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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

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1.50
Based on 951 reviews, last reviewed 13th Feb 2026
100% decrease in 5 star reviews
in the past 90 days
23% increase in 1 star reviews
in the past 90 days
See only 5 star reviews
11%
See only 4 star reviews
5%
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2%
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2%
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80%

Latest highest rating:

5

Good and not too expensive Was looking for good value car insurance and found this one. Not too expensive and so far can’t say anything bad. Very easy to sign up. Reviewed on: 5th September 2025
Matus's avatar
Matus

Latest lowest rating:

1

FRAUDSTERS!!!!!!! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY!!!! In 35 years of using car insurance companies, I have NEVER been robbed/conned like this before! This company comes up as cheap but I can now see why, ... Read more Reviewed on: 13th February 2026
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Mem
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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 (951)

7 weeks for claim

1
7 weeks for claim. Every single agent was giving me different information. „Senior agent will call you tomorrow” - five times didn’t call. I received calculations by phone, gave bank details and 1h later email to send pictures like 2 weeks earlier. After a few weeks I find out engineers can’t open my pictures. It wasn’t even attachment, was as part of email. „Replay in 1 day for comments for your claim” - never did. According to 1stCentral if you have accident abroad you must back to UK. Courtesy car? Only in paper. I may get one if I back to country first. In axa I had money in my account in 5 days from accident. Here bank transfer took longer. Ok, my accident was abroad, let’s say my fault, but second driver finished with claim in 2 weeks. With courtuasy car and expert at home. Plus they offer cover abroad for 90 days. Mess as hell. Accident on 14th Nov, week later information by phone - it will be written off, I was calling and texting them everyday to get money on 29th Dec Reviewed on: 31st December 2023
Karolina Gorny's avatar
Karolina Gorny

Awful company

1
They charge you extra money at every possible opportunity and they have the worst customer service! Reviewed on: 29th December 2023
pombear 's avatar
pombear

Massive rip off

1
Fine until you try and cancel a policy due to a mistake made , ridiculous cancellation fees , and very confrontational call handler , Reviewed on: 28th December 2023
Mat Chambers's avatar
Mat Chambers

Professionally negligent ...

1
Worst consumer experience of my life. They may be cheap (in relative terms!), but you better hope you don’t have to make a claim … In my case I was hit by a 3rd party, who admitted liability in what was an obvious open and shut case. My excess was even waived on the strength of evidence provided, car repaired and I was told all was sorted … fast forward 6 months to my renewal and, on pursuing quotes for this, it comes out there is still an active claim showing on the insurance database. Turns out the 3rd party insurer were chancing their arm and debating liability, which 1st Central had known for months and yet not once communicated to me. Having then done all the legwork myself to uncover the facts, I discover that in addition to not informing me, they had also done next to nothing to even attempt to resolve the claim, close it off or pursue legal proceedings against the other insurer (who provided zero justification or evidence in support). 1st Central were “waiting for a response to an email” sent months earlier. That’s the level of professionalism and expertise displayed. And a snapshot of how they act on behalf of their paying customers … and I've still had nothing but tumbleweeds since ... Over the month+ since uncovering this issue, it has caused significant financial implications (other renewal quotes substantially higher due to the outstanding claim showing, pricey temporary cover sourced to give time to get this injustice rectified etc), much stress and annoyance, and consumed an unreasonable amount of my own time due to the pathetic response (or, more to the point, lack of) from 1st Central since raising with them … Even getting an acknowledgment from anyone, in any department (Complaints, Claims, Liabilities - none of whom are capable of communicating with each other either I should add), is a tough feat - I’m starting to think they are allergic to emails … You might get the honour of human contact with 1st Central if you can afford to spend your working days phoning them, waiting on hold, then typically being passed around a collection of largely unhelpful, unsympathetic (and sometimes rude), staff who can’t seem to action anything at all and have, on every occasion, failed to follow through with the promised next steps … Sadly, I could go on for longer and longer yet, detailing the worst consumer experience of my life. But I’ll just finish this by saying that I’m now taking advice about a professional negligence claim against 1st Central. They are utterly incompetent. Negligent. And they don’t care. Reviewed on: 21st December 2023
Jack Birch's avatar
Jack Birch

rubbish company & Rude customer service

1
They asked me many documents which should be provided within 30 min or my premium will increase!! Reviewed on: 21st December 2023
Yahya Odeh's avatar
Yahya Odeh

Rip of insurance

1
This is proper rip off insurance. First, they will give you good price and then after rape you off after one month normal. Cancellation fees for two months 24500 Reviewed on: 20th December 2023
Rade Milosavljevic's avatar
Rade Milosavljevic

Jokers

1
Absolute rubbish. Asked for no claims that I sent 3 times then decided I had accidents on record, except I don’t … not anywhere with anyone else. When I queried it they wanted all my documents from every insurance ever as proof that they were in the wrong. Total waste of time and effort dealing with them, jokers just want to stick your insurance payments up. Reviewed on: 18th December 2023
tan rama's avatar
tan rama

Do not use them

1
Sadly, 1st central failed to do the job they were committed to do. I paid enough money through the year and they simple closed my claim, no communication, nothing. My car was hit, I had 2 witnesses, they both seen the person, the car that damaged mine. 1st cental failed to support my claim stating there's nothing they could do. Then without notice closed my case. Said they tried contacting me, which was simple untrue. Please do not use them, pay little more money and get somone better. Reviewed on: 16th December 2023
k g's avatar
k g

Car Accident

1
Had an Accident in March, one of there insured drove into the back of me when I was stationary, they admitted liability now saying accident never occurred, bunch of jokers Reviewed on: 14th December 2023
John Jones's avatar
John Jones

Avoid

1
Avoid! They do unnecessary checks. Creating work and expense for you. Things that other insurers have never asked for. Reviewed on: 8th December 2023
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Kay

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