Write a review

1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (853 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.51

Based on 853 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Dec 2024

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

15% 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

Read all reviews See your review

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

Fraud organisation keep away from them...

Fraud organisation. Rise cost of insurance with fairy tales reason, after you order your online car insurance. How long you owned your car" They axplain-You said you have your car 5 year but wee think you own your car 3 year, and that is the reason why wee have to rise your insurance price by 250£. It's nonsense. Keep away from this bullocks. Will never have a business with them. 100% Not recommended..... Reviewed on: 5th September 2023

Zero customer loyalty

Zero customer loyalty… poor service … renewed my car insurance policy with 1st Central in July… I have 12 yrs no claims… I failed to notify them of a 3pt fixed penalty speeding offence in February as an oversight … they were notified by price comparison sites as I had disclosed this when comparing quotes in July, so my failure to disclose was an oversight… premium increased by £265 in total which included £50 admin fee (nearly 50% increase) for a 3pt fixed penalty notice … won’t be going near this company again … avoid!!! Reviewed on: 1st September 2023

1st Central CANNOT BE TRUSTED

1stCentral CANNOT BE TRUSTED - AVOID AT ALL COSTS First Central charged me £80.54 for a 'mistake' on my application. The mistake was caused because the DVLA had the date incorrect on their system for the date that I purchased my car. Not only did I explain this to them, but they proceeded to take the £80.54 out of my account without my permission and after I was told, 'don't worry it won't be taken'. Now that I have had the DVLA change the date and emailed this to them, they have avoided contacting me back on 2 occasions to discuss having the £80.54 refunded. It seems like it is very easy for them to take this charge, but very difficult to actually speak to someone competent who is able to refund it. Every single staff member gave me different information, eventually I escalated the complaint to a manager, who assured me they would call me back. 2 Weeks have gone by and 1st Central have not contacted me back. I would have preferred to pay more money, for a more competent service. Lesson learnt.... YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET. Reviewed on: 1st September 2023

Absolutely awful company who do not care about their customers one bit

Was provided a quote which i accepted, 2 weeks later I receive an email asking me for information about a claim i had on a previous insurer. All information provided but turned out the actual date of my claim was a week before the date i had given 1st central, THE CLAIM WAS THE EXACT SAME MONEY AND DETAILS JUST WRONG DATE, 1 week of a difference and my policy went up over £35 a month even though every detail is the same. When you do eventually get through to someone they are not helpful at all, some of the worst customer service i have ever received and i worked for a year in the insurance industry. Reviewed on: 31st August 2023

Stressful telematics

It started off fine. I was a new driver a few months ago and went with first central because the telematics sensor seemed like a good idea and the price was cheap. A few months later I received emails about my trips not being recorded (despite my mobile app recording trips) and that I should be leaving my Bluetooth on (by doing this you can allow hackers into your system or it'll drain your battery which is why I kept mine off until I recorded journeys. Baring in mind on the installation page they send you for the sensor it does not tell you to leave the blue tooth on, nor does it tell you to turn it off, either way it was unclear! ). I always called them to ask what's happened and if I can do anything and we resolved it or so I thought. I received a cancellation email on the bank holiday weekend saying my insurance policy would be cancelled on the 2nd sept. I wasn't able to contact the telematics policy team until Tuesday which brought me great stress and anxiety. I was on hold on Tuesday from 10.30 till 4! I got hung up on once during this time and other times I wasn't answered. Finally got through to someone to talk about it. Different representatives told me different things and it was unclear what was going on. - I have had phone calls hung up on me MULTIPLE times when I have queried a fault on the app such as lowering my score when I haven't even driven the car on the day. I do NOT recommend this company to anyone. Just scammers. Not a good first experience as a new driver myself. Reviewed on: 31st August 2023

Unfair policy cancellation on 10th month

Very unfair company cancelled my policy for something out of my controll and absolutely would not recommend unless want to be screwed over Reviewed on: 29th August 2023

Scammers

It's evident that numerous reviewers have been taken advantage of for extremely minor issues and billed over £100 for 'revisions'. Unfortunately, I've also fallen victim to these individuals who seem determined to acquire money through any available method. I anticipate that they will soon be apprehended by the appropriate authorities and won't remain operational for much longer. I strongly recommend avoiding them. Reviewed on: 27th August 2023

Awful company

I’m a new driver (3 months). This company thinks it’s acceptable to fob me off and threaten to cancel my insurance based on the telematics they provided for me. Telling me that I had 6 trips with no data, to then changing it to 16 when I appeal it. Don’t even want to help or anything to resolve it and say ‘we can’t do anything as it’s on our system as no data was recorded’. Well must of been something wrong with the sensor. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND 1st central for new drivers. Reviewed on: 25th August 2023

Doubled Prices

I would say that I have no trouble with this insurer, they do their job (seemingly) and offer lots of extras. Sadly, they doubled my premium on the last renewal for no reason and then when I changed my car to an older one they added even more to the premium. I suspect they may be money-grubbing city types. Reviewed on: 24th August 2023

Helpful and good value

Apart from occasionally being slightly hard to understand some of the customer service reps, I found 1st Central to be handy, professional and good value for money. Reviewed on: 24th August 2023

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

There's still more to see!

1st Central has a range of products available. Check the ratings of each product to find the right one for you. 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