Last checked September 2026. Insurance groups from Parkers and Auto Express; premium studies as cited.
Insurance is the cost that catches out the most Chinese car buyers. Some models sit in low groups and are cheap to cover. Others sit in the 40s, and in 2026 several studies found insurers turning down quotes for newer Chinese brands altogether. Below are the insurance groups for every major Chinese car sold in the UK, what the studies found about real premiums, and how to keep your cost down.
What an insurance group means
UK cars are rated from group 1 (cheapest) to group 50 (most expensive) by Thatcham Research. The group reflects how fast the car is, how much it costs to repair, how easy parts are to get, and how secure it is. Your own premium also depends on your age, address, driving record and the insurer. Thatcham is moving to a new Vehicle Risk Rating system, but most sites still quote the 1 to 50 groups, so we use them here.
Insurance groups for every Chinese car
Small cars and hatchbacks
| Model | Insurance group |
|---|---|
| BYD Dolphin Surf | 14 to 19 |
| MG3 petrol | 16 |
| MG3 Hybrid+ | 23 to 24 |
| MG4 EV Urban | 22 to 23 |
| BYD Dolphin | 20 to 30 |
| Leapmotor T03 | 25 |
| MG4 EV | 27 to 33 |
| MG4 XPower | 40 |
Family SUVs
| Model | Insurance group |
|---|---|
| MG ZS (petrol and hybrid) | 16 to 22 |
| Jaecoo 7 | 23 to 32 |
| MG HS | 24 to 28 |
| Jaecoo 5 petrol | 25 to 26 |
| Omoda 5 petrol and hybrid | 27 to 33 |
| MGS5 EV | 29 to 34 |
| Chery Tiggo 8 | 30 to 35 |
| Chery Tiggo 7 | 31 to 36 |
| Leapmotor B10 | 32 |
| Omoda E5 | 33 to 35 |
| Jaecoo 5 EV | 34 |
| BYD Atto 3 | 37 to 38 |
Larger and faster cars
| Model | Insurance group |
|---|---|
| Leapmotor C10 | 40 |
| XPeng G6 | 43 to 47 |
| Deepal S07 | 45 |
| BYD Sealion 7 | 46 to 50 |
| MG Cyberster | 47 to 50 |
| BYD Seal | 48 to 50 |
Groups for the Zeekr 7X and Denza Z9 GT had not been published at the time of writing.
What the studies found about real premiums
Insurance groups are only a guide. In 2026 two studies looked at what drivers were actually quoted, and the results were uneven.
- Carwow, February 2026: quotes from 10 major insurers for a 27-year-old driver with a clean record. Five of the ten declined to quote on the XPeng G6 and the Jaecoo 7. The Jaecoo 7 averaged £858 against £692 for a VW Tiguan. But the BYD Seal U averaged £645, cheaper than a Toyota RAV4 at £1,188.
- May 2026 study reported by the Guardian and Insurance Business: roughly half of quote requests for the Chinese models tested were declined. The Chinese cars averaged about £901 a year against £646 for petrol equivalents. The Jaecoo 7 was quoted at £1,103 against £577 for a Skoda Karoq.
For context, the average UK car insurance premium was £566 in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Association of British Insurers.
Why some Chinese cars cost more to insure
- Little claims history. Insurers price on data, and newer brands have very little of it in the UK.
- Parts delays. Parts shipped from China can take weeks, which means longer repairs and bigger courtesy-car bills.
- Repair know-how. Many body shops lack the tools, training and repair information for newer brands.
- Battery damage. If it is unclear whether a damaged battery can be repaired, an EV is more likely to be written off.
Thatcham has stressed that this is not a uniquely Chinese problem but a market in transition, and established brands such as MG and BYD fare better. MG says 91% of its parts are available immediately in the UK, and Omoda has pledged 48-hour delivery of any part.
How to cut the cost of insuring a Chinese car
- Get quotes before you buy. Run a comparison on the exact model and trim before you commit. Groups can jump between trims, especially on hybrids.
- Choose a lower trim or smaller battery. The Dolphin Surf Active sits in group 14, the Comfort in 19.
- Use the brand’s own cover. Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo offer free drive-away insurance, and Lepas offers 30 days plus an excess voucher on cars activated by 31 October 2026.
- Try a specialist or a broker if the big names decline to quote.
- Raise your voluntary excess and add security, such as a tracker, if the insurer offers a discount for it.
Insurance is one piece of the running-cost puzzle. See our warranty comparison, servicing costs guide and charging costs for every Chinese EV.
Frequently asked questions
Are Chinese cars expensive to insure?
It depends on the model. Small cars such as the BYD Dolphin Surf and MG3 sit in low groups and are cheap to insure. Larger, faster models such as the BYD Seal and XPeng G6 sit in the 40s, and some insurers have declined to quote on newer brands.
What insurance group is the MG4?
The MG4 EV sits in groups 27 to 33 depending on trim. The newer MG4 EV Urban is lower, at 22 to 23, and the high-performance XPower is group 40.
What insurance group is the BYD Dolphin Surf?
Groups 14 to 19, which makes it one of the cheapest electric cars to insure in the UK.
Why won’t my insurer quote for my Chinese car?
Some insurers are cautious about newer brands because of limited claims data, parts availability and repair costs. Try a broker, a specialist insurer, or the free cover offered by some brands.
Sources
- Parkers insurance group data (model pages)
- Carwow: High insurance rates hit new car brands
- Insurance Business: UK insurers hit the brakes on Chinese EV cover
- Insurance Business: Chinese car makers handing out free insurance
- Auto Express: Some Chinese cars almost uninsurable
- ABI: Motor insurance Q2 2026
- Thatcham: New Vehicle Risk Rating