Top 25: Highest insurance group cars
Insurance costs keep going up, no matter what sort of car you drive – but buying a car in an extremely high insurance group won’t do you any favours. The more recent insurance groupings scale goes from 1-50, and there are many more cars in group 50 than there are in group one.
We’ve picked out 25 cars which fall into the highest bracket – and many of them won’t be a surprise. In fairness, most of these cars are so expensive to buy in the first place that insurance costs are barely a consideration to the typical buyer. Click through the gallery to see our list.
Audi Q7 6.0 TDI
This gargantuan SUV is powered by a wide range of engines, many of which manage to escape the top insurance bracket. The 6.0 TDI doesn’t, though, perhaps because it’s powered by a V12 which produces 1000Nm of torque. The Q7 6.0 reach 60mph in 5.5 seconds despite weighing 3400kg.
Audi R8
It’s not surprising that the R8 features in this list, given the fact even the ‘base model’ is fitted with a 420PS 4.2-litre V8. The R8 is also offered with a 5.2-litre V10 for those who want a bit of extra prestige and performance, and it comes as either a coupe or a ‘Spyder.’
Bentley Continental GT
Favourite of football stars, the Continental GT is so much more than a premiership poser’s toy. It’s supremely well built, incredibly capable and gloriously opulent – but a little bit pricey on fuel and insurance. Both the slightly more frugal V8 and the smooth but thirsty W12 fall into insurance group 50.
BMW 760Li
The 7 Series is BMW’s flagship limousine and it’s offered with a range of engines including sensible diesels. The top model is the 760Li, which is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 engine with a peak power output of 542PS – handy for escaping any pesky pursuers without too much drama.
BMW M6
The latest model of 6 Series is offered as both a three-door coupe, a convertible and a four-door ‘Gran Coupe.’ Various models in the range fall into insurance group 50, but the M6 is the most powerful and capable of the lot. It features a monstrous 568PS 4.4-litre V8.
BMW X5
This chunky SUV might not be the best car for offroading, but if you want to get somewhere quickly the M50d and XDrive 48i will do the job nicely. Just make sure you’ve got the bank balance to fill them with fuel and to cover the cost of insurance, because neither is frugal or insurance-friendly.
Cadillac CTS-V
Big American cars don’t do particularly well here. Stateside they tend to offer good value, but import costs, taxes and an often inflated insurance premium mean cars like the Cadillac CTS-V rarely take UK buyers’ hearts, even if they have impressive performance and characterful engines.
Chevrolet Camaro
In the UK the Camaro is sold in 6.2-litre V8 form, although unfortunately UK cars aren’t converted to right-hand drive. It has a lot of presence and it's big and most certainly powerful, which explains why it is in insurance group 50. Both hard-top and soft-top versions are available, but it's not particularly plush.
Ferrari F12berlinetta
The F12 isn’t the only group 50 Ferrari – although that won’t come as a surprise to anyone. It has a 740PS V12 engine, which at the time of its launch made it the most powerful Ferrari ever made. It features plenty of nods to F1 racing, including a paddle-shift gearbox and wind-tunnel tuned aerodynamics.
Infiniti FX
This mean looking SUV is powered by one of three engines – a 3.0-litre diesel, a 3.7-litre petrol or a 5.0-litre petrol. The latter two models fall into insurance group 50, as does the hyper-exclusive and very expensive FX50 Vettel Edition, which is named after F1 driver Sebastian Vettel and features details like carbon fibre spoilers.
Jaguar XJ Supersport
The XJ can be bought with more mundane but still very capable diesel engines, but for the best performance you’ll need te 5.0-litre supercharged V8. If you really want to upset insurers then you can get a Speed Pack, which increases top speed to 174mph.
Jaguar XKR
The XK is only offered with V8 engines, though different power outputs and capacities have been available throughout the cars production run. The XKR is the higher performance model and is powered by a supercharged 5.0-litre engine with 510PS – or more if you pick the XKR-S model.
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8
Installing a 6.4-litre HEMI V8 in a giant SUV is a recipe for extremely damaging collisions, so it’s no surprise the Grand Cherokee SRT8 is in group 50. With 480PS you’d expect poor fuel economy, but there is cylinder deactivation tech, which helps a little. But not that much...
Lamborghini Aventador
The crazy-looking replacement to the already loony Murcielago, the Aventador is, in typical Lamborghini style, named after a fighting bull. With 700PS and all-wheel drive it’s a bit of a monster, so you can’t really blame the powers that be for putting it in group 50.
Lexus LS600h
It might be a hybrid but that doesn’t make it slow and drab – the LS600h has a 5.0-litre V8 under the bonnet as well as an electric motor. It’s coupled with a smooth, seamless CVT transmission which makes for surging, effortless progress to eye-watering speeds.
Lotus Evora S
This lightweight sports car features a V6 engine and is available as a two-seater and a 2+2. It’s typically poised, as you’d expect from a Lotus, plus it's relatively frugal for such a high performance car – but insurance costs can sting, and the +2 isn't really big enough for passengers.
Maserati GranTurismo
This GT car has Italian supercar heritage and a powerful V8 engine under the bonnet. It’s a favourite with the rich and famous, with owners like Dragon's Den star and businessman Duncan Bannatyne so it’s not exactly a surprise that it is expensive to buy, run and insure.
McLaren MP4-12C
The British answer to Ferrari’s 458 Italia, the MP4-12C is packed with technology to keep it under control at the limit on tracks, as well as to make it comfortable day-to-day. With a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 powering the rear wheels and a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the MP4-12C has 625PS.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Mercedes-Benz introduces all of its latest technology in the S-Class, so it tends to be expensive, both to buy and to repair. It’s also offered with some high-performance engines, including the '63' AMG V8. All of these factors combine to make a car that falls into a high insurance group.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
AMG models are known for making thunderous noise and offering lairy handling – which is a recipe for showing off. The 6.2-litre V8 engine produces close to 600PS, along with plenty of pops and bangs. It's also ferociously stiff and firmly sprung, so it’s not a tame machine for trips to the shops.
Nissan GTR
Nissan’s GTR is a Playstation player’s dream machine. It’s capable of outpacing a Lamborghini Aventador from 0-62mph despite costing a third of the price, plus it features some of the most high-tech electronic control systems available, making for a car that flatters its driver at high speeds.
Porsche 911 991
It have the same silhouette as the original 911, but it’s gone from having 170PS in 1963 to more than twice that in the modern 991. The latest model was launched in 2012 and has the first seven-speed manual gearbox fitted to a production car. Both soft-top cabriolet and hard-top coupe versions are offered.
Porsche Cayenne
Porsche has diversified from making just sports cars – it also makes the Panamera - a large saloon - and this, the Cayenne SUV. Despite being large and heavy it’s a deft handler and offers surprising performance thanks to a range of powerful, torquey engines, including a 550PS turbocharged V8.
Range Rover Autobiography
The Range Rover isn’t just a grand chariot for the rich – it’s an extraordinarily competent offroad vehicle, despite being plush, luxurious and refined. It’s arguably the ultimate all-rounder, but it comes at a cost – at the dealership, at the petrol pumps and when it comes to tax and insurance.
Vauxhall VXR8
General Motors – Vauxhall’s parent company – also owns Holden, an Australian brand. It manufactures this powerful saloon - called the HSV GTS in Australia - which is then brought to the UK and rebadged as a Vauxhall. It’s powered by the same 6.2-litre V8 as the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro.
