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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:

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

I was mis-sold a change to my policy, having answere...

I was mis-sold a change to my policy, having answered their questions the way their system had them setup. Then told it was non-refundable and non-changeable, even though i had just made a change. As soon as i can i will be cancelling my policy and finding another insurer. I say as soon as i can because they tell me my policy is currently "locked". I've made no claims, just tried to add a driver through their website. Heaven help anyone who actually needs to make a claim. Reviewed on: 26th August 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Nige, Thank you for your feedback and we're sorry that the set-up of your adjustment hasn't been as smooth as we'd have hoped. If there's anything you'd like us to look into with regards to your policy please contact us by sending an email to [email protected]. Please remember to include your policy number, claims reference number, email, name, DOB and details of what's gone wrong and we'll do our best to put it right. Ashley Response date: 27th August 2024

good price & cover service and contact with me good...

good price & cover service and contact with me good would recommend Reviewed on: 25th August 2024

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

Very straight forward switch from a more expensive r...

Very straight forward switch from a more expensive renewal Reviewed on: 24th August 2024

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

Simple insurance, managed online.

Simple insurance, managed online. Competitive prices. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

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

Excellent value with no hidden costs

I have had a few policies with 1st central and they have always stood out. They have great communication and regular updates without being overbearing. The policy portals are easy to use with quick access to all documents associated with the policy. With excellent value for money and no hidden extras. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

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

Hassle to begin with but stuck with them!

When creating a quote, I accidentally wrote the wrong date in a box and my goodness, it kicked off a chain of events where I had to provide bits of paperwork I’ve never had to provide to any insurance companies before (I’ve been driving for 16 years). So trying to start the insurance was a lot of hassle. HOWEVER I’ve had to change parts of my policy throughout the year e.g. adding on my husband, changing car and it is very simple and straightforward on the app! A competitive quote again this year so I am staying with them. Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

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

Best car insurance company

Going to be my second year with 1st central, and I am very happy with the Company. It is the best one out there, I would recommend one million time of her to everyone Reviewed on: 23rd August 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi es, Thank you for renewing with us. We’re happy to have you on-board for another year Response date: 27th August 2024

Wish we had read all the bad reviews on here for the...

Wish we had read all the bad reviews on here for the company, before we took a policy out for my son ,customer service staff not helpful, some were rude put the phone down on us ,cost us 135.00 pounds to cancel a policy we only used for a month, but that's a small price to pay ,better companies about, would not recommend this company to anyone Reviewed on: 17th August 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Ma w, 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: 20th August 2024

Loyal customer for 5 years, despite their annual spi...

Loyal customer for 5 years, despite their annual spikes in costs, however this renewal period I was asked to provide information (already declared on the renewal) and was asked to pay an additional £1995 for the changes. The main change was that I was now unemployed on health grounds. Zero flexibility, rude and robotic customer service agents, and they’re costing me more than I can afford as a single parent on UC, to cancel the policy and seek a different one. Terrible, terrible, terrible. Reviewed on: 15th August 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Mecha I, 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. 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: 16th August 2024

Avoid at all costs, you can't block their texts.

I purchased insurance that I cancelled the same day as I managed to get a cheaper quote elsewhere. I called them up before the policy was due to start and they refused to cancel it until it had officially started which is illegal as you are allowed a 14 day period to withdraw from any financial contract for any reason at any time. They charged me a small amount to make the total paid £50 which I could accept (even though I was entitled to a refund since I requested it cancelled the same day and before the policy started) but now they're pestering me saying I owe them almost £50 and there's no reason for it. They text you via an invalid number so you can't block their texts as well which is majorly scummy. Avoid at all costs. Reviewed on: 15th August 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Cernunnos, 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 would 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: 16th August 2024

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