Write a review

1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (860 reviews)

View other 1st Central products

1.51

Based on 860 reviews, last reviewed 6th Feb 2025

100% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

10% 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

Almost got me arrested Opened a new policy in November, now currently February 2025. It turns out these scammers cancelled my insurance without telling me and allowed me to ... Read more Reviewed on: 6th February 2025

Read all reviews See your review

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 (860)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

the duplicate your policy by accident.

the duplicate your policy by accident....I did get a refund for this but it was a headache.... I called them when i got a new car to cancel and go with someone else and they didn't do it so months later I had to ring them up again where they required email proof I was with someone else.....then said they have to wait to get that email cause the person on the phone couldnt see emails....will not be going with them again. Reviewed on: 20th January 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Tzice, 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: 21st January 2025

They entered incorrect information saying I was to b...

They entered incorrect information saying I was to blame for previous accident where I had it on my previous insurance I wasn't at blame Charged extra!!!! To enter it as not my fault Thier rep agreed it was mad to be charging me more will not go back to them ever or recommend them total thieves avoid them Reviewed on: 10th July 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Adrian, 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. Ashley Response date: 12th July 2024

Refused to allow me to pay my balance due to bank is...

Refused to allow me to pay my balance due to bank isuse then try to charge me £15 fine. THIEVES Reviewed on: 28th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi David, 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 advise of our fees when a policy is being set up, this includes the late payment fee of £15. If you may have a payment issue in future, please speak to us on 0333 043 2088 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. Ashley Response date: 1st July 2024

Shocking!

Shocking!! Took out the policy and cancelled within the 14 day cooling off period, I paid an initial £29 deposit at the time of taking out the policy and they billed me £87 for cancellation. Reviewed on: 26th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Russell, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. I can see the policy was cancelled 15 days after the policy start date, which is outside of the cool off period. If you need any assistance with the payment, please speak to our team on 01274 933 469. Ashley Response date: 28th June 2024

Do not touch.

Do not touch. Auto Renew you can't turn off, chat that doesn't work, no phone numbers unless claiming! Activating a policy before old one (with them) has expired then charge fee for cancelling an "active" policy. Should get email one month in advance then two weeks in advance. only received two weeks before renewal, then no way of turning off auto renew and policy almost doubled despite no claims. Just keep saying i should have turned off auto renew. New policy not started but they had it as "Active" online several hours before it came into force thereby forcing cancellation rather than blocking auto renew. Will be taking to ombudsman. £50 admin fee!!!!! Reviewed on: 21st June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Kim, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. Automatic renewal can be turned off at any time up, until the day before your renewal, via Your Account. This can be on day 1 of your policy also. We advise this on our renewal invite that we send also. The day before your policy you can speak to us to turn this off. You had an Online only policy, which didn't include telephone support, but our team on web chat could've assisted. I can see the renewal invite was opened. We have this FAQ for turning off automatic renewal - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-7100/What-if-I-dont-want-to-renew-my-car-insurance?query=automatic%20renew. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 24th June 2024

I am incredibly dissatisfied

I am incredibly dissatisfied with 1st Central Insurance. They asked me to call to confirm some details in my policy, and then they demanded an additional £70 just to update an information. This is an outrageous and unjustified charge. It feels like they do this to scam you out of more money once you've signed up with them. Their customer service is unhelpful and the entire process feels like a money grab. I strongly advise against using 1st Central Insurance. Save yourself the hassle and find a more honest and transparent insurance provider. Reviewed on: 19th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Lorena, Thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. It's important to check that all the details you've input are correct, as all details are taken into account when calculating the price of your policy. If your details are found to be incorrect, we need to update them in order to ensure your cover is valid and any changes can affect the price of the policy we can offer. 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. Clare Response date: 20th June 2024

cancellation is £0, but admin fee is £50!!!

Awful, set up insurance, following day got better quote, told cancellation is £0, but admin fee is £50!!! You have been warned. Don't touch them with a barge pole. Told it would be no charge if I sent new providers certificate of insurance, I did, telephoned to be told as its new business I have to pay. If I had have known this I would have stuck with 1st Central as now heavily out of pocket!! Rest assured will be alerting users where I can! Never will I use despite comparison sites.. Reviewed on: 17th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Matt, 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 advise of the £50 non-refundable arrangement fee when the policy is being set up. We advise our customers of this so they are aware from the start. We also have this FAQ that advises our fees - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-7619/What-are-your-fees-and-charges?query=fees. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 18th June 2024

They draw you in with a very reasonable quote and th...

They draw you in with a very reasonable quote and then double it after a few weeks. Very disinterested customer service. Clearly only to eager to get me off the phone. Kept putting me on hold for many minutes even though I told them I was calling from abroad. My advice. Don’t touch them with a barge pole Reviewed on: 13th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Kath, 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. Let’s see if we can help put this right for you. Just give our team a call on 0333 043 2066 or speak to us on web chat which can be found on our website. We’re here to help from Mon-Fri: 8am to 8pm, Sat: 9am to 5pm, Sun: 10am to 2pm. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service and training for our agents. Ashley Response date: 14th June 2024

Worst company

My insurance went up for no reason, asked for help they refused and said go somewhere else. We can’t help you. I been with them for 2 years but they did not bother to give a decent quote to a loyal customer. Reviewed on: 10th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hello, We’re sorry to hear on this occasion your experience with us hasn’t been as positive as we’d hoped it would be. The price of insurance is rated on a daily basis, which means this can change at renewal. We have this article that goes in to some details on what makes up the price of insurance - https://www.1stcentralinsurance.com/car-insurance/what-affects-your-price. I'm sorry we weren't as competitive for you this year, but I hope we can welcome you back in the future. Ashley Response date: 11th June 2024

Great First Impression

I haven't had to claim yet and I hope I don't have to but the process to apply was easy and their website is excellent. Reviewed on: 9th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hello, Thank you for your review and for choosing 1st Central this year for your car insurance. Ashley Response date: 10th June 2024

Took out a policy via comparison site to start today...

Took out a policy via comparison site to start today, when confirmation can't through, they put start date as 8th not 3rd. Phoned thinking it would be an easy fix, nope. Told me the system won't allow it. I would have to cancel, £50 admin fee, they would hold onto my money already paid for ten days, and I would have to pay another £250 today to start another policy. Explained it was their mistake - Faith told me they have never made this mistake! Absolute scammers, my car is lying outside in the city with no insurance, the day after I passed my test. Made a happy occasion an absolute nightmare. Please do not use them. Reviewed on: 4th June 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hello, 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 June 2024

Do you have a different 1st Central product?

Share your experiences with products to help others make smarter financial decisions and learn more about different products available. Write a review

Alternative products

Cycle Insurance
from ETA Insurance 1.52 from 5 reviews
Car Insurance
from insurepink 1.00 from 1 reviews
Personal Breakdown Insurance
from Cover My Breakdown 1.22 from 16 reviews

There's still more to see!

1st Central has a range of products available. Check the ratings of each product to find the right one for you. View all products

Join Smart Money People

Keep up to date on ratings of your favourite businesses. Find out about our awards and write new reviews with ease

Create an account

News, guides and insight from our team

View resource hub