Different countries have different car group ratings systems that are based on the type of vehicle, the horsepower of the vehicle and general safety standards of the car. With these distinctions in mind, insurance providers determine a group number or letter that categorizes your car insurance group and then determines your insurance policy utilizing this information.

The ratings mostly apply to new cars, as older cars tend to fall under different ratings standards regarding car care and other specifics. Car care is taken into account when determining the car insurance group because the vehicle's condition becomes a primary factor when determining the premiums.

The most commonly utilized grouping system exists in the UK and is comprised of a numbered system that labels new cars from groups 1 to 20. The United States and Canada tend to use a stricter manufacturer based system to define the vehicle's grouping and narrow it down based on vehicle type, for example sports or luxury.

The numbered system in the UK essentially runs on the premise that 1 is the lowest number and 20 is the highest. The higher the car insurance group, the more expensive it will be to insure the vehicle. These motor car insurance groups are merely suggested, however, but most providers utilize the ratings as a form of broad scale to determine the ultimate risk factor for the vehicles.

There is no legal implications for not following the ratings system as employed by the Association of British Insurers, but most insurers do use the system as a good guide to determining the premium costs.

Motor car insurance in the UK also has its own standards by which to establish notions towards security features in vehicles and how effectively these features augment the insurance costs for that particular vehicle. With security alarms being built into most new factory models of vehicles, the premiums in terms of theft car insurance tend to be significantly lower.

Car insurance companies are paying a good deal of attention to these security features when they determine car insurance group ratings because of the improvement in the safety features and its direct impact on the insurance industry.

Car insurances companies are also paying attention to the specifications of the manufacturers as they put out new cars, adapting their policy terms to match up with the types of vehicles that are rolling off the factory line.

This makes for an interesting and specific prospect when it comes to buying insurance because of all of the variables involved in purchasing insurance. With the UK's numerical system, the business of buying insurance is becoming far more complex.

Insurance providers, when determining the group ratings, take a look at the year, make and model of a particular car. New cars are the easiest to apply this rating scheme to because factory specifications make categorizing all of the cars a bit easier.

With certain import models or modified vehicles, however, using a blanket numerical system could prove to be more difficult. Finding your car insurance group information, therefore, can give you a good idea as to how your car will rate in terms of insurance pricing and if and how easily you can afford the premiums.