrid | £15,945 new; £8,000–£19,000 used | 50–100 |
The cheapest cars to insure are generally those with smaller engines, lower list prices and lower repair costs. You'll notice most of the cars above have 1.0-litre engines — this is not a coincidence. Going up to a 1.2-litre engine or a sportier trim level may increase the insurance group, but is sometimes worth it for the wider choice of used cars available.
Cheap Cars to Insure at 18
How much is insurance for these cars in practice? To find out, the NimbleFins car insurance experts priced policies for some of the cheap-to-insure cars using a sample young, 18-year-old driver. We focused on five cars with an insurance group of 5 or lower that have the widest availability in the used car market. We also priced cars with a registration year of 2017, because older cars have a lower market value—and cars with a lower market value are cheaper to insure (all else equal).
Our sample young driver at 18 years old was quoted prices averaging just under £2,000 per year for this select group of cheaper-to-insure cares. This 18 year old had just received their licence. That is a lot of money, but rest assured that premiums drop quite rapidly over the first few years of driving, as you can read about in our research on the average price of car insurance for a young driver.
| Cheap Cars to Insure at 18 | Model | Trim | Model Year Range | Estimated Car Value | Cheap Premium Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | Aygo | 1.0 VVT-i (x-play / x-press) | 2017 | £5,500 | £1,954 |
| Skoda | Citigo | 1.0 MPI (SE / Colour Edition) | 2017 | £5,750 | £1,805 |
| Hyundai | i10 | 1.0 SE / 1.2 Premium | 2017 | £7,000 | £1,880 |
| Kia | Picanto | 1.0 / 1.25 (Level 1 or 2) | 2017 | £6,250 | £1,831 |
| Vauxhall | Corsa | 1.4 SRi / SE | 2017 | £7,000 | £2,492 |
Cheap Cars to Insure at 30
We also priced comprehensive cover for the same set of cars for a 30-year-old to see how prices compare for a more experienced driver. More experienced drivers typically pay around a quarter of what a new 18-year-old driver would pay for the same car (e.g. potentially under £500 for this cheap-to-insure set of cars).
| Cheap Cars to Insure at 30 | Model | Trim | Model Year Range | Estimated Car Value | Cheap Premium Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | Aygo | 1.0 VVT-i (x-play / x-press) | 2017 | £5,500 | £441 |
| Skoda | Citigo | 1.0 MPI (SE / Colour Edition) | 2017 | £5,750 | £408 |
| Hyundai | i10 | 1.0 SE / 1.2 Premium | 2017 | £7,000 | £434 |
| Kia | Picanto | 1.0 / 1.25 (Level 1 or 2) | 2017 | £6,250 | £449 |
| Vauxhall | Corsa | 1.4 SRi / SE | 2017 | £7,000 | £489 |
Methodology
To get price estimates for cheap car insurance for cheap-to-insure cars, we got comprehensive cover quotes from the market using a popular car insurance comparison engine. You can compare rates for your situation with our car insurance partner QuoteZone for the make, models and trim levels listed in the tables above. Our driver lives in a small town in an average-risk town and has a good driving record with no accidents or claims. The 18 year old has had a licence for two months. The 30 year old has had a licence for 12 years and has 5 years of no claims. The annual mileage of the car is 7,000 miles per year, and it's parked on a private driveway. The quotes listed above are the average of the 3 cheapest quotes returned by the system.
Insurance prices can vary significantly depending on many factors and even from day to day, so just use these quotes for educational purposes. You may need to pay more or less depending on your profile.
FAQs
- Q: "What car should you buy for cheap insurance?"
- A: Buying a car in a low insurance group is likely to save you money on car insurance, especially if it's a used car. Examples of popular cars in insurance groups 1–5 include the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Dacia Sandero, Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Corsa. You'll notice that most of the cheap-to-insure cars have 1.0-litre engines — engine size is one of the biggest factors in determining insurance group.
- Q: "What are cheap cars to insure at 17 or 18 years old?"
- A: Cheap cars to insure for young drivers include the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto and Dacia Sandero. Young drivers should check the exact insurance group of the trim level they want before buying — different versions of the same car can sit in very different groups. Used cars generally cost less to insure than equivalent new cars.
- Q: "Are there any 1.6 litre cars that are cheap to insure?"
- A: We haven't found any 1.6-litre cars in insurance groups 1–5. Some 1.2-litre versions of the Vauxhall Corsa and Fiat Panda sit in groups 3–5, which is still among the cheapest available.
- Q: "What are some cheap family cars to insure?"
- A: While most of the cheapest-to-insure cars are city cars or small hatchbacks, here are some slightly larger options with relatively low insurance groups: Dacia Sandero (groups 3–5, good interior space for the money), Skoda Fabia (groups 2–4, largest boot in its class), SEAT Ibiza (groups 2–5, more practical than a city car) and Renault Clio (groups 3–5, one of the more spacious options in this price range).