Best insurance group 1 cars

Car insurance can be one of the most costly motoring bills, only worsened if you’re a young or newly-qualified driver, or if you have penalty points on your licence. Aside from simply waiting until you’re older, you can reduce your annual insurance premium by choosing a car in insurance group one. This is the lowest of the 50 insurance groups, making cars in this category the cheapest to insure.

As cars become more expensive and more challenging to repair, the cost of insuring them has tended to increase, resulting in very few new cars falling into the lowest insurance groups. However, there are still a handful of cars on sale that sit at the cheaper end of the insurance spectrum, so read on to find out which ones you should be considering.

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2025

As well as the cars in insurance group one, we have also covered insurance groups two, three and four, so be sure to read those lists for the full picture of cheap-to-insure cars. While all these cars are hatchbacks, our top 10 list of the best cheap-to-insure cars covers a wider range of different body styles in low insurance groups, from small cars to SUVs.

Volkswagen Polo review – an iconic supermini

Carbuyer rating

4.2 out of 5

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One of only two new cars currently in insurance group one, the Polo is an excellent, well-rounded supermini with low insurance costs only boosting its appeal further. It’s the small car that other manufacturers often use as a benchmark and, having first been introduced nearly 50 years ago, it remains a staple hatchback on UK roads.

There are several trim levels and engine options available for the Polo, but only the entry-level ‘Life’ trim with the slowest, 1.0-litre MPI engine and five-speed manual gearbox qualifies for insurance group one. With 79bhp, it’s potent enough for around-town driving and should provide a sturdy and comfortable car for novice drivers.

Opting for an automatic gearbox in your Polo bumps it up into insurance group eight – a low group, but not quite as affordable as the manual gearbox variant. If you don’t want to change gears yourself but still want a car in insurance group one, read our next suggestion below.

Kia Picanto review – facelifted city car with lots to offer

Carbuyer rating

4.2 out of 5

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If you want a car in insurance group one and don’t fancy the Volkswagen Polo, your only other option is the Kia Picanto. It’s one of our favourite city cars, packing plenty of tech and interior space into a tiny footprint.

The Picanto may be both smaller and less powerful than the Polo, but it’s the cheaper of the two cars, with the entry-level model costing just under £14,000. Surprisingly, it’s not this cheapest variant that falls into insurance group one, rather it’s the mid-spec ‘2’ trim with the automatic gearbox. Handily, this model also comes with air conditioning and audio controls on the steering wheel, along with the Bluetooth sound system fitted to all Picantos. Drivers with an automatic-only licence, or who simply prefer the ease of an automatic, won’t be able to find a new car that is cheaper to insure than the Picanto.

Looking for cheap car insurance? Read the tips and advice articles below:

• Cars in insurance group 2
• Cars in insurance group 3
• Cars in insurance group 4
• Top 10 best cheap cars to insure
• How to get cheaper car insurance
• Black box car insurance
• Young driver insurance
• 10 best cars for new drivers