Insurance Group 33: Cost, Cars and Meaning

Group 33 at a glance

Where it sits on the industry's 1 to 50 scale, and what that has meant in real premiums.

Position on the scale	33 of 50 (1 is cheapest to insure)
Broad verdict	High
Its neighbourhood	Groups 31–35: larger executive cars and hot hatches
Median premium, groups 31–40	£661 a year (MoneySuperMarket policies sold, July 2026)
Who sets it	The Group Rating Panel (ABI and Lloyd's members), administered by Thatcham Research. Advisory, so insurers can depart from it.

What kind of cars sit in group 33?

Big saloons, quick estates and the hot-hatch pack. Performance is now a major factor in the rating, not just repair cost.

Typical residents of groups 31 to 35 include variants of the Honda Civic Type R, Ford Focus ST, Volvo XC40, Audi A6, BMW 4 Series and Mercedes E-Class.

The word variants matters. Ratings are set for each engine, trim and security combination separately, so the same badge can span several groups.

A car that is cheap to fix and hard to steal earns a lower group than its price tag would suggest, which is how the panel scores every model.

Where group 33 sits on the scale

32 groups are cheaper to insure than group 33, and 17 groups are dearer, so it sits about 65% of the way up.

A single step either side is rarely worth agonising over. Group 32 and group 34 sit in the same part of the market and usually quote within a few pounds of each other. It is the jump between bands that shows up at renewal.

What group 33 costs in practice

The group is only one input into a premium. As a yardstick, the median annual price of comprehensive policies sold through MoneySuperMarket in July 2026 was £428 for groups 1 to 10, rising to £791 for groups 41 to 50.

Cars in groups 31 to 40 came in at £661 a year on the same data.

Treat those as landmarks, not quotes. Your age, postcode, occupation, mileage, excess and claims history each move a premium more than a single group step does, which is why two drivers of the same group-33 car can pay wildly different amounts.

Group 33 with a letter after it

A rating like 33E or 33A is not a different scale. The letter is Thatcham's verdict on the car's security, and two of the letters change the number you see.

33E means security exceeds the standard, so the group was reduced by one (it would otherwise be group 34).
33A means security is acceptable for the group. No adjustment, and the most common suffix.
33D means security fell short, so the group was raised by one (it would otherwise be group 32).
33P marks a provisional rating, set before complete data was available.
33U means security is significantly below standard. Some insurers ask for upgrades before covering the car.

How to check a specific car

The group is an industry rating, not a government record. It is not on the V5C and not on the DVLA file, so no reg check, ours included, can read it back.

Thatcham Research runs the official lookup, the big comparison sites offer free group checkers, and any insurance quote will state it too.

What a vehicle report does tell you is the spec the rating is built from, the engine size, fuel and model details on record, plus the history that matters when any insurer prices the car. Our guide to how insurance groups work covers the system end to end.

Groups either side

One step on the scale rarely moves a premium much; compare the neighbourhood.

Group 30 · Group 31 · Group 32 · Group 33 · Group 34 · Group 35 · Group 36

The full 1 to 50 list, and how the system works

Insurance group 33: common questions

Is insurance group 33 high or low?

High. Group 33 sits at position 33 of 50, which puts it in the upper third of the scale. Groups 31 to 35 broadly cover larger executive cars and hot hatches.

How much does group 33 insurance cost?

As a guide, MoneySuperMarket put the median annual price of comprehensive policies sold through it in July 2026 at about £661 for cars in groups 31 to 40. Your own age, postcode, claims record and mileage move the real figure far more than one group step does.

What does 33E or 33D mean?

The letter is Thatcham's security rating. 33E means the car's security is better than the standard expected, so the group was reduced by one from 34 to 33. 33D means it fell short, so the group was raised by one from 32 to 33. 33A means the security simply matches the group.

Which cars are in insurance group 33?

Groups 31 to 35 are typically larger executive cars and hot hatches: think variants of the Honda Civic Type R, Ford Focus ST, Volvo XC40, Audi A6. Ratings are set per variant, so one model can span several groups depending on engine, trim and security kit. Always check the exact car.

Where does group 33 sit on the 1 to 50 scale?

32 groups are cheaper to insure than group 33, and 17 groups are dearer, so it sits about 65% of the way up. A single step either side rarely changes a premium much. The distance between bands is what shows up at renewal.

Figures last checked against the official source on 2 September 2026. Check the source yourself.

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Insurance group 33 explained