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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.5 (951 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

11%

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

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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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.

1st Central Car insurance reviews (951)

Review of the 1st Central, Car insurance:

Awful service

Son took out insurance online. Got an email saying they needed extra docs by a certain date,which son sent. Only realised they had cancelled his policy when he saw he had extra money in his bank. No communication of ANY kind telling him what they had done. Lucky he was off for a few days. He could have been done for no insurance and he needs a clean license. Simple txt or email to let him know before they sent the refund and it could have been all sorted. Absolutely useless. Reviewed on: 3rd May 2022

Not helpful in the event of an accident

this company is good only if there is nothing happens. I had an accident on 11th June and they took my car to investigate the damage on 13th June. It is 27st June, and they are saying it will take FEW MORE DAYS to make any progress. They have written off my car just because of a damaged bumper. No courtesy car, no help, no updates. very disappointed, will never go back to this useless company. they never call to update about the progress. I am tired of calling them to know what is happening with my claim. policy ref: FPM6016208734FC Reviewed on: 27th June 2023

Cheap for a reason

So like most people, I used a price comparison site and 1st central were the cheapest for the cover I wanted. No issues at all for years when your paying and make no claims then this year I had a bump, took around a month for them to book my car into a garage, then weeks for them to give the go ahead on repairs and no courtesy car provided even though I'm covered. No updates I've had to constantly chase things up and they keep palming me off saying someone is dealing with it and will call back and I've not had 1 person call me back. The garage blame the insurance company and vice versa. I honestly wouldn't recommend this company to anybody it almost been a month without a car Reviewed on: 22nd June 2023

Rip off insurer

If I could give zero stars I would. Be careful even the smallest incorrrect detail will have them asking for a considerable amount of money. Owned car since 2017, go to insure it in 2023 as moneysupermarket had the date of ownership as 2016 they wanted to increase policy by 25%. Feels like they are ripping off customers. Paid the cancellation fee which was not much less than they wanted rather than be insured by this cowboy outfit Reviewed on: 22nd June 2023

Car insurance repairs

Got hit by a client with 1st central had nothing but hassle with them never answer emails no contact when requested information told will send nothing happens took over 4 and a half months to get the repair done Reviewed on: 21st June 2023

Avoid- feels like they are trying to scam customers

Bought insurance for car in May, got an email to send licence documents Docs were sent no issue Got a letter to say because the dates provided were wrong that there would be an increase of £137 At no point does 1st central ask you to input the dates and the customer advisor I spoke to Said it was because this was the dates I input into confused.com Very unhelpful and unsympathetic staff on phone which would make me believe they are getting the same type of calls over and over. AVOID 1ST CENTRAL AT ALL COST I cancelled my policy on the spot as was getting no where and took a finical hit rather than to pay the additional amount Reviewed on: 16th June 2023

Quick to take money don't follow up compromises when you claim

No follow up or feedback on progress of claim you have to do all the follow up Reviewed on: 16th June 2023

Can't even get the car model correct

Absolutely useless wrong car model on quote almost like it's purposely done for extra money as the only thing wrong was hp 60 more than my vehicle actually has but yet its correct anywhere else I have checked Reviewed on: 12th June 2023

The worst company

I had been messed about so many times with them. I Couldn't even access my account most of the time. They overcharge for everything, especially policy changes, which I have had to make because of their f**k ups, which even led to legal matters. I never write reviews but I have to WARN YOU NOT TO CHOOSE 1STCENTRAL.!! Reviewed on: 11th June 2023

Rip off

1st central charged me £350 for amending my employment status. I renew my policy after two years with them but as I was on maternity leave and didn't return to work I changed my mileage per year when I was renewing. Unfortunately I omitted to also change my work status from employed to unemployed. I got an email to call 1st central to verify some details. Woman on the phone was wondering why my mileage changed so much as it went down from 11000 to 4000 I told her I'm not traveling to London every day which is around 70miles a day and now I'm at home after the maternity leave and didn't go back to work. She said I forgot to amend it in my new policy and said she will change it. When she asked me how I want to pay the £350 cost for changing this detail that she made I actually had to ask her three times what she wants from me as I couldn't believe that cost! I cancelled insurance with 1st central on the spot over the phone. Avoid avoid! Reviewed on: 8th June 2023

AVOID

Policy number FPM6017224852FC AVOID THESE PEOPLE. They are trying to extort an extra £118 fro me. I received an email a month into the policy, explaining that the licence-obtained dates for my partner and me were wrong. The dates were exactly the same because they sync in with the Confused website drop-down box question "For how many years have you held your licence?" Both of us 20yrs plus, no exact date was asked for, and if it was I would have provided the exact dates. I also spoke to an agent who asked me to rethink my annual mileage, he talked me into changing it NOW I KNOW WHY. So I changed it from 7k to 9k. This was also listed as a reason for the extra £118. They sent me an email cancelling my policy in seven days, and demanded another £48 to cancel with the threat of a bailiff if I don't pay. AND THEN the same day I received another email demanding £118 within seven days and that I could keep the policy but only if I pay the £118. THE FIRST EMAIL WAS SENT TO SHOCK ME AND TO SOME BUILD PAIN. THE SECOND EMAIL WAS MEANT TO MAKE ME FEEL THAT THERE IS A WAY TO KEEP THE POLICY AND TO PAY THEM MORE MONEY. THESE GUYS ARE WICKEDLY CLEVER AND THEY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I won't be extorted and I'd rather pay more and use a fit and established company. I've never been treated like this by a car insurance company. I will post this everywhere if it means that I can save someone else from this kind of treatment. Trading standards next. Reviewed on: 3rd June 2023

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