Write a review

1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.67 (881 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.48

Based on 881 reviews, last reviewed 5th Apr 2025

No new 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

39% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

11%

80%

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

Took £881 when by their own admission the insurance... Took £881 when by their own admission the insurance was cancelled. Then tell you it will take 10 days for the refund . Absolute disgrace . AVOID THIS ... Read more Reviewed on: 5th April 2025

Read all reviews Write a review

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.

Review 1st Central: Car insurance now

Help others make smarter decisions by sharing your own experience.

Write a review

1st Central Car insurance reviews (881)

STAY AWAY THEY CAN NOT BE TRUSTED!!!

I recently had an incredibly frustrating experience with 1st Central Car Insurance that I feel compelled to share. From start to finish, the service was appalling, with a series of lies, unprofessional behaviour, and unnecessary charges. First and foremost, I was left speechless when they ended the phone call on me not once, but twice. Despite being promised a call back, no one ever reached out to follow up. It’s clear they have no regard for their customers’ time or concerns. The lies told by the representatives were downright infuriating. Every time I spoke with someone, the information I received seemed to contradict what was said previously. I was given conflicting details about policy changes and cancellation fees, which left me completely confused and frustrated. Speaking of the cancellation fees, I was charged an outrageous £50 to cancel the policy. However, when I checked their website, it clearly stated the cancellation fee should be £35. This inconsistency only added to my frustration, especially since I was given no explanation for the higher charge. The situation became even more ridiculous when my son switched jobs from an Admin Assistant to a Sales Executive. For this small change, 1st Central increased his policy by a shocking £848. It’s hard to understand how a job title change could result in such a massive price hike, especially when no substantial risk factor was added. The lack of professionalism continued when I spoke with a manager who was not helpful in resolving the issue. Not only did they insist on seeing my son’s contract as proof of his job, but they also requested a payslip. Who asks for a payslip to make a policy adjustment? It’s not something any reasonable insurer would demand. This level of scrutiny was completely unnecessary. To top it all off, 1st Central made numerous mistakes on their end throughout this process. From incorrect information to errors in how they handled the policy details, it became clear that this company is disorganised and untrustworthy. I would never recommend 1st Central to anyone looking for reliable and professional car insurance. Their customer service is abysmal, their pricing is unreasonable, and they don’t care about resolving issues or treating customers fairly. Avoid them at all costs. Reviewed on: 17th December 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Malik, 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: 27th December 2024

Took out policy.

Took out policy. An error was made on our behalf but customer services accused me of committing fraud. Then told me I would not owe them any money once policy was cancelled and then sent an invoice. Unable to speak to anyone on the phone and emails are bounced back. AVOID this company at all costs. Reviewed on: 3rd December 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Alison, 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 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm. Ashley Response date: 4th December 2024

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

I have cancelled my policy, had them confirm it seve...

I have cancelled my policy, had them confirm it several times it's been cancelled, and I have now just been sent a default notice. The online chat has been no help and said they can't communicate with the accounts team about it, I am now being threatened and have no idea how to rectify this, they deny all knowledge of these email threats. Reviewed on: 28th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Ellen, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Please speak to our team 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. They can look in to this for you. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 29th November 2024

Ok where do I start !

Ok where do I start !!!!!! If you want to get car insurance then look else where !!!!!!!!! I have spent more time on the phone trying to get help with my policy than I ever have with all my other policy’s in the last 31 years !!!!!!!!!!!!! People say they will call you back and even email you……….they don’t !!!!!!!!!! Their call centre is in South Africa and I couldn’t really understand the call workers……and this just build up the blood pressure!!!!!!! I am sure they try and keep you from getting all ur paperwork sorted in the first 14 days so they can then hit you with a £50 admin fee like they did to me :( and I have sent sooooooo many emails and wasted soooooo much time trying to do this in the first 14 days that yes I do feel hard done by !!!!!! I really feel hard done by as it’s their poor admin why I am now having to pay an admin fee !!!!!!! I have opened up a complaint : Your case reference: 34639373 Our reference:FPM6022725531FC And if I do ever hear back from them and they do me right I will come back to this review and do an update………..but I am more than sure they won’t !!!!!!! Please learn from my mistake and don’t just go for the cheaper option as it really is not worth the hassle………some times in life you realise that you are dealing with amateurs…………….. :( Please be warned !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Reviewed on: 15th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Kevin, 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. I can see this has been raised to our complaints team. I've passed your review on to them. Once they have investigated your complaint, they'll be in contact with you. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 18th November 2024

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

This has to be the worst company I have ever dealt w...

This has to be the worst company I have ever dealt with, they accepted my insurance then decided they wanted more information after insuring me, and when I said you should have asked before accepting they raised the price and charged admin on top, absolute charlatans. Reviewed on: 11th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Alan, 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: 12th November 2024

AVOID AT ALL COST

Worst customer service on the planet, i had made an error on my application my finger must have hit a 1 instead of a 2 as in 2021/2022 so they decided to add £175 onto my policy lucky i was still within the 14 day cancellation period ,tried discussing with 3 differrent agent all were so rude and unhelpful Reviewed on: 11th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Mark, 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: 12th November 2024

They offer low quotes but end up charging you more.

They offer low quotes but ask you to call for additional things they could cover for them to only tell you that your policy will go up even if you don't want any additional cover. They charge £50 admin fees for the privilege of adding more to your policy. If you then want to cancel they'll take even more than the policy is worth leaving you with nothing. Avoid at all costs. Reviewed on: 11th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi R Adam, 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: 12th November 2024

AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS APPALLING COMPANY IF...

AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS APPALLING COMPANY IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT THEY DO NOT LISTEN TO YOU OR FIGHT YOUR CLAIM A 3RD PARTY HIT MY SON HE TURNED OUT OF HIS LANE INTO MY SON ON A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY AND APPARENTLY ITS 50 /50 CASE LAW SAYS BOTH ARE AT FAULT SO MY SONS FAULT TOO EVEN THOUGH HE STAYED IN HIS OWN LANE AND DIDNT MOVE HE HAD NEARLY PASSED THE DRIVER WHEN HE DECIDED TO CHANGE LANES AND HIT HIM YET THE INSURANCE COMPANY DO NOT FIGHT THE LIABILITY JUST TAKE THE NO CLAIMS WITHOUT PAYING ANYONE OUT AND WITHOUT NOTIFICATION ABSOLUTELY AWFUL AVOID AVOID AVOID BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP DOES NOT MEAN GOOD AVOID AVOID AVOID Reviewed on: 10th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Joanne, 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: 11th November 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

Alternative products

Motorhome Insurance
from Safeguard UK Insurance 5.00 from 3 reviews
Car Insurance
from Ladies F1rst 1.67 from 4 reviews
Car Insurance
from Policy Expert 4.82 from 5021 reviews

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