The unassuming Skoda that insurers love
It’s often assumed that a higher price tag means a higher insurance premium, but our data reveals a surprising upset: the humble Skoda Citigo, with a typical market price of just £5,500, achieves an impressive 97% insurance score. This places it at the very top of our ranking for cheap-to-insure used cars, significantly outperforming models like the Hyundai i10, which costs nearly double at £10,500 yet only manages a 90% score. This finding, derived from Thatcham/ABI insurance group data, suggests that a car's perceived value doesn't always align with how insurers view its risk.
The Toyota Aygo, priced at £7,000, secures second place with a 92% insurance score, reinforcing the idea that smaller, city-friendly cars often present a lower risk profile to underwriters. However, the slim margin between the Hyundai i10 (90%) and the Kia Picanto (90%), despite their different market footprints, highlights how competitive this segment is when it comes to keeping premiums down. For more insights into which models offer the best value, explore our full ranking of the cheapest used cars to insure.
Small cars, predictable premiums
Across the top ten models we rank, there's a clear dominance of compact, city-friendly vehicles. The spread in our insurance scores, from the Skoda Citigo's 97% down to the Nissan Micra's 84%, shows a notable difference in how insurers evaluate these cars. While many models cluster in the high 80s and low 90s, the top two spots demonstrate a significant lead.
Models like the Ford Ka+ and Volkswagen Up!, both with typical market prices of £7,000, achieve insurance scores of 87% and 86% respectively, placing them solidly in the middle of our top ten. Even the quirky Smart Fortwo, priced at £6,000, manages to hold its own with an 86% score, matching the Volkswagen Up!. These figures collectively illustrate that while smaller cars generally fare better, there are nuances within their design and repair costs that separate the outstanding performers from the merely good.
How we determine insurance scores
Our insurance scores are built from official Thatcham/ABI insurance groups, which are compiled by motor insurers’ research centre at Thatcham. These groups, ranging from 1 to 50, provide a banding for every production car, indicating how much a vehicle typically costs to insure. Thatcham assesses factors such as repair costs, parts pricing, security features, and performance when assigning these groups. A lower insurance group number generally means lower premiums because the car is deemed less risky or cheaper to repair by the industry.
We convert these granular insurance groups into a simple, comparable percentage score for clarity and ease of ranking. This score provides a snapshot of a car's inherent insurance cost profile, allowing buyers to quickly identify models that are typically more affordable to cover. We only rank models for which we have a meaningful number of cars evaluated in the UK used market.
Important caveats regarding insurance quotes
It is crucial to understand that a car's insurance group, and our calculated insurance score, represents the car's inherent risk profile, not your personal insurance quote. Your actual premium will be heavily influenced by numerous individual factors. These include your age, driving history, postcode, annual mileage, and where the car is kept overnight. Two drivers with different profiles could buy the exact same car and receive wildly different quotes.
Our market prices represent typical asking prices for used models in July 2026 and are not specific offers for any particular car. While selecting a car with a good insurance score can help reduce costs, it is always essential to obtain personalised quotes to understand your true outlay.
Making the most of the data
Knowing which cars are generally cheaper to insure can be a significant advantage when budgeting for a used vehicle. While the Skoda Citigo leads our ranking with its 97% insurance score, its low market price of £5,500 means the overall cost of ownership could be exceptionally low. Consider contrasting this with models like the Dacia Sandero, which comes in with an 85% insurance score but a higher typical asking price of £11,000.
By cross-referencing our insurance scores with your budget for a used car, you can identify vehicles that align with your financial goals. Our data helps you pinpoint models that insurers view favourably, potentially translating into more affordable annual premiums, and leaving more money in your pocket.
