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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.51 (957 reviews)

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1.51

Based on 957 reviews, last reviewed 17th Apr 2026

100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

59% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

11%

80%

Latest highest rating:

5

Just started my third year of car insurance cover wi... Just started my third year of car insurance cover with 1st Central. Good value for money, helpful customer service, clearly laid out website and easy ... Read more Reviewed on: 17th April 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Do not use this provider for your car insurance I’ve had a very poor experience with this insurer. They failed to respond to three or four of my emails, and despite requesting a call from management... Read more Reviewed on: 10th April 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.

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1st Central Car insurance reviews (957)

Just awful

We are a garage so used to dealing with insurance companies. Never have I known anything like this! We are owed money and it seems like they just don't want to pay us! Chasing them up is a nightmare, time spent on hold when I could be working. Even the customer has had nothing but hassle with them. Avoid at all costs! Reviewed on: 12th August 2022

Terrible service and support with an accident

I have used 1st central for the past couple of years as they were cheap, but you do get what you pay for. Had an accident in June where a car crashed into the side of me. All damage to both my car and theirs clearly indicates the third party hit me, I took photos and shared with 1st central. First employee I spoke to said there was a very good chance the third party would be placed at fault (and rightly so) as images of damage clearly indicated this. They also said they would fight this case for me if needed as I had legal cover also. Weeks passed and received no update on my car getting fixed or progress with the claim. Had to chase them to find they’d assigned me to a repairs garage which didn’t serve my area and they were looking to correct this. Over a month passed before I was assigned to a repairs garage. I then received a call to say third party were now claiming injury (both people in the car at the time of the accident got out and clearly displayed that they had not been hurt at all. They also crashed into me so surely I’d be the one who was hurt if anybody). 1st central employee asked me to again recount the incident and proceeded to say that I would be placed at fault?! I challenged this and also stated I had provided a statement at the time, as well as sketches and third party had said sorry at the scene of the incident. The employee was rude and dismissive of what I was telling them, almost as if I wasn’t paying them for a service and to fight my case as promised previously by their colleague. Now over 2 months later I have been wrongly placed at fault and my car will not be repaired until October. Third party walks away with a pay out and no consequences for the fact they crashed into me. I’m also now with a new insurance provider and paying more to ensure I get a better service should I ever need it. Looking at other reviews here it’s clear that 1st central are happy to take money from their customers with false promises in return. Would NEVER use this company again and would definitely NEVER recommend them. Avoid at all costs. Reviewed on: 11th August 2022

Racist

Very distraught with my experience with them Reviewed on: 10th August 2022

RACIST COMPANY!!

I spoke to a manager named John who cancelled my insurance due to the fact that I simply didn’t reply to ONE email. They did not text me (which they have done before for providing them with documents) or make me aware that they will be cancelling my insurance only 3 weeks after, they texted me stating that my insurance got cancelled. I called them and spoke to the manager John and was very unhelpful with resolving this solution all because I have an ethnic last name. I am DISGUSTED with this company and to be honest, I would not reccomend ANYONE use this insurance provider as they only care about customers with Anglo-Saxon last names. I’m surprised they’re even still operating as I’ve been told by numerous people before that they’ve received racial abuse from them. Reviewed on: 10th August 2022

weeks waiting to be paid out

weeks… Been off the road now for 2.5 weeks with no car and I'm waiting for an offer on my car that's written off. I'm be waiting and waiting!! Everytime I call the customer service team for help they say there a two to three week backlog of claims to process on there offers. I ask can you give me a better idea as I need to buy a new car and they said no they can't give me an idea of how long I will be waiting. I think this is really poor service Reviewed on: 9th August 2022

Rubbish company

My daughter purchased her first car and chose 1st central for her insurance, they a rubbish company do not use . Reviewed on: 9th August 2022

Trap for customers

Three weeks have passed and they still haven't done anything and they're asking for longer . They told me to find another work shop and I found one within an hour and today they told me to wait another week for probation. They told me they would lend me a car similar size to the one I have for my holiday and they still haven't done this. This company traps clients into spending money with no effect and continuously lie saying that they will do something. Due to this, they will ruin mine and my family's holiday. Never buy insurance from this company because all they do is lie. This is a jock, don't buy policy with the company just lost time and money. Reviewed on: 8th August 2022

Trying to speak to someone............

Wanted me to send them invoices, but post only......in 2022 no direct line to accounts or email address. Reviewed on: 5th August 2022

Evil

They marked my credit file claiming I owe them £90, AFTER they told me they cancelled the debt and there would be no further action against me. I’ll remove this review IF they remove the illegal marker on my file and financially compensate me. Due to the marker they put on my file, I was turned down to move house which I needed for my family. EVIL. Reviewed on: 5th August 2022

Money grabbing scammers and very rude staff

COMPANY DOSENT EVEN DESERVE THE ONE STAR! So I purchased my policy paid it everytime on time. One payment I was a couple days late which I had called up on the day it was due to let them know it was going to be a few days late. They cancelled my policy I called up to make the payment was happy to make the late payment fee aswell was told everything went through and next payment would come out on the 4th of next month. So driving home and got stopped with the police no insurance showing on the vehicle apparently. Had to sit and go through my online portal to prove them i made payment even had to call up and they say yeah you've made payment but we cancelled the Insurance cause of the few days I was late. And wouldn't reinstate the money I paid. You think they would have told me or sent me an email to tell me my policy was getting cancelled cause I was a couple days late. Even the police officer I was with said it was very unprofessional. I would steer clear of this company absolute joke and money grabbing cunts laughing at there customers too and I come on to leave a review and every review is shocking exactly what I have went through with them Reviewed on: 5th August 2022

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