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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (853 reviews)

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1.50

Based on 853 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Dec 2024

89% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

10% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

12%

79%

Latest highest rating:

5

Very good quote on car insurance, and recommended on... Very good quote on car insurance, and recommended on go compare site Reviewed on: 25th September 2024

Latest lowest rating:

1

Distrustful customer service Spent two separate calls of 10-15min in the past week (Christmas time) trying to get two 1st Central advisors to accept my annual mileage estimation (... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd December 2024

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About this product

Here at Smart Money People, we collect 1st Central car insurance reviews from genuine customers, to help you make an informed decision about your next provider.

1st Central was founded in 2008 and has been growing fast ever since. Specialising in car insurance, the brand offers a variety of products with different levels of cover, including a telematics policy for newer drivers.

When choosing a new policy, take the time to ensure it is suitably robust and meets all of your needs. Do you want breakdown cover included in the policy? Do you need legal cover? What about cover for any medical expenses that may occur after an accident? Working out your priorities before searching for a policy can make the selection process much easier. Check out our 1st Central car insurance reviews to find out what others think.

Have you had a car insurance policy with 1st Central? Whether good or bad, share your experience with the Smart Money People community to help us increase trust and transparency in financial services. Were you satisfied with the price of the premium? Did you have any interactions with the customer service team? Leave a 1st Central car insurance review today to help other drivers just like you.

1st Central Car Insurance reviews (853)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

BEWARE!! Ludicrous charges! THEY DO NOT CARE!!

Took out insurance and over a week later they asked for proof of NCB and proof of claims. Asked my last insurance provider for this. When I didn’t get them in time they charged £175. I had told them I had contacted twice to get these documents. I decided to cancel after nearly 4 weeks and for this I was charged £156, minus my first payment, despite their website saying it’s a £10 cancellation fee after 14 days!! Very impersonal service and completely ridiculous charges!! Felt as though they grabbed me with a cheap quote and then added on extras to make money. My monthly payment went from £37 to £55!! Felt like dealing with robots whose job is to add money on excessively!! Wish I’d read these reviews first!! Reviewed on: 29th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Katharine, 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: 2nd December 2024

Con artists! Stay well away from 1st Central!

3 weeks after buying car insurance with 1st Central I received an email asking me to confirm details. After contacting them they asked the occupation of my named driver on the policy and then doubled my car insurance cost (another £200) because they did not agree with the named drivers occupation title and changed it to something similar. I asked to cancel the insurance and was told this would be another £90. Searching online it appears there are a number of 1st Central customers who have had the same problem. They offer the best quotes and then wait until your 2 week cooling off period ends before finding ways of charging extra. Con artists would be the term I would use. Stay well away! Reviewed on: 21st February 2024

USELESS COMPANY

One star is too much for this company - 50/50 on the staff, some are great, some are awful, the company does not know how to write to customers but can slap on a default for £98 without telling me?? been chasing the removal of this since December and IT'S STILL NOT RESOLVED. Thrilled to be declined on my car finance due to this, this is the company's negligence and I'm suffering & paying to price for incompetent staff. Reviewed on: 19th February 2024

NCD Certificate

his morning, I received my renewal notice by email. My insurance had gone from £240 to £403. I thought this was too high and decided not to renew with them. I went on to their website and followed their instructions. My insurance was due to run out on the 3/3/24 so I cancelled it from the 3/3/24 at the latest time they had from the drop-down box, 23.45. I received an email stating that my insurance would end on the 3/3/24. Minutes later I received an email with a NCD certificate. The certificate said 9 years when it should be 10. I contacted them via their webchat service and explained everything to them. After a while going backwards and forwards, I was told that there was nothing they could do, and it would remain at 9 years. They said the start date of the policy is 04/03/2023 and the time is at 00:01:00. So, for ending the policy 16 minutes early they have dropped a full years NCD off me. I thought I had followed the instructions correctly, but according to them I didn't. They refused to help me and said that is the final decision. I said I was making a complaint to the ombudsman, and they said 'OK, anything else I can do for you' this is shocking and appalling service and I am penalised for a genuine mistake and for not renewing with them. Avoid them as if they can do this for NCD what loopholes will they use if you make a claim. Reviewed on: 19th February 2024

I am writing this review to express my profound disa...

I am writing this review to express my profound disappointment and exasperation with the services provided by your company. A one-star review doesn't even begin to cover the range of my dissatisfaction. You make me wish there was an option for a zero-star rating. There stands a gross lack of transparency in your operations - a glaring discrepancy from the professional behaviour one expects from a reputed insurance service. Allow me to regale you with the sorrid details. Approximately three weeks back, I had the misfortune of availing car insurance from 1st Center for my wife. Promptly acting on your request, I submitted my wife's driving license and no claims history within the required time. Imagine my consternation when, following the sadistic wait till the elapsing of the 14-day cooling-off period, you ordained to inform me of an 'alleged error' in entering my wife's job title and demanded an increase in the policy premium. The monthly payment, initially stipulated at a dear £125, skyrocketed in a heartbeat to an outrageous £365, after the addition of a so-called 'consolidation fee.' This sudden and inexplicable escalation in charges without a reasonable explanation is not just worrisome but a telling testament to your company's unscrupulous practices. To any unfortunate soul considering engaging in business with 1st Center Car Insurance, I say, 'Avoid as if your life depended on it.' It pretty much does. In my experience, the company seems to exploit any conceivable loophole for the sole aim of increasing monthly costs and yielding profit through the ruthless cancellation of policies. Insurance services ought to uphold the esteemed principles of transparency and fairness. However, it seems 1st Center Car Insurance found a bypass to these essential values, leaving clients like myself beyond disillusioned and questioning the ethical credibility of your business. Reluctantly, Pav Reviewed on: 15th February 2024

Awful company.

Awful company. AVOID! 1st CENTRAL Insurance are to be never used again from my family and friends. Come with strong advice not to use them. Further to an annual car insurance policy I took with them in November 2023. They followed up asking for proof of NCD on Xmas Eve 2023. Unfortunately xmas holiday season wasn't an ideal time to organise this for them and when I finally sent the NCD after the holidays they said it was eight hours too late and charged me £150.00. Never use them, They are blacklisted as an insurance company for me and I'd help anyone with the advice not to go with them. Use other companies and pay a little extra. They are money grabbers. Reviewed on: 15th February 2024

Awful experience

Charged me £125 because I’d put my partner’s occupation as manufacturing engineer instead of mechanical engineer…even though he does both at his job. Customer services representatives are rude and aggressive. I was told I’d still need to pay the £125 even if I cancelled my policy within the free cancellation period of 14 days. I have now found out that 1st Central offer low prices to lure you in and then fine comb the policy to check for ‘mistakes’ or make aggressive phone calls to pressure you into making a mistake and then make their money through the extra charges they apply. Disgusting. I would never use or recommend this company again. Reviewed on: 14th February 2024

Scummy company .

Scummy company ... They wait 14 days before contacting you so the legal cooling off period expires. Reviewed on: 10th February 2024

£100 admin fee to cancel my policy,

Charged me a £100 admin fee to cancel my policy, as I sold my car, so didn't have a lot of choice. All done online, so all automated and nobody had to do a single thing. Reviewed on: 6th February 2024

Fraudsters

Terrible company so many hidden costs. Wants information/documents from 8+ years ago. I paid in full thinking I was doing the right thing. It ended up being cheaper for me to leave than to stay with these crooks Reviewed on: 5th February 2024

Renewed my policy without me asking then want to cha...

Renewed my policy without me asking then want to charge me £200 to get out of it. Reviewed on: 4th February 2024

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