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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.67 (870 reviews)

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1.49

Based on 870 reviews, last reviewed 11th Mar 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:

1

Con company for I went ahead with my renewal policy and I got an email asking for my car logbooks . so I called them up to ask why . and they said that I needed t... Read more Reviewed on: 11th March 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 (870)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

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

Such a awful customer service with foreign agents wh...

Such a awful customer service with foreign agents who had no compassion and understanding of company structure. It's a shamble of management. Their website is full of bugs and the process is ancient. Reviewed on: 20th October 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Saeed, 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’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 21st October 2024

Shocking service

Tried to cancel policy because doubled my policy price just outside 40 days from renewal date received quote of £81 to cancel rang back to do so increased to £135! Helpline said because of 3 days interest asked to speak to supervisor on hold for over 30 mins appalling customer service do not touch!!! Reviewed on: 18th October 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Penelope, 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'd like to look into this further for you to help resolve this, please send an email to [email protected] with your policy number a summary of your experience similar to your review and we will look into it. Ashley Response date: 21st October 2024

They drew money from my account

I did not renew the policy this year, but they withdrew money from my bank account. I have been trying to talk to them for the last two months without any success. I am currently holding my phone for the last 57 minutes trying to talk the right person about this. Reviewed on: 17th October 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear 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 2066 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. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 18th October 2024

Frustrating

I've been with this company for the past few years. I've just bought a new car and was trying to sort a new policy as mine for my old car was about to run out. It was so frustrating trying to get through on the phone. I can't imagine that many people are phoning. After getting through I was passed in 3 times and the options are not clear and two people couldn't help me. Finally got to speak to one person, they was called Aphiwe. She just could not understand me. I was born and have lived in England all my life. How can a company based in England have staff who cannot understand me. After getting an awful quote I decided to look on a comparison website. Somehow found a better deal on there? Today I spoke to someone called Jonathan on the online chat. He was so miserable and blunt on there. I asked how to do something and all I got was a 2 word answer. Unfortunately i cannot be bothered to deal with the faff if finding another insurance company. I don't think I will be renewing next year. I dread to think how difficult it could be to claim if there was an accident. Reviewed on: 7th October 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Kelly, 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’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 8th October 2024

Disaster Waiting to happen

I was quoted £790 for car insurance after filling ALL the required details ( an accident of my own making) two years ago, and accepted by thus Company, Two weeks after receiving my documents I am asked to supply my record of 21 years NCB which I emailed to them and asked for verification that they had received it.Next thing I get in return is a demand of £290 because they had received the 21 years NCB a day later,which to me sounded absolutely ludicrous. So after receiving the email I ring the number and get connected to Cape Town, South Africa!! Needless to say after talking to their representative I decided to cancel this policy,and it was on the fifteenth day of commencement,quoting the fourteen days cooking off period. I was informed that I will receive £630 approx shortly. I am not going to hold me breath,BUT if this is the way this company operates I think I made a wise decision to walk away. I dread to think what they would be like if I had to make a claim. Reviewed on: 1st October 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi John, 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 us to look into this further for you, please give us a call on 0333 043 2095. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 5pm. Ashley Response date: 2nd October 2024

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

Reply from 1st Central Hi Phillip, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 27th September 2024

The Staff are very Friendly and Courteous when I han...

The Staff are very Friendly and Courteous when I hang, also everything on the website is straight forward to follow, I have recommended 1st Central to them and they all say the same, I am also trying the home insurance next month,I am livery impressed Five Stars Reviewed on: 24th September 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi John, Thank you for your great feedback. We always look to offer the best service to our customers Response date: 25th September 2024

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

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