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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.86 (975 reviews)

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1.86

Based on 975 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Aug 2026

300% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

83% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

12%

80%

Latest highest rating:

5

I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at ho... I have rac joint to my policy, had a breakdown at home and the rac arrived very quickly. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Absolutely terrible It is hard to describe my experience with this company than anything other than an absolute clown show. Since starting my policy on July 29th, I have... Read more Reviewed on: 17th August 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 (975)

Be careful for additional charges!

Be careful for additional charges! I have bought car insurance and paid up front for it, after a week I have been asked to send vehicle registration documents which I did and got charged £80 extra !!(checks + administration fees) obviously if you want to cancel your insurance you will have to pay more admin fees so you will get stuck paying the additional costs which you didn’t know anything about ! Avoid this company!! Reviewed on: 15th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Ann, 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: 16th September 2025

I have used this company before, and have never had...

I have used this company before, and have never had any problems. Reviewed on: 6th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 8th September 2025

Got me a good deal.

Got me a good deal. Had a non fault accident. The customer service lady was nice but she didn't explain the claim process very well. Reviewed on: 5th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Faye, Thank you for your review. If you need any further assistance, please speak to our team on 0333 043 2022 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 9am to 6pm. Ashley Response date: 8th September 2025

I have never had such an appalling experience with a...

I have never had such an appalling experience with a company in my life. 1st Call Central Car Insurance has shown me exactly how NOT to treat a customer. I took out a policy with them, only to later be told (after the fact) that I’d be charged almost £500 more. When I challenged this, the representative on the phone openly admitted that they understood I had not been given the full information needed to make an informed decision about taking out the policy in the first place. So essentially, I was misled into agreeing to something I never would have accepted had I known all the facts upfront. Despite this clear failure in duty of care, I was still told I’d be charged a £100 cancellation fee just to say, “No thanks.” After more discussion, the agent acknowledged the lack of information and agreed to refund the £50 cancellation fee as a “gesture of goodwill” – yet refused to refund the £50 arrangement fee, even though it was agreed that had I been properly informed, I would never have taken the policy at all. When I raised this obvious contradiction – that if you admit fault, the arrangement fee should also be refunded – I was told it was simply “her decision” and that my only recourse was to take it up with the ombudsman. I fully intend to do exactly that. Even more disturbing, the conversation I had earlier in the day seems to have mysteriously changed. The written record now being offered to me does not match what was actually said. Instead, I’ve received an empty “gesture of goodwill” in writing – a far cry from what was acknowledged on the call. I will be submitting a formal Subject Access Request (SAR) so that the recording of this conversation can be passed to the Financial Ombudsman. They deserve to hear the full picture, not the rewritten version the company is trying to pass off. It’s not just about the £50, it’s about principle. A company that admits wrongdoing but still fines the customer for their own failings is not a company that deserves to be in business. I’ve now wasted hours trying to resolve this and will be exploring my right to bill them for my time as well. Steer well clear of 1st Call Central. They are untrustworthy, dismissive, and operate with a shocking lack of transparency or fairness. If I could give them zero stars, I would. Reviewed on: 5th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Rebecca, 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. 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: 8th September 2025

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

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 8th September 2025

50% less than a previous other company.

50% less than a previous other company. Was to complete for similar level of cover. Reviewed on: 5th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 8th September 2025

Humans are still needed

More humans needed on telephone lines for older people Reviewed on: 5th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Nick, 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. Ashley Response date: 5th September 2025

Consider 12 months can see a number of changes

Face value they offer a good price of insurance for a year, however any changes or issues seem to always result in a price increase or fee. Customer service is none existent promised call backs not made, claims team ineffective I actually chased down the police report and regularly called the team to get updates as it seemed there was no urgency to pay monies back. My vehicle was a right off apparently it had had a previous write off so my offer was reduced ,the amount did seem low so I challenged them and the independent engineers, who initial on review stated this was the best offer but then realised a 20% reduction rae had been used and it should have been 10%. Teams are based from home Glasgow and Africa. The lack of attention to detail has cost me money and time that I will not get back. I am had to be away from this company. If you manage 12 months driving without any issues this is a cheap insurance. Reviewed on: 4th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Trevors, 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. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 5th September 2025

The renewal premium was heavily increased for no app...

The renewal premium was heavily increased for no apparent reason. All documents are online but the platform is not always accessible Reviewed on: 4th September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Chris, Thank you for your review. The price of car insurance is priced on a daily basis, which means this can change at renewal. We have this article that goes in to some of the areas that makes up the price - https://www.1stcentralinsurance.com/car-insurance/what-affects-your-price. We're sorry you've had issues logging in to, you should be able to access Your Account at any time (unless it's down for updates). Ashley Response date: 5th September 2025

NIGHTMARE!!

I’ve been driving for over 20 years with a spotless record and no claims, but my experience with 1st Central has been nothing short of a nightmare. I took out a policy with them and just 6 days later had to return the vehicle due to engine problems. I called 1st Central to ask about my options and was advised by their own staff that the best (and cheapest) course of action was to cancel the policy within the 14-day cooling-off period and simply take out a new one once I got a replacement car. So, I did exactly what they recommended. But when I went back to arrange a new policy, I was suddenly denied – not just by them, but it seems this cancellation flagged me across insurers, leading to ridiculously high quotes everywhere. I called and spent over 2 hours on the phone with them, hoping for some accountability or at least a solution. Instead, all I got was shrugged shoulders and a flat refusal: apparently, I am now barred from ever insuring with them again. This is despite following their own advice and cancelling within the legal cooling-off period (only 6 days after it started!)!! Absolutely shocking treatment. No help, no solutions, and no consideration for a loyal, claim-free driver with two decades of experience. If you value your peace of mind, avoid 1st Central at all costs – their policies may look cheap upfront, but you’ll pay dearly in stress and unfair treatment!!! Reviewed on: 2nd September 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Tina, 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. 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: 3rd September 2025

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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

300% increase in 5 star reviews

83% increase in 1 star reviews

Latest highest rating:

5

Latest lowest rating:

1

About this product

Review 1st Central: Car insurance now

1st Central Car insurance reviews (975)

Be careful for additional charges!

I have used this company before, and have never had...

Got me a good deal.

I have never had such an appalling experience with a...

Good and not too expensive

50% less than a previous other company.

Humans are still needed

Consider 12 months can see a number of changes

The renewal premium was heavily increased for no app...

NIGHTMARE!!

Do you have a different 1st Central product?

Want to see more from 1st Central?

Breakdown cover

Home insurance

Personal accident

Join Smart Money People

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