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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.67 (903 reviews)

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1.51

Based on 903 reviews, last reviewed 17th Jun 2025

400% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

20% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

12%

79%

Latest highest rating:

5

Found you online,needed a cheap quote,you certainly... Found you online,needed a cheap quote,you certainly provided it.Thank you Reviewed on: 3rd June 2025

Verified source

Latest lowest rating:

1

It feels dishonest and manipulative!! Avoid them!! I initially received a quote over the phone, which I agreed to, and even got a confirmation email with the agreed amount. Later, I received another em... Read more Reviewed on: 17th June 2025

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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.

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1st Central Car insurance reviews (903)

Con artist

In the space of 3 weeks of signing up my policy doubled. If I would like to cancel I can but pay a charge of £110. I was advised by staff it is not uncommon price change daily and can go up by 47% is quite normal. Staff read from script therefore a human conversation is impossible, very frustrating. I was with Admiral for 7 years I only changed due a cheaper quote a very silly.mistake being the quote has now doubled Reviewed on: 22nd February 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

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