Cheapest sports cars to insure 2022
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Buying a sports car usually means accepting that it will be expensive to insure. Car insurance groups run from 1 to 50 and many sports cars fall firmly into the most expensive group 50 bracket. Ouch.
You can’t buy a Porsche 911 that doesn’t have a group 50 insurance rating, for example, Every Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren and Bentley sports car also falls into the very highest group. They are, it’s fair to say, fearsomely expensive to insure.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be like that. There are still some sports cars that are relatively cheap to insure. These are stylish, dynamic machines that are a hoot to drive – they just don’t deliver quite the same pain each year when it comes to renewing your car cover.
Here are 10 of the cheapest sports cars to insure, from the Mazda MX-5 to the Ford Mustang. Excitement is guaranteed.
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Mazda MX-5
The Mazda MX-5 is the world’s best-loved sports car, with sales numbers in the millions. It is popular because it is affordable, beautifully simple and lightweight, stylish to look at and sublime to drive. Even the 1.5-litre version offers a good amount of power (and very impressive fuel economy), and its modest power output brings insurance ratings from as low as group 25 for the folding-hard-top RF version. If you prefer a soft-top, the regular roadster starts from group 27: still good value for such a fun-to-drive two-seater. The MX-5 is likely to prove cheap to run, ultra-reliable and you’ll easily be able to sell it on in future. If you can bear to part with it, that is.
- Read our full Mazda MX-5 review
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BMW Z4
The latest BMW Z4 is another two-seat roadster, this time coming with a folding soft-top rather than the more bulbous hard-top of its predecessor. Like all previous Z4s, it’s distinctively styled, and offers serious performance from its 380hp 3.0-litre turbo straight-six engine. However, the most affordable version to insure is the 20i Sport, which has a still-potent 2.0 turbo engine powering the rear wheels. Insurance ratings start from group 30. For a car that turns as many heads as the Z4, this seems a decent trade-off, aided by the car’s comprehensive standard security features.
Audi TT
Available as a coupe and roadster, the Audi TT has always been pitched as a more accessible type of sports car. Prices are competitive and even the 2.0-litre 40 TFSI version has a good amount of power (and a fruity exhaust note). However, while it doesn’t have supercar-high insurance ratings, it still can’t go as low as the BMW Z4; even the entry-level TT boasts a group 36 rating. For this, blame the aluminium-intensive construction, which helps make the car so strong and light. Unfortunately, it’s also harder to repair in the event of an accident, which insurers have factored into their premiums.
- Read our full Audi TT review
Volkswagen Golf GTI
Long famous as being the ‘people’s sports car’, the Volkswagen Golf GTI has been delivering family-friendly performance since the 1970s. The latest version is a real tour de force, with even the entry-level GTI offering a punchy 245hp for 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds. You can factor in five-door practicality and a big boot, too – plus the appeal of group 28 car insurance. If you fancy a taste of the GTI of the future, try the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. It has the same power output, is just a smidgen slower in the benchmark acceleration test, and actually has more affordable group 27 insurance. Or you could take the GTI of the past, and go diesel with the Golf GTD, which has the same group 27 rating (although we wouldn’t recommend it).
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Cupra Formentor
The Formentor is the first bespoke car from sporty SEAT offshoot Cupra. It’s a very athletic-looking machine, with an angular profile despite its crossover SUV stance and proportions. It feels hunkered down and welcoming inside, too – a very modern type of sports car. You can get versions with fire-breathing 300hp turbo engines, but the most affordable model is the 1.5-litre TSI 150 petrol. This is similarly affordable to insure as well, with ratings from group 19. Factor in the Formentor’s family-focused practicality and everyday fuel efficiency for a sporty all-rounder that won’t break the bank.
MINI Cooper
The MINI Cooper three-door hatchback certainly has the space-efficiency of a sports car. Or rather, the lack of it. You won’t get anyone in the rear seats without serious compromise from those in the front, for instance. The boot is compact as well, so you’re better off folding down the rear bench and treating the MINI as a pure two-seater. Still, what fun it is to drive, with brilliantly precise and engaging handling, plus ample urgency from the three-cylinder 1.5-litre turbo engine. It’s even pretty good on fuel, and because power output is a sensible 136hp, rather than the 178hp of the Cooper S, it means a cost-effective group 19 insurance rating.
Toyota GR Supra
Toyota is suddenly a brand with some of the most exciting sports cars on the market. The GR Yaris hot hatch is a modern classic, the upcoming GR86 coupe is exciting, and the GR Supra is a bold range-topper that – praise be! – is now offered with a manual transmission. If you’re looking for the fastest version, you need to pick the 3.0-litre straight-six. However, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo won’t be far behind, and comes with more affordable group 34 car insurance. For a car as charismatic as this, one that’s guaranteed to turn heads, that sounds like an insurance premium worth paying.
BMW 2 Series Coupe
BMW has not disappointed with the latest 2 Series Coupe. While the 1 Series hatchback has switched to front-wheel drive, the 2 Series has retained the rear-driven layout that sports car enthusiasts love so much. The range is currently headed by the M240i xDrive, and there’s an even more thrilling M2 version on the way. However, if you’re seeking the cheapest version to insure, stick with the 220i M Sport, which has a group 28 rating. It produces 184hp, giving 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds. It isn’t the quickest sports car around, but few can handle the corners with so much excitement and finesse.
Hyundai i30 N Performance
The original Hyundai i30 N was a jaw-dropping hot hatch when it was launched. Enthusiasts were amazed the Korean firm could hit the bullseye so firmly with its first rival for the Golf GTI. This latest N Performance version continues the trend, with a 280hp engine, a crackle-pop exhaust note and the sort of poise around a racetrack that puts many more focused sports cars to shame. Given its exciting performance, insurance isn’t bad either. It comes in at group 26, which is actually less than the smaller and cheaper Hyundai i20 N, along with the current Golf GTI.
Ford Mustang
We couldn’t close without including the Ford Mustang and its super-charismatic 5.0-litre V8 engine. It’s a big, old fashioned GT that wears its heart on its sleeve as it eggs you on to smoke its rear tyres. Given the thrills and evocative soundtrack it offers, prices aren’t too crazy either. And although it’s pretty high, we don’t think group 43 insurance is too outrageous for such a charming and exciting sports car. Other cars with this sort of power easily fall into group 50, meaning you can justifiably say you’re saving money by picking a Mustang GT. That’s our excuse, anyway.
Why are sports cars expensive to insure?
Sports cars are expensive to insure because, well, they’re bought to be driven in a sporty and effervescent manner. While some may choose a sports car to cruise slowly around town, most head for the countryside to put them through their paces. This raises the risk profile, which pushes up the cost of insurance. The fact that these specialist machines are more expensive to repair is also a factor, as is their sheer desirability to car thieves.
Are convertibles more expensive to insure than coupes?
By and large, convertibles will be more expensive to insure than coupe sports cars. The reason is obvious: although modern open-top tech is highly advanced, they’re still that bit less secure against thieves than hard-top models. The Mazda MX-5 is a great example of this: the hard-top RF version starts at insurance group 25, whereas the soft-top convertible opens with group 27. We’re sure car insurers also factor in the risk of leaving the roof open and suffering an interior ruined by rainfall…
Which sports car has the lowest insurance group?
The cheapest traditional sports car to insure – and here we mean a low-slung two-seater that puts driving fun ahead of practicality – is the Mazda MX-5. However, if you’re happy for your sports car to come in a more everyday body style, the high-performance MINI Cooper has insurance groups as low as 19, as does the athletic crossover-style Cupra Formentor. Hot hatches generally start at around group 25 for insurance, due to the fact they often have more power than entry-level sports cars.
