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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (866 reviews)

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1.49

Based on 866 reviews, last reviewed 16th Feb 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

18% 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

I changed the address to another one 200 yards away... I changed the address to another one 200 yards away from the first one. They wrote that they would pay me 17 pence extra. But my renewal went up from ... Read more Reviewed on: 16th February 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 (866)

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

Paid 3 times, got two refunds then claim I haven't paid!

AVOID THIS COMPANY LIKE THE PLAGUE. I ended up having 3 charges taken from my card because their website ffed up, managed to get one charge back, the second charge I had to get through my credit card because they refused to refund me, and now they are claiming I havent paid at all! Absolutely useless, I've wasted hours of my life on the phone. DISGUSTING COMPANY. Reviewed on: 3rd August 2022

WORST COMPANY IV EVER USED

I had another driver hit me while i was parked the spot that the accident was covered by cctv i told the insurance to get the cctv footage so they could use it against the other driver.. They didnt do anything i asked, they didnt offer to get my car picked up. They got another company involved with getting my car repaired, my car was collected many weeks later taken to a garage. Long story short my car was then taken from the garage an nobody knew where my car was for nearly 3 months, they had taken it to a scrap yard ready to sell without my permission as i asked for my car back to repair my self. They closed the case because there wasn't enough evidence even though the cameras would of shown everything they needed to know but they couldn't be asked to contact to cctv company.. Now they wont answer any calls. DO NOT EVER USE THIS COMPANY THEY ARE USELESS BUT HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR MONEY Reviewed on: 3rd August 2022

APPALLING SERVICE - STAY WELL CLEAR!!

APPALLING SERVICE - STAY WELL CLEAR!! My claim has been ongoing for nearly 4 months now & I’ve heard every excuse you could think of. “It’s been assigned to the wrong team”, “it’s with validations”, “it’s with a 3rd party company”, “it’s with the theft team”, “your claim handler isn’t available”, “we’re waiting for the manager to come back in”, “we need the keys to your vehicle” (the vehicle they collected with keys on the 26th April!) …The list goes on! I’m promised call backs that I never receive, I’ve already submitted a formal complaint which I was given some compensation for & told my case would be completed within 2 weeks & the service would improve. Yet 3 weeks later, I’m still waiting with no further updates despite me chasing!! Disgrace of a company, to leave a mother of 3 carless for 15 weeks with no help or support is simply disgusting! Reviewed on: 2nd August 2022

Be careful for renewal time

Bought insurance last year until july 5 and I sold my car so no renewed. They took money from my credit card without asking. Spoke to them After returned very less, they saying automatic renewed Reviewed on: 1st August 2022

Worse Company ever

I have been charged twice for the same policy and still waiting for refund after 1.5 months Reviewed on: 1st August 2022

Disgusting company

They will try anything not to pay out if you have an accident, do not touch this company with a barge pole. You have been warned . Reviewed on: 31st July 2022

Would give 0 if possible

A week ahead of my renewal, I attempted to cancel online multiple times prior to my renewal - according to their system, I don't exist. Couldn't change my password because my name or date of birth was incorrect (lol). Tried again to speak to someone on chat and I "failed the security check" which consisted of my name, DOB and email address - they wouldn't cancel it but told me to call. I called and waited for 20 minutes but no answer; who's got time? Came back from holiday and it had auto-renewed overnight - called to cancel, stop any payment from going out and they refused my DVLA proof of vehicle sale email (saying I could just edit it) and charged me £50 just to cancel it. Customer Service score: -5 Avoid like the clap Reviewed on: 31st July 2022

Avoid at all costs

Dreadful customer service Ridiculous costs when making changes to policy. I pray I don't have to claim with them. They don't deserve 1 star. Reviewed on: 31st July 2022

Terrible

Had a bad experience with these guys, cheap but not worth the hassle. They ask you to send more details and if not they ask you for basically double the amount you first paid. Absolute rip off, avoid. Reviewed on: 29th July 2022

Fraudulent company, do not use

After having taken car insurance out with them for 1 year for £591, which I paid in full, at the end of the year they sent a renewal email saying that my last years premium was £1103.97 and that the new price would be £1117.66, o called the day before renewal to day that i would not be renewing , but they already had taken the funds from my account. Could offer no explanation and charged me a £75 cancellation fee. , still waiting for the money to be refunded , absolute crooks , how can they get a 5 star trust pilot review ?? Reviewed on: 28th July 2022

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