Write a review

1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.66 (915 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.49

Based on 915 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Aug 2025

33% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

52% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

12%

79%

Latest highest rating:

5

Easy to apply, easily understandable Easy to apply, easily understandable Reviewed on: 11th August 2025

Verified source

Latest lowest rating:

1

Terrible company The first issue was, they took money from my account, for the monthly payment, then bounced it back in and claimed I hadn't paid, (there was money in ... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd August 2025

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 (915)

Terrible company

The first issue was, they took money from my account, for the monthly payment, then bounced it back in and claimed I hadn't paid, (there was money in the account, even checked with bank via the phone) so they charged me a late fee... And wouldn't rectify the issue, with awfully rude staff. Stupidly I came back for a second policy with them, being they were the cheapest. Customer service as I say, sadly are so rude and blunt. They don't accept changes for modifications, even though it's there written in the policy changed, with a drop down box to select the changes. Please do not bother with this company! Pay a little extra. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2025

no policy document provided

paid for car insurance at the beginning of August and as of today, 22nd August,have received no policy documents either by post or email,despite asking for them. Is this company real or are they scammers? Reviewed on: 22nd August 2025

Absolutely terrible experience.

Absolutely terrible experience. I had an accident that was never properly investigated. Despite me reporting it to the police and even providing CCTV footage, the company showed no interest whatsoever. They didn’t review the images of my vehicle damage, never contacted me about the progress of my claim, and simply assumed the accident was my fault—even though the other driver caused the collision and is now facing charges for their poor driving. I now have to attend a trial without any support or communication from my own insurer. Completely unacceptable service. Avoid this company at all costs. Reviewed on: 16th August 2025

Easy to apply, easily understandable

Easy to apply, easily understandable Reviewed on: 11th August 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 12th August 2025

DO NOT USE THEM!!

Worse experience of my life, no communication, the staff do not understand their customers!! Reviewed on: 6th August 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Stacy, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Let’s see if we can help put this right for you. Just give our team a call on 0333 043 2066 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley Response date: 8th August 2025

quote changed from £500 to £750 in a week

I tried to add my daughter to my car insurance and was quoted £503. A week later we agreed to add her and I tried several times to contact the insurance which took all day, and when we got through and said we would like to go ahead they said the price was now £750 I asked why and they said they didnt know Just daylight robbery no need for it Reviewed on: 30th July 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Gary, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. The price of insurance is rated on a daily basis, so if a quote isn't accepted on the day, this could change. This is due to underwriting criteria, and we do advise this when a quote is run. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 1st August 2025

You think you’re getting a good deal with a cheap pr...

You think you’re getting a good deal with a cheap price but they do that to get your card details then they invent reasons to change your policy and charge fees higher than the cost of the entire annual amount. Pay a bit more and avoid scams. Reviewed on: 25th July 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Claire, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with us. All details on the policy impact the price of the policy we offer, if details are found to be incorrect we need to update them and this can impact the price of the policy. If you’d like to speak to the team about this process, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm. Ashley Response date: 28th July 2025

USE AT YOUR OWN PERIL

took out policy 305 pounds , policy was cancelled by 1st CENTRAL after 78 days then told me i owe them a total of 410 pounds and then set law company after me .DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT USING THEM , CHEAP QUOTE THEN TRY TO SCARE YOU TO PAY . Reviewed on: 23rd July 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi T M, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. If there’s anything you’d like us to look into for you, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]. Please include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley Response date: 25th July 2025

Went on line, got a quote filled in the relevant for...

Went on line, got a quote filled in the relevant forms , then asked for my bank details they took all this information and right at the end they said they where unable to accept the policy . In that case why did they take my bank details ! Be very wary especially with all the on line fraud that occurs these days. Phoned them up after an hour of being on hold was answered by someone who could not explain reasons for this . Will inform all family and friends to stay well away !!! Reviewed on: 16th July 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi John, 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're not able to insure all customers, so we're sorry we weren't able to insure you this year. We are governed by our underwriters, so wouldn't be advised why we can't insure some custoemrs. These rules can change, so hopefully we can insure you in the future. Ashley Response date: 17th July 2025

Absolute highway robbery, after opening a new car in...

Absolute highway robbery, after opening a new car insurance policy they waited 32 days (4 days after your legal right to change your mind) to tell me it was going to increase by £280 or face a £131 cancellation fee. When I disputed this on the phone the lady told me to pay or in 7 days there will be debt collectors knocking at my door. DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE ANYTHING! Reviewed on: 8th July 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Aidan, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear about your experience with us. All details on the policy impact the price of the policy we offer, if details are found to be incorrect we need to update them and this can impact the price of the policy. If you’d like to speak to the team about this process, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm. Ashley Response date: 9th July 2025

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 Swiftcover 2.87 from 46 reviews
Cycle insurance
from Eversure 5.00 from 1 reviews
Car insurance
from Policy Expert 4.82 from 5022 reviews

Want to see more from 1st Central?

Breakdown cover
from 1st Central 4.47 from 16 reviews
Personal accident
from 1st Central 2.00 from 5 reviews
Home insurance
from 1st Central 0.00 from 0 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