Write a review

Newsletter

Go to business site

1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.80 (980 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.80

Based on 980 reviews, last reviewed 28th Sep 2026

300% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

10% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

12%

80%

Latest highest rating:

5

I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at ho... I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at home and the rac arrived very quickly. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

AVOID! Pay a little more with a genuine company Horrendous insurance company. I made a genuine mistake with a date then 7 weeks down the line got told I had to pay ANOTHER £144 or my insurance would... Read more Reviewed on: 28th September 2026

Read all reviews Write a review

About this product

With 1st Central, you can insure a single car or opt for a multicar policy. There’s also a telematics policy.

As standard, you get up to 90 days free cover when driving in Europe. There are five policies to choose from giving different levels of cover: ValueOnline, Online, LegalOnline, PlusOnline and PremierOnline.

1st Central car insurance reviews help you find out what it’s really like to be a customer. If you’ve used 1st Central before, you can also leave a review and share your experience.

Review 1st Central: Car insurance now

Help others make smarter decisions by sharing your own experience.

Write a review

1st Central Car insurance reviews (980)

AVOID! Pay a little more with a genuine company

Horrendous insurance company. I made a genuine mistake with a date then 7 weeks down the line got told I had to pay ANOTHER £144 or my insurance would be cancelled. The date would have made zero difference to the the original quote, yes an amendment fee but not £144. Subsequently I won't be renewing any of the cars in the household with Ist central. TOP TIP the cheapest quote isn't always the best! Certainly not in this case. Reviewed on: 28th September 2026

AVOID TERRIBLE SERVICE

AVOID! Never again would I choose this company. Apparently I had made a mistake in putting the wrong month in when my son passed his driving test, this increased by £1,500 even though it was down as him having no NCD anyway. I went on the chat and asked to cancel the policy as I could get it cheaper elsewhere by £1,000 at least. Being at work is hard to call so tried whats app and chat on their website, the site constantly freezes then you get a message saying they closed after waiting hours in a queue. Sometimes I was position 194 so was so frustrating to the receive this message after such a long wait. Finally getting through, I was told that I was insured until 21st September and need not do anything, if I did not contact them further they would automatically cancel the policy. This morning I received an email to say they will be taking out my new payments of £352 a month, it's a corsa not a Lambroghini! Anyway here we are again hours on chat try to sort the problem out, currently 2nd in the queue for the past 50 minutes Reviewed on: 23rd September 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi, Thank you for your feedback and for choosing 1st Central. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We'll use your review to help improve our services. Emily Response date: 24th September 2026

BIGGEST SCAM COMPANY AROUND QUOTE £1700 FOR INSURANC...

BIGGEST SCAM COMPANY AROUND QUOTE £1700 FOR INSURANCE SO I PAY IN FULL PROVIDE PROOF OF MY NO CLAIMS BONUS THEY THEN PHONE AND DEMAND A EXTRA £900 FOR THE INSURANCE AS THEY WONT ACCEPT NO CLAIMS BONUS THEY THEN DEMAND YOU PAY IT IN FULL OR THEY WILL CANCEL YOUR INSURANCE WHILE CHARGING YOU £258 FOR THE PLEASURE OF THEM CANCELLING IT DON’T GO NEAR THEM I WILL BE TAKING IT FURTHER!! Reviewed on: 18th September 2026

Impossible to cancel online, then hit with £111 fees.

I took out a £272 annual policy and decided to cancel it shortly after. 1st Central advertises that you can cancel online, but the button was completely missing from my account portal. Because I couldn't cancel online, I was baffled; I spent ages trying to get through on the phone. By the time I finally reached someone, I was past the 14-day cooling-off period, and they slapped me with £111.96 in fees for just 20 days of cover! They charged a £50 "setup fee" (for a policy I set up myself online), a £50 "cancellation fee" (to click a button on their end), and charged me the full year's £22.47 Legal Cover. Charging 41% of an annual premium for 20 days of cover because your own website is broken is an absolute disgrace. Avoid this company! Their cheap headline prices hide massive hidden cancellation penalties. Reviewed on: 17th September 2026

Cancelled policy whilst I was on holiday

I signed myself up and my son as a named driver with the app and sensor. We then went on a family holiday for 4 weeks travelling around Asia. Due to the app not understanding why we were not in the UK everything said we hadn't signed up properly and they cancelled our policy whilst we were away. I couldn't get hold of anyone to sort this out and I am still trying to speak to someone as they are now charging me £95 for their stupid insufficient app. Reviewed on: 11th September 2026

I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at ho...

I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at home and the rac arrived very quickly. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to make things easy and straightforward for our customers Emily Response date: 24th August 2026

1st Central and the car repairers were excellent

Had a crash, 1st Central and the car repairers were excellent. All fixed now. Reviewed on: 20th August 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to make things easy and straightforward for our customers Response date: 24th August 2026

1st Central have been amazing -they are clear and co...

1st Central have been amazing -they are clear and consise with their information sharing, they have made everything really simple and easy and its the first car insurance ive ever had that reduced on auto renewal meaning I have not had to shop about for cheaper prices. Also suffering from ADHD combined with Autism i struggle to retain information, break down large overloaded information and remember things but 1st Central made everything easy with a simple easy to use app where everything is contained and accessible to make managing my insurance so much simpler. Reviewed on: 20th August 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to make things easy and straightforward for our customers Emily Response date: 24th August 2026

They have been good overall and were great sorting i...

They have been good overall and were great sorting issues after I had been in a collision Reviewed on: 20th August 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to make things easy and straightforward for our customers Emily Response date: 24th August 2026

A great choice for your car insurance needs.

A great choice for your car insurance needs. Easy to deal with and great value for money products. Easy to use app , I would definitely recommend this company if your looking to renew your car insurance. Reviewed on: 20th August 2026

Reply from 1st Central Hi Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to make things easy and straightforward for our customers Emily Response date: 24th August 2026

Do you have a different 1st Central product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Alternative products

Car insurance
from WiseDriving 2.01 from 65 reviews
Car insurance
from Policy Expert 4.65 from 5028 reviews
Car Insurance
from Police Mutual 4.37 from 13 reviews

Want to see more from 1st Central?

Breakdown cover
from 1st Central 4.40 from 16 reviews
Home insurance
from 1st Central 4.06 from 1 reviews
Personal accident
from 1st Central 3.47 from 5 reviews

View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub

1st Central: Car insurance reviews

300% increase in 5 star reviews

10% decrease in 1 star reviews

Latest highest rating:

5

Latest lowest rating:

1

About this product

Review 1st Central: Car insurance now

1st Central Car insurance reviews (980)

AVOID! Pay a little more with a genuine company

AVOID TERRIBLE SERVICE

BIGGEST SCAM COMPANY AROUND QUOTE £1700 FOR INSURANC...

Impossible to cancel online, then hit with £111 fees.

Cancelled policy whilst I was on holiday

I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at ho...

1st Central and the car repairers were excellent

1st Central have been amazing -they are clear and co...

They have been good overall and were great sorting i...

A great choice for your car insurance needs.

Do you have a different 1st Central product?

Want to see more from 1st Central?

Breakdown cover

Home insurance

Personal accident

Join Smart Money People

News, guides and insight from our team

UK money news stories - 24 July 2024

Your Money, Your Voice: Have your say

Our latest research - customers see little impact of FCA's Consumer Duty one year on

Consumer credit awards winners 2024