Write a review

1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.69 (852 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.50

Based on 852 reviews, last reviewed 22nd Dec 2024

75% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

11% increase 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

I had a policy with 1st Central three years ago, an... I had a policy with 1st Central three years ago, and my experience was terrible, as I outlined in a review back then. Unfortunately, I feel compelled ... Read more Reviewed on: 22nd 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 (852)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

Good company

Handled all of my claims with easy, and it was afforrdablke Reviewed on: 26th August 2016

Go somewhere else to get your car insurance

THIS REVIEW IS MADE ON BEHALF OF MY SON Terrible customer service, right hand doesnt know what the left hand is doing cancelled policy on 21st June 2024 after being asked to pay an additional £241.95 because they didnt receive proof of my no claims bonus, then they realised they had and issued me with a -£241.95 refund. Phone call with their representative was hard work, eventually they agreed they were wrong and I decided then and there to cancel the policy over the phone because of their shoddy customer service, I have now received another email asking for £278 for a default of a direct debit they tried claiming on 9th July 2024 - they did reduce it to £178 because they thought their previous phone call to me back in June hadnt been dealt with properly and so gave me a goodwill gesture of £100. How nice of them - I dont owe the money I didnt ever owe the money so the £100 is not relevent - steer clear everyone this company is just out to squeeze extras out of their customers and former customers - they are scammers Reviewed on: 24th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Sarah, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your son's experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We can see that a complaint was raised and £100 given as a goodwill gesture. We've passed this further review on to our Customer Relations team to add to your file and for investigation. They'll be in touch when they have any updates. Thank you again for your feedback. Clare Response date: 25th September 2024

WASTE OF MONEY

From my experience at this insurance company,they have been rejecting my calls,not bothering to even answer when I called,and they took double the amount of money they were supposed to take from my bank account.I do not recommend this insurance company at all! I would consider this being extremely rude as they have no respect to their customers at all and seem completely unprofessional and not bothered about their customers. Reviewed on: 23rd September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Piotr, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Let’s see if we can help put this right for you. Just give our team a call on 0333 043 2088 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley Response date: 24th September 2024

Absolutely nasty and non-transparent company

Used them twice. The first time, 2022, a van drove into me and my car was written off. They handed my claim to a separate firm and 2.5 years on I am still waiting for settlement. This year, chose them as they appeared to be the cheapest. Don't be fooled. My car had to be scrapped after 6 weeks insured with 1st central and THEN all the hidden costs come out. Additionally, they required me to prove the vehicle had been transferred then forward dated the cancellation date to the issue date of the DVLA scrappage note. refuse to do anything about it. And admit I could not have been aware of the extra charges BEFORE I took out the policy, but refuse to do anything about it. Horrible horrible company. Stick with the transparent reputable companies. Reviewed on: 23rd September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Judy, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. For cancelling a policy, if this ever needs to be back dated a car insurance company would need this date to be confirmed in writing. We advise of our cancellation fees when a policy is being set up online or over the phone. These are agreed by the customer, so they are aware upfront. We have this FAQ also - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/motor/cancellations/if-my-car-insurance-is-cancelled-why-do-i-still-owe-money-to-1st-central. Ashley Response date: 24th September 2024

Easy to see what was included & it was great value.

Easy to see what cover was provided and it covered all my requirements, plus it was great value. Reviewed on: 18th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Robin, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 20th September 2024

Do not use this firm

Hidden with charges. Impossible to cancel the contract even within the 14 days. Awful customer service, non uk based calls centres. Save you selfs a lot of agg and go elsewhere… they start cheap to reel you into a year of hell Reviewed on: 18th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Ashley, 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. We have call centres based in a few locations, including the UK and South Africa. Ashley Response date: 18th September 2024

Worst experience.

Worst experience. This company is a shambles, incompetent and rude staff also. We requested our policy to be one multicar policy rather than two separate policies, they told us they would complete this, but never did… so of course, charged us double the cancellation fee with added extras that were never outlined when we took out the policy. Clearly will try and claim all sorts for extra money. Reviewed on: 17th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Olivia, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. We offer a multicar discount to a policy, this means you would get a £50 discount on your new policy. You'd then get a £50 discount on your policy when it renewed. If any changes needed to be made, or if the policies needed to be cancelled, they would be subject to their own premium charges and fees. This is advised on our website also - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/general/discounts/do-you-offer-a-multicar-discount. Ashley Response date: 17th September 2024

Disgusting company they couldn't even set up my dire...

Disgusting company they couldn't even set up my direct debit properly then because they hadn't done it tried to charge me late payment fees on top this happened for 3 months on the trot every time I phoned and told them to complete the direct debit every month they said they would every month they didn't even my bank said they hadn't done what they needed to do their side . In the end I canceled the policy as I was sick of late payment fees. They were very rude I paid a cancelation fee just to get away from these cowboys absolute con men . Really need investigating there's also a whole facebook page made about this awful company and it's dodgy dealing I'd check it out I wish I had seen it before I took out the policy . They also make up a date that you passed your driving test and when you say no I passed it on such a date they accuse you of false information even though nobody ever asked me the date of passing they then charge to amend something that wasn't your fault . They also try to say of the date of ownership doesn't match up with day of purchase of the vehicle on your log book they will charge you to amend that they make out you told them things you didn't and then charge you to amend each thing . Reviewed on: 16th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Mrs Buckley, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. If there’s anything you’d like us to look into for you, please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]. Please include your policy number and details of what’s gone wrong, and we’ll see if we can put things right. Ashley Response date: 17th September 2024

Competitive market prices

Competitive market prices, I’ve not had to make a claim so can’t speak on that front Reviewed on: 15th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi EC, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 16th September 2024

Good experience 1st central

Easy to set up, covers what I need, do sort claims out quickly and professionally. They answer the phone and everything online is easy. Reviewed on: 14th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Rachel, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 16th September 2024

They were a good provider.

They were a good provider. I had roadside assistance once and very helpful in sorting it Reviewed on: 10th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Vijay, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 11th September 2024

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