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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (866 reviews)

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1.49

Based on 866 reviews, last reviewed 16th Feb 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

18% 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

I changed the address to another one 200 yards away... I changed the address to another one 200 yards away from the first one. They wrote that they would pay me 17 pence extra. But my renewal went up from ... Read more Reviewed on: 16th February 2025

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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 (866)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

I had a policy with 1st Central three years ago, an...

I had a policy with 1st Central three years ago, and my experience was terrible, as I outlined in a review back then. Unfortunately, I feel compelled to write another review because a month ago, they started harassing me for a payment that I had already paid in full three years ago. Initially, I thought the letters were a scam because the policy was settled, and I had no outstanding balance. However, I then received a court letter demanding payment. Since then, I have been desperately trying to get an explanation from 1st Central. After multiple calls, they themselves admitted verbally that I had paid the amount in full and that they didn’t understand why their system said I owed money. Despite this acknowledgment, 1st Central referred me to JC International Acquisition to deal with the matter. This company is impossible to contact—I have called over 100 times, left voice messages, sent emails, and submitted forms, all without any meaningful response. When I finally got a short reply, they told me they couldn’t help and had referred my case to BW Legal. When I contacted BW Legal, they told me they couldn’t do anything and that I needed to speak with JC International Acquisition. This back-and-forth between companies has been exhausting and stressful, all because of 1st Central’s error. 1st Central now refuses to provide my payment history, likely because they are aware they made a mistake. They have locked my file and refuse to give me any further information. For a policy that was active three years ago and canceled after just two weeks due to their lack of transparency, I now find myself in this frustrating and unnecessary situation. I have proof, including bank statements, showing that I paid every penny. I am prepared to go to court over this. This company has been sending me in endless circles, causing immense stress, and their refusal to resolve the issue is appalling. Based on my experiences, both three years ago and now, I can only describe this company as untrustworthy and a scam. Avoid them at all costs. Reviewed on: 22nd December 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Suzi, 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. We would like to look into this further for you to help resolve this, please send an email to [email protected] with your policy number a summary of your experience similar to your review and we will look into it. Ashley Response date: 27th December 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

Avoid at all cost.

Allegedly information from the comparison site to 1st central about my SP30 did not reach them so I was unexpectedly given over 250 extra to pay. When I disputed this there was no apology, nothing. I had to cancel my insurance and now I have a default notice on my file due to the 250 not being paid despite my not being with 1st central anymore and I paid what was due during the time I was with them. Reviewed on: 30th January 2024

Massively undervalued my car!

Massively undervalued my car! Warning if you are with this company and get hit by another driver, you will lose thousands of pounds and sleep due to stress! Taken 2 months, hours of calls with no hire car and no money to buy another car! Treated appallingly! You have been warned, please don’t trust them with you car insurance! Reviewed on: 26th January 2024

Huge costs for any changes,Terrible customer service

Seems good to start with but any change even moments after you have taken out the policy Wil land you with huge fees!!!! Do not go with this company the most unhelpful customer service ever. It's worth paying more to get a better insurer. Will never go with them again. Reviewed on: 26th January 2024

Fees and more fees, they take unauthorised payments

I switched my unsuitable over to my new car in which they charged me a £100 admin fee, my old car which my partner was driving was then switched from her old car also with 1st central but the advisor charged us both £100 admin fee for 5 minutes on her keyboard. I also stated whilst on the phone that I wanted to opt out of the auto renewal which now 9 months later, I noticed they’ve taken two payments of £83.90 out of my account in Nov and Dec’23 which are duplicates direct debits which they’ve denied taking double what is due although my banks confirmed they have, my policy has just renewed although as mentioned earlier I opted out in which they’ve taken £401.02 from my account as the deposit for my new policy (which wasn’t authorised) and another £202.20 for the first payment (also not authorised) I called them up and explained the above which they replied I hadn’t opted out and they hadn’t taken the direct debits twice, they said they sent my policy to me email although I’d received nothing I asked what my new premium was per month in which I was told it’s £202.20 a month from £83.90 so over double what it was although nothings changed from the previous year except my no claims bonus has now increased to 9 years! I said I wanted the policy void not cancelled as I never agreed for insurance to roll over and I was told it’s started and my car would be insured that if I cancelled I would lose the £401.02 deposit and have to pay a percentage of my annual premium plus a £50.00 admin fee and cancellation fee. This company is a cowboy co-operation avoid at all costs, I will be reporting it and contacting the financial ombudsmen Reviewed on: 20th January 2024

AVOID AVOID AVOID

AVOID AVOID AVOID My son Had a third party accident was offered two settlement offers felt it was not enough so asked insurance company 1st central to reconsider to be told they are cancelling the policy as the car had been modified. It was an MSport BMW had absolutely no idea the car had been modified as all the cars are like this when searched on google. Treated him as if he was a criminal trying to make out these modifications were done by my son when he purchased the vehicle like this from the garage. If they can get out of paying a claim they will do avoid as all costs the worst insurance company around! Reviewed on: 20th January 2024

TAKING LEGAL ACTION. AVOID THIS COMPANY PLEASE!

I joined 1st central connect using the blackbox. I also had a 2nd driver on my policy. 1st central connect sent an email giving steps for me and the 2nd driver to complete regarding downloading and connecting to the blackbox/telematic device. We both did the steps required of us. I got emails saying that we did not download the app but if we did please ignore this email. Since we did, we figured it was a wrong email. Next thing I knew my policy was cancelled. When I called to ask why they said because the second driver did not register and downlaod the app. THIS IS UNTRUE! I explained this to them multiple times but each customer support worker rudely dismissed me and refused to listen. I have email PROOF from 1st central connect outlining the steps for the main driver and the 2nd driver: (Policy Holder), follow these simple steps: Download the 1ST CENTRAL Connect app to your smartphone (make sure you say yes to those cookies and permissions!) Link your sensor to the 1ST CENTRAL Connect app – it takes less than a minute Stick your sensor to your windscreen without it blocking your view – the sensor shouldn’t be kept loose in your car, pocket, bag etc. (second driver) will need to do the following: When registering, it’s important that they register using their own email address and mobile number, this is so we can set them up with a unique driver record on the app. Then, they need to go to the welcome text message from 1ST CENTRAL Connect and download the 1ST CENTRAL Connect app to their smartphone (making sure they say yes to those cookies and permissions!) The 3 steps required by me and the 2 steps required by the 2nd driver were COMPLETED! YET THE POLICY WAS STILL CANCELLED! Now I have this unfair cancellation on my record because of an untrue claim by 1st Central Connect. I have contacted the OMBUDSMAN AND HAVE BEGAN LEGAL ACTION AGAINST 1ST CENTRAL CONNECT! STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY AND THEIR FRAUDULENT AND SCAMMING TELEAMTIC/BLACK BOX DEVICE Reviewed on: 16th January 2024

1st Central are best avoided.

These people are best avoided. They messed up my quote by getting the information I'd provided wrong (I had copies of what I'd sent them but they still somehow changed it) and so I cancelled the policy before it started because they changed the premium from the quote by +£150! When I canceled it the told me that they'd charge me the remainder of their £50 arrangement fee! I told them I refused to pay it so they threatened me with "lawyers getting involved". Then an hour or so later I noticed that they had processed a transaction for the remaining amount on my debit card without my authorisation... surely there are laws to protect consumers from this? Either way, if they're that desperate for £23.55 then there's clearly a problem in their business! Reviewed on: 12th January 2024

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