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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (853 reviews)

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1.51

Based on 853 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Dec 2024

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

5% 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

Crap company

Constant issues and when I got that sick of them they charged me 125 pounds to cancel! Watch this company as they love hidden fees Reviewed on: 29th September 2023

Absolutely aswful

my girlfriend insured with them and every week there was a problem which could cause her insurance being cancelled, named drivers not driving the car (they don’t HAVE to drive it), the black box being loose despite it being on the windscreen, having to register named drivers and having the app downloaded. Just constant hassle for no reason. Reviewed on: 27th September 2023

Not good car insurance

They blamed me for an accident that I wasn't even involved in and reduced my NCD as a result, which cost me about £200. 10 months later they admitted that it wasn't my fault and gave me back my NCD but not any of my over payments Reviewed on: 27th September 2023

Worst Insurance company ever

Don't be fooled by the initial low insurance quote you will no doubt be given by one of the price comparison sites, this is just to reel you in and your premiums will probably go up in the first few months. Their call centre would appear to be in the far east so consequently it's quite difficult to understand what's being said. Don't try emailing them either because they take on average five days to read it according to their own information. I cancelled my insurance with them after three months and was charged £154 for the privilege. Spend a little bit more and get your insurance from a reputable company. Avoid, avoid, avoid. Reviewed on: 21st September 2023

a £100 fee to make a small change !! Terrible customer service

I needed to make a slight change 1 hour after booking the insurance (28 days before it was due to start!) and they said that will be a £100 fee !! Terrible customer service Reviewed on: 20th September 2023

Rude customer service

Absolutely rude customer service who do not let you speak!! Definitely do not recommend Reviewed on: 18th September 2023

Extortionate Fees

I’m very disappointed, sold my car, so cancelled my insurance 4 months in but it’s basically cost me the full year to cancel! Shocking & daylight robbery. Reviewed on: 17th September 2023

Shocking

Overcharging….. made up an endorsement on my policy then said I didn’t declare any. Then made my refund but didn’t cancel the policy I had cancelled the DD from my bank so they didn’t get that so instead they illegally took money from my card from another bank which they were given details of for the refund ! They admitted they had a note for the cancellation and a cancellation code but had still taken 2 mo this of payments. Wanted a copy of my licence to check my endorsement and I told them they didn’t and needed part of my licence number and a check code. They insisted they get copies of the licence. Guess what they then emailed me back for a check code Reviewed on: 15th September 2023

Avoid this company like the plague. A nightmare to deal with.

I like many, shop around each year for car insurance. I apparently got an email renewal at twice the price of the previous year, & i may have opened it but this policy was not with my reg on the policy, so was ignored. So I shopped around & saved just over a ¼ of the price with Hastings insurance. On the same day 1st Central had used their auto renewal scam to take nearly £400.00 out of my account. I had this stopped at my bank as it was for the wrong car registration & i already got another policy. They are now threatening me with legal action unless paid by a certain date. I have asked for the cancellation, so i can never have to deal with them again & keep getting fobbed off to avoid the 14 day cooling off period. I wish I had researched this company as they have a massive amount of bad reviews on other sites which I suspect the links won't be allowed here. But on just a few site i looked at well over a thousand complaints & I am sure there are many more. So, if i was you avoid them. I still lost £50 cancellation fee just to get rid of them. Reviewed on: 15th September 2023

Misleading Practices and Unreasonable Premium Increases

Certainly, here's a detailed review that you can post on Trustpilot: Title: Misleading Practices and Unreasonable Premium Increases Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5 stars) I wish I could give 1st Central Insurance a better rating, but my experience with them has been incredibly frustrating and disappointing. Premium Manipulation: My initial interaction with 1st Central was based on their seemingly competitive prices. They quoted a lower premium compared to other insurance companies listed on comparison websites like Confused.com. However, this initial low quote turned out to be a bait-and-switch tactic. After signing up and providing all the necessary information, I was shocked to see my premium increase by a whopping 70%. This hike was attributed to an undisclosed non-fault incident, despite the fact that my no-claims bonus remained untouched. Lack of Transparency: One of the fundamental issues here is the lack of transparency. I believe that insurance companies should provide clear and honest information to customers from the very beginning. If a non-fault incident carries the potential for such a significant premium increase, this should have been explicitly mentioned during the application process. Instead, it felt like I was deliberately kept in the dark until I was committed to the policy. Questionable Fees: The cancellation and administration fees imposed by 1st Central also raised eyebrows. While they claim these are standard, they seem disproportionate to the services provided. The overall canelation fees were the equivalet of a year insurance premium in particular, felt excessive, especially given the circumstances of the policy cancellation. Regulatory Concerns: I was hopeful that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) would have some guidelines in place to ensure that insurance companies operate fairly and transparently. However, the response from 1st Central and their reluctance to address my concerns regarding transparency and the sudden premium increase make me wonder if they are operating within the bounds of FCA regulations. Conclusion: In conclusion, my experience with 1st Central Insurance has been marred by misleading practices, a lack of transparency, and what I consider to be an unreasonable premium increase. I had initially chosen them based on their competitive quote, only to discover later that their actual pricing strategy was far from transparent. As a consumer, I value honesty and fairness in my interactions with businesses, especially when it comes to financial services like insurance. Unfortunately, my experience with 1st Central has left me deeply disappointed and frustrated. Advice to Others: Before choosing 1st Central or any insurance company, I would strongly advise potential customers to carefully read the terms and conditions, ask about potential premium increases, and thoroughly research their practices. Don't be swayed by an initially low quote; it might not reflect the final premium you'll end up paying. Overall, I would caution others to be wary when dealing with 1st Central Insurance and to consider alternative options that may offer more transparent and fair practices. Reviewed on: 12th September 2023

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