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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (857 reviews)

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1.52

Based on 857 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Jan 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

32% 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

Will increase policy Started my policy they then asked me for more information I provided said information they then hit me with an increase and an admin fee which resulte... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd January 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 (857)

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

AVOID!!

Don't waist your time with this company! There are many reasons to avoi them as you can see in all others customers reviews.. cannot do their job properly in any sens! Reviewed on: 6th March 2023

Awful

Absolute awful service. Like everyone else after paying in full for the year I was stung with additional charges or face paying cancellation fees. Was involved in an accident where there is CCTV which I myself had to chase up. Not the company. Communication is awful. They actually LOST my car and I had to threaten police involvement. Have been passed around numerous different garages for courtesy car - 6 days in and still no courtesy car. This company could offer me insurance for the next year for £1 and I still wouldn’t go with them ever again Reviewed on: 3rd March 2023

The worst of the worst

Dishonest and clueless. They had no idea where my car was. AVOID No wonder you can't leave a google review for all to easily see. Reviewed on: 3rd March 2023

Communication following claim

I have never had to claim on my jnsurance in all the 20 + years I have driven, so this was a completely new experience and a daunting one for me. As polite and friendly the staff always are I am frustrated and disappointed at this company's very poor communication to the customer. I was left without any follow up or explanation of how things would happen. I was left with no courtesy car for 6 days! And as a community Nurse this had impacts. No one from the insurance kept me updated, I had to chase every other day and the information was contradictory every time. One week - your car is a write off Second week - it's fixable Third week - ermmm well we think it's a write off Fourth week - we don't know yet as its still being assessed!!! By the fifth week with this insurance company and being past from pillow to post speaking to various nationalities and over coming language barriers I gave up. All I cared about from then was I kept the courtesy car and THEY paid for it. My advice? Don't! Just don't. Go with another insurance company not this one. 10 out 10 for their politeness but everything else is appalling. As soon as I have my car back ( if they ever tell me) I will be going elsewhere. Reviewed on: 17th February 2023

Written off car quote and uninsured driver promise

A stolen car crashed into my car while parked and writ it off. Not hapoy with the amount paid to replace my car. Very low amount. Still disputing this. I have lost my no claims from 12 years to 4 years. As explained the driver is uninsured as stole car but not that simple and therefore the uninsured guaranteed promise is not worth the paper it's written on Reviewed on: 17th February 2023

Unrespect customer service

I have had a serious complaint about the company, who can't proof my claims, and cut my no claims bonus, and the customer service was really unrespect. I'll carry on my way, and I'll push up this case. Reviewed on: 17th February 2023

Avoid!

After taking out a policy and paying in full they want more money! Or a policy refund minus £120! AVOID! Reviewed on: 14th February 2023

Telematics policy is terrible

Telematics policy linked via mobile phone app DOES NOT WORK properly. All named drivers need the app and it drains your battery by running in background which is crazy when Grandad as a named driver driver drives it once a year, is typically 300 miles away and might not even take his phone with him and that's if he remembers to charge it up. Treats of cancellation if you "use" your phone whilst driving. Does not consider the possibilities of your passenger using your phone. Cannot email the Telematics team, cannot write to them, cannot contact them on chat. You can ONLY call them on the phone lines. Reviewed on: 14th February 2023

Complete Con Artists

I took out Car insurance with these on 10 January 2023. Everything seemed fine at first, then they ask for confirmation of my NCD and also Claims History for my named driver. I provided both and uploaded them via the website. Then they kept emailing and texting me telling me to contact Policy Analyst. I called and after being put on hold twice for over fifteen minutes both times, I was told my policy would be increasing by £93. After questioning “Kurt” over this he said I had failed to disclose the accident at the time of taking the policy out. I know I disclosed this information, as why would they ask me for details regarding the accident if I hadn’t disclosed it. Anyhow I gave “Kurt” a god talking to and hung up. I then received the email stating the increase and noticed that the increase included £50 admin fee. Then the penny dropped and I thought you’re just after the £50. I then went to their website and everything to do with my original policy and also quote has been removed. I’m yet to start fighting this, but I will make sure every TV programme, social media site the financial services ombudsman heard about them. Reviewed on: 11th February 2023

hidden charges

I was asked to provide my v5c and it turns out I’d accidentally given them the wrong date of purchase. This resulted in a £21.50 charge which I don’t dispute (as it was human error on my part) but they also tacked on a £50 admin fee. They were most unhelpful on the phone and wouldn’t entertain the removal of this admin fee. They seem to do this to their customers routinely from flicking through their negative reviews. I wouldn’t recommend any company that uses such backhand tactics to increase their revenue. Reviewed on: 8th February 2023

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