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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.5 (952 reviews)

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1.50

Based on 952 reviews, last reviewed 4th Mar 2026

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

25% increase in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

11%

80%

Latest highest rating:

5

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

Latest lowest rating:

1

FRAUDSTERS!!!!!!! BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!! DO NOT BUY!!!! In 35 years of using car insurance companies, I have NEVER been robbed/conned like this before! This company comes up as cheap but I can now see why, ... Read more Reviewed on: 13th February 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.

1st Central Car insurance reviews (952)

Review of the 1st Central, Car insurance:

Awful service

Son took out insurance online. Got an email saying they needed extra docs by a certain date,which son sent. Only realised they had cancelled his policy when he saw he had extra money in his bank. No communication of ANY kind telling him what they had done. Lucky he was off for a few days. He could have been done for no insurance and he needs a clean license. Simple txt or email to let him know before they sent the refund and it could have been all sorted. Absolutely useless. Reviewed on: 3rd May 2022

Please avoid at all costs

I am currently on hold with this dreadful company. I haven't even started the policy yet and went through my policy and decided within a week that this company is not the right insurance company for my needs they are not fit for purpose. They have charged me for not going ahead with the policy and it is £50 and claiming it is called an arrangement fee. However they have said they are not a Brookers and yet charging customers arrangement fees. Absolutely disgraceful. Please avoid. Reviewed on: 5th May 2022

Cowboys - make sure to complain!

I’ve used them for the first time recently and like many others were hit with an extra charge after they asked me to send additional docs in and low and behold the date I passed my test was wrong as well as NCD. I argued regarding my NCD but can’t see how I possibly put the wrong date down for passing my test but either way I accepted that must’ve been my error. I believe it’s down to pre saved data in these comparison sites and 1st Central are sneaking in catching people out after the usual cooling off period so they can throw cancellation charges left right and centre. I found the staff rude, one hung up on me, was passed around, failed promises until I eventually raised a complaint and a manager has called back and offered me compensation and apologised. My extra charges have also been fully written off so PLEASE don’t just accept their crap, if you feel they have been shoddy then make that complaint. They are meant to be offering customer service but you can barely call it that at present. I appreciate a small amount of compensation doesn’t always fix an issue but if they are trying to shove your premium up and have treated you badly then raise a complaint and get the comp offered to take the edge off. Every little helps in this day and age!! Reviewed on: 4th May 2022

Car insurance

It's an unbelievable ,how this company, can exist in England. They have a horrible behaviour with the clients. Are focused to make money at any ways. Best advice:just neglected Reviewed on: 2nd May 2022

No Claims Proof Issues

I've never had any issues with 1st Central until it came to obtaining my proof of No Claims discount. Long story cut short, 1st Central admitted to an admin error / glitch which meant the wrong number went on my certificate and after being passed around different departments who each claimed it wasn't their issue, i spoke to Chris today who sorted it out for me (a week after i had originally tried to sort the problem) and explained what had happened. I had been cut off from multiple phonecalls and online chats regarding this issue and almost had my new insurer cancel on me because of this issue. So absolutely awful service in resolving this problem from everyone apart from Chris in Customer Service, he gets 5* and deserves a raise but everyone else needs training on basic jobs such as not cutting off an online chat or call as they don't seem to understand how detrimental a policy being cancelled on you is. Reviewed on: 28th April 2022

Still waiting for repairs 6 months on!

1st central car insurance are absolute liars with no care for customers. Had an accident in November and, up to now, they give endless excuses as to why repairs haven't started for a claim they accepted. Raised a complaint via resolver and considering taking them to small claims court as well Reviewed on: 27th April 2022

Dreadful company with a Useless South African call centre .

Complete catalogue of problems with my daughters car insurance. Wrong registration number in the first place . Then she was asked to upload V5, driving license, No Claims proof and get a code from DVLA. - not one upload worked on the site. Their Call centre ( which is in South Africa) is hopeless, very difficult to understand them plus they can’t help you at the weekend because ‘policyanalysis’ only works week days. So you can’t get anything changed over the phone. The online account was locked . So completely useless. God knows if it was an accident to report ! My daughter needed to change car details that day. It meant she wouldn’t be able drive to training for a new job. Ended up buying new car insurance from Admiral who were brilliant. Now 1st Central want £95 to cancel ! What a rip off company. Reviewed on: 26th April 2022

Awful company

Awful company. Rip off and too focused on making money. Staff are rude too. Reviewed on: 23rd April 2022

Fraudsters

Do not use this company lie to you on the phone con people out there money and claims wow if your reading this use another company Reviewed on: 21st April 2022

Worst insurance company

Being charged 180 pounds to cancel my policy that's just ridiculous... im disgusted... also huge fees for online changes...AVOID Reviewed on: 20th April 2022

Rip Off

Avoid they try to charge you extra after 30days they create small deviation to how you filled out form Reviewed on: 14th April 2022

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