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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (867 reviews)

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1.49

Based on 867 reviews, last reviewed 25th Feb 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

14% 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:

2

Brilliant price. But very poor Customer Service Brilliant price on comparison site. Went with them and put partner on policy. Kept getting emails and messages, tried hardest to upload driving licenc... Read more Reviewed on: 25th February 2025

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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 (867)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

Avoid 1st Central Car Insurance at all costs.

Avoid 1st Central Car Insurance. They come up as the cheapest on many insurance comparison websites but they make their money through high administration fees any time you or they make changes to your policy. They requested added information 30 days after I applied and with only 1 day to go in my 14 day period, so when I had a disagreement over the documents I couldn't get out within the 14 day grace period. When they find fault in your documents, they don't explain what the problem is online and you can't make any changes to your policy until you've paid the admin fee. The call centre operator had an extremely noisy background (yelling and laughing) so I couldn't hear what was being said. They also failed to action something I requested over the phone. Two separate operators gave me incorrect information as to why my policy was being changed and why I had to pay the admin fee, wasting a day of my time and one less day to get this all sorted. They made it as difficult as possible for me to give them the new information to have the admin fee removed - I couldn't just upload to my online account and I have to call them once I've sent the documentation otherwise my email goes to the back of the 5 day long queue and I'll miss the due date. Most people wouldn't bother and just accept the fee, but that is how they make their money. I'll be cancelling as soon as possible. Could not imagine trying to go through this process if I ever had to make a claim. Reviewed on: 12th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi J A K, 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. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 13th November 2024

Let down

Purchased insurance with a one off payment of 240 pound which includes Rac cover happy with policy then the harassment started .Wanted proof of no claims for me and my wife and proof of non fault accident I was constantly bombarded with texts and e mails from this company even though I asked them to wait for my previous insurance to send details I eventually downloaded all relevant details and was told not good enough all though it was stated non fault accident by this pointI am passed right off and cancelled the policy as I could not take another week of harassment, subsequently lost 160 pounds including my rac membership this company is a joke and I would recommend every one steers well clear of this bunch of incompetent individuals Reviewed on: 21st August 2023

Terrible experience

Navigating a non-fault claim has been... well, let's just say it's been a journey. It's not just the numbers they've offered me that have me scratching my head, but the whole process. Between hugely delayed responses, chasing evaluations, and the countless hours I've spent on hold or being bounced around departments, it's been nothing short of painstaking. I've had to take things into my own hands, including getting my car booked into a garage, getting my car towed to this garage, getting 1st central to get back to me on evaluations the garage sent to them weeks ago etc. the whole process has taken much longer than it should have. And the offers they're giving me for the write-off are laughable. If I want to buy-back my vehicle the prices they've given are a massive percentage of that valuation they've given me. I am paying heavily out of my own pocket for an accident I wasn't even present for. Do yourself a favour and AVOID. Reviewed on: 16th August 2023

AVOID

DO NOT under any circumstances use this insurance company. 1st connect, all I can say is what a joke. It was a little bit cheaper which is why I went with them. But I wish I paid abit more for a decent insurance company. They contacted me in February, may and July. And on all 3 occasions I replied within the minuet of getting the email. I attempt to contacted them via email, phone and live chat. I got 1 response on live chat and that was to call a number and they wernt available at that time. Moving forward, I get an email saying my insurance will be cancelled with 7 days notice. I instantly ring and ask why. The answer - we have tried to contact you, your telematics isn’t connected properly and you’ve not got in touch so it will be cancelled. After a lengthy phone call it was found that the problem was if 2 people were in the car both with the app and Bluetooth on it wasn’t connecting. They told me I shouldn’t have replied to all the emails as it was a do not reply email ( IT DID NOT STATE THIS ). So after sending all evidence of contacting them, they have still cancelled the insurance. So I would absolutely NOT recommended this insurance. Reviewed on: 15th August 2023

Good one

Good price and good car insurance Reviewed on: 12th August 2023

Easy and affordable

Good communication and an easy to navigate website along with low prices for fully comprehensive car insurance. Whats not to like. Reviewed on: 9th August 2023

Poor service

My wife's car was parked outside our property and a neighbours vehicle rolled off he's drive and struck her car . 1st Central recovered the car and declared it a write-off . This was mid April, today we discovered that for the last 4 months they have continued to take installments out of our account. Cancelled today and told it would cost us £50 cancellation fee despite them writing it off 4 months earlier. Stay away from this company. Reviewed on: 8th August 2023

Good customer service

1st Central have a decent phoneline and provide prompt action to issues, including claims etc. The operators are friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Good overall service. Reviewed on: 8th August 2023

Worst insurance company I have ever dealt with

A month before my insurance was due took out a policy with these con merchants. In between the and my policy starting my wife lost her job so I needed to sell my car. Long story short I sold my car 2 weeks after the policy had started. I called to cancel my policy and they charged me £165 to cancel. Bearing in mind for the year my policy was £650 and i paid the first month in full so in total for 2 weeks cover they charged me £230. And this knowing my circumstances. Absolutely horrible company please I implore anyone reading this read all the reviews and go somewhere else. Don't be done in like the rest of us Reviewed on: 8th August 2023

WORST COMPANY EVER!

Terrible customer service. Cancelled my policy without informing me via phone or email as to why. As their phone lines are only open from 9am to 5pm calling them was difficult. I eventually got through a week later and after being on hold for over 45 minutes they hung up on me. They even admitted to receiving my email from a week ago and done nothing with it. Now, a week on, I have had to cancel my policy with them as they have cancelled my policy through no fault of my own. Now I have to pay a £75 cancelation fee and another months premium for their shoddy insurance. It was reassuring when the lady told me it wasn't my fault but proceeded to tell me there was nothing she could do about it and the fees needed to be paid today. I have never experienced such a lack of communication and terrible customer service in my life. I would not recommend this company to anybody and as they say, you get what you pay for. Use a proper brand name insurer and not some online cowboy outfit who will just rip you off for no real reason or fault of your own. I shall be raising this with the ombudsman along with the small claims court. I WANT THIS COMPANY TO BE NO MORE!!!! Reviewed on: 7th August 2023

Not even good enough for 1 star

This has to be my worst experience with an insurance company. 2019, my CAT was stolen. I called my insurer to inform them as the terms and conditions stipulated. I never claimed it was just a notification. I paid for the replacement of my CAT and moved on. 2022, I took on a policy with 1st Central and paid for the entire year. As usual, they requested my NCD; I sent it. There was no acknowledgement and no further request until June 2023, just over one month before my policy was due to end. I was told there is an outstanding document. This time, they explained that they require evidence of claims history, not NCD. Apparently, there was a claim registered in my name in 2019. I am unsure how this adds up because I sent an NCD from my previous insurer, which confirms there was no claim. I had to get a letter from the insurer from 2019 substantiating no claim was made and that it was a notification only. Despite this, 1st Central wanted more money for a policy due to elapse in just over 1 month. I was told to pay over £200 more or stand the chance of having my policy cancelled. In the end, it was financially more sensible to terminate my policy a few weeks before it was due to end. I requested a refund, and according to their calculation, I was due £8. This is for the same period they wanted over £200 for. They didn't stop there. They sent me an NCD but only gave me the same 5years NCD I had when I took on the policy with them. After waiting for another week, I called and spoke to a gentleman who explained that this was an error and that he would get the correct department to update and resend. I contacted 1st Central again and spoke with a lady who explained that 1st Central would not be issuing me with an NCD because I did not complete the year with them; again, another twist with no warning and no communication prior. Before 1st Central, I was insured. I was not punished for notifying my previous insurer that I was a victim of theft, and I was issued the correct NCD. Why is 1st Central different? I would walk everywhere if this insurance company were the only one in the country. I am now, for the first time in my life, going to be complaining to the Financial Ombudsman. This is not fair! Reviewed on: 3rd August 2023

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