Brits LOVE a Ford Focus

The Ford Focus has only been around since 1998, so it came as a shock when Ford recently announced it will no longer be making it in some parts of the world.

Us Brits really love a Focus, with YouGov putting it at 16th most popular car in the UK. Impressive, but still 14 spots behind the much-loved Ford Fiesta in second place. With a huge variety in both models and insurance prices, the Ford Focus’ success should come as no surprise.

From sporty hatchbacks to cheaper runarounds

Its bigger size and higher spec come with a bigger price tag than the entry level Fiesta, but how much does it cost to insure a Ford Focus? That depends on what you buy. You can find very affordable options in insurance group 6, like a 2009 1.4 Studio 5-door, which can cost as little as £465 per year.

Sporty hot hatches are a different story altogether. A 2018 RS Edition 2.3 EcoBoost is the most expensive Ford Focus to insure, up in Group 42 alongside the Jaguar S-Type or Range Rover. It costs over £30,000, with insurance starting from £786 a year.

That’s based on a 35-year-old married woman driver, who parks in a driveway overnight and has a £500 voluntary excess. Change these features to a riskier driver profile, and you could expect to pay a LOT more.

Cheapest and most expensive Ford Focuses to insure

First, here's a quick insurance groups explainer:

We’ve crunched the numbers and done the hard work for you. Check out our lists below for a quick rundown of some of the cheapest (and most expensive!) Ford Focuses to insure.

Some of the cheapest Focuses to insure

• Focus Studio 1.4 litre 3-door (2008) - Group 6
• Focus LX 1.4 litre 5-door (2011-2018) - Group 6
• Focus Style 1.0 EcoBoost 5-door (2018) - Group 7
• Focus Zetec 1.0 EcoBoost 5-door (2018-) - Group 8

Some of the most expensive Focuses to insure

• Focus ST-3 2.0T 5-door (2012-2018) - Group 36
• Focus RS 2.5 3-door (2009-2010) - Group 38
• Focus RS Red Edition 2.3 EcoBoost (2011-2018) - Group 39
• Focus RS Edition 2.3 litre EcoBoost (2018) - Group 42

Breaking down the costs

Car insurance groups range from 1 to 50 and are just one factor insurance companies use to work out your insurance quote. Cars in lower groups are usually more affordable to insure, while cars with powerful engines are often in higher insurance groups because they cost more to repair or replace.

If you’re not a real petrol head, you’re usually better off getting a smaller, more economical engine that will save on fuel costs and your insurance bill. A 2019 Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Zetec 5-door costs around £12,500, and with its 1.0 litre engine, starts from a very reasonable £509 per ear. The 1.0 litre Focus engine can get an impressive 50 miles to the gallon, with 125g of CO2 emissions per kilometre. (This efficiency starts to unravel as you move up in engine size.)

If you want a slightly more powerful engine, a good middle-range Focus is the 1.6 litre Zetec S 5-door (2012). This model is in insurance group 25, costing a very reasonable £2,870 to buy, and around £587 to insure.

Bottom line? Launched in 1998, the Ford Focus might be a Gen Z in generational terms, but you’re more likely to see a Gen X driving one, being the popular family car it is.

Gen Zers and anyone else looking for a cheap deal may want to look at the smaller Fiesta, or competitors like the Vauxhall Astra or Volkswagen Golf.