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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

1.52
Based on 860 reviews, last reviewed 6th Feb 2025
100% decrease in 5 star reviews
in the past 90 days
39% decrease in 1 star reviews
in the past 90 days
See only 5 star reviews
12%
See only 4 star reviews
5%
See only 3 star reviews
2%
See only 2 star reviews
2%
See only 1 star reviews
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
Phillip Richardson 's avatar
Phillip Richardson

Latest lowest rating:

1

Almost got me arrested Opened a new policy in November, now currently February 2025. It turns out these scammers cancelled my insurance without telling me and allowed me to ... Read more Reviewed on: 6th February 2025
Tom 's avatar
Tom

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 (860)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1
If I could give 0 I would, Please please please do not waste your time or money on this 'insurer'. This company is not an insurance company they are brokers who will scam you, rob you and affect you both mentally and physically. I have no idea how this business is still running with the amount of people they are scamming. Out of the blue they cancelled my insurance, they said they needed extra documents. I was not notified at all, neither by text, phone call or post to indicate they require additional infomation. The only way I found out about this was because I checked my bank balance and they had refunded my money for the month. I gave them a call to understand why I had been refunded and only then they told me my insurance was going to be cancelled on 08/06/22 11:59pm - I FOUND OUT 10 HOURS BEFORE THE TIME IT WAS DUE TO BE CANCELLED. They expected me to pull out the documents out of thin air. To avoid this tarnishing my good record I asked the policy to be cancelled and they kept passing me over person to person - I was trying to deal with this whilst I was at work. Then in the end I had to ask them to call me back and then the lady said she will at 6:00 after I finish work. 6:00pm comes and no one has called me, instead I got a lazy email to say 'sorry we cannot cancel your insurance and there is nothing we can do'. The 'analysis' had locked my account so i was unable to cancel the policy online. Even the website is extremely dodgy, they had added a fee of £135 on my account and it said once i make the payment my account will be unlocked. I paid it and it was still locked - luckily I had sent written proof that i want my insurance cancelled and this was the only thing I had to cover my back. I called this morning and spoke to a man who was also very useless and he did nothing to help me and he kept saying to me the insurance cannot be cancelled and he has spoken to his manager. Later i conferred with a family lawyer and they advised me that what they have done is unlawful and should be reported to the ombudsmen. I then called them and threatened them with legal action and notified them that I have also contacted ombudsmen. After this they changed their tune and agreed to cancel my insurance on my behalf rather than them doing it and tarnishing my good record. This has caused me an unbelievable amount of stress and anxiety. PLEASE RUN AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY - The few pounds and pennies you save going for this insurance will only last a month before they start slapping random charges on your account. I insured my run around car with them and for a 2005 mini i essentially paid approx. £200 a month with all the charges they gave me and i only had this insurance for 2 month. I own a BMW X4m and the insurance is no where as expensive. I must say I have learnt my lesson and I will definitely do research before looking for insurance. STAY AWAY LIKE THE PLAGUE. Reviewed on: 9th June 2022

Lowest price when I looked

5
They were the lowest price when I needed to renew and they came with RAC cover which was nice, will recommend until they are no longer my cheapest option. Reviewed on: 24th August 2023

Very good

5
I am a new customer who found it very easy to set up my new account with first central. Reviewed on: 24th August 2023

Affordable protection

5
The cost of living crisis has affected us all. 1st direct's innovative online approaches has helped keep the costs down. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2023

System is faulty

1
I record my trips daily and system says i dont. Even though in my app they all appear. Dont reccommend it to anyone. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2023

Website is tricky

3
I found the price quite good, but I find the website is very tricky to use. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2023

Great broker, decent price.

5
They are a great company to deal with. Easy options of phone or online chat. A modern insurance company for this day and age. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2023

Affordable and quick

5
Cheap easy to complete all online great value for the cover and saved me hundreds of pounds year on year to insure my car Reviewed on: 23rd August 2023

good price

5
good price , all easy to use, another year Reviewed on: 22nd August 2023

Great value and hassle free

5
They offer great value for money and it was so easy to set up. It is also super easy to make adjustments online should you need to Reviewed on: 22nd August 2023

Good. Not needed to use them but big hike in renewal premium

3
Not needed to use this insurance company. I was with them for 1 year. The renewal premium was double what I was paying. I know recent inflation and expenses hike etc but it was still very expensive. I contacted them and they were unable to match price other providers. Renewal cancelled. Reviewed on: 22nd August 2023

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