Insurance Group 40: Cost, Cars and Meaning

Group 40 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	40 of 50 (1 is cheapest to insure)
Broad verdict	High
Its neighbourhood	Groups 36–40: performance models and premium electric cars
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 40?

Fast versions of mainstream cars and much of the premium EV market, where speed and expensive tech meet.

Typical residents of groups 36 to 40 include variants of the Audi TT, BMW Z4, Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.7.

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 40 sits on the scale

39 groups are cheaper to insure than group 40, and 10 groups are dearer, so it sits about 80% of the way up.

A single step either side is rarely worth agonising over. Group 39 and group 41 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 40 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-40 car can pay wildly different amounts.

Group 40 with a letter after it

A rating like 40E or 40A 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.

40E means security exceeds the standard, so the group was reduced by one (it would otherwise be group 41).
40A means security is acceptable for the group. No adjustment, and the most common suffix.
40D means security fell short, so the group was raised by one (it would otherwise be group 39).
40P marks a provisional rating, set before complete data was available.
40U 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 37 · Group 38 · Group 39 · Group 40 · Group 41 · Group 42 · Group 43

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

Insurance group 40: common questions

Is insurance group 40 high or low?

High. Group 40 sits at position 40 of 50, which puts it well up the scale, where premiums climb noticeably. Groups 36 to 40 broadly cover performance models and premium electric cars.

How much does group 40 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 40E or 40D mean?

The letter is Thatcham's security rating. 40E means the car's security is better than the standard expected, so the group was reduced by one from 41 to 40. 40D means it fell short, so the group was raised by one from 39 to 40. 40A means the security simply matches the group.

Which cars are in insurance group 40?

Groups 36 to 40 are typically performance models and premium electric cars: think variants of the Audi TT, BMW Z4, Tesla Model 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5. 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 40 sit on the 1 to 50 scale?

39 groups are cheaper to insure than group 40, and 10 groups are dearer, so it sits about 80% 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 40 explained