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1st Central: Car Insurance reviews

Name: Car Insurance
Rating: 1.68 (853 reviews)

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1.50

Based on 853 reviews, last reviewed 23rd Dec 2024

75% decrease in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

5% 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

Distrustful customer service Spent two separate calls of 10-15min in the past week (Christmas time) trying to get two 1st Central advisors to accept my annual mileage estimation (... Read more Reviewed on: 23rd December 2024

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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 (853)

Review of the 1st Central, Car Insurance:

BEWARE!! Ludicrous charges! THEY DO NOT CARE!!

Took out insurance and over a week later they asked for proof of NCB and proof of claims. Asked my last insurance provider for this. When I didn’t get them in time they charged £175. I had told them I had contacted twice to get these documents. I decided to cancel after nearly 4 weeks and for this I was charged £156, minus my first payment, despite their website saying it’s a £10 cancellation fee after 14 days!! Very impersonal service and completely ridiculous charges!! Felt as though they grabbed me with a cheap quote and then added on extras to make money. My monthly payment went from £37 to £55!! Felt like dealing with robots whose job is to add money on excessively!! Wish I’d read these reviews first!! Reviewed on: 29th November 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Katharine, 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: 2nd December 2024

Took my car for the minor repair to AD Williams, the...

Took my car for the minor repair to AD Williams, the third part insurance supposed to pay everything due to his fault ,upon my arrival to collect my car AD Williams handed me the bill of £250!I called First Central Customer Service trying to get a reasonable explanation. Poor grasp of english and inpatient answers made my experience appalling!!!The damage was the side mirror, so small i was expecting FC will it cover all with out the question.. wondering how much would’ve paid if the damage was bigger????Anyway who ever going through all this reviews don’t need to be a f….Einstein to figure out what kind of the company we deal with. Overall a completely rubbish service !! Reviewed on: 9th April 2024

Rear end hit/ by one of there insured

I was involved in a car accident in march 2024 , with one of there insured, I was stationary at a roundabout and a van went into the back of me, I got a letter back from my insurance company stating they have admitted liability, thy applied for my docs records as I was injured, and with being hurt around 7-8 years before in a totally different accident they decided to play the game. They’re a very dodgy Indy company, head office based in the tax haven Gibraltar, am not surprised so many people are getting ripped off from these fools. I’ve issued court proceedings against them, am sincerely looking forward to going to court. Reviewed on: 9th April 2024

Horrific

Horrific, terrible company, deliberately evasive, shocking experience avoid Reviewed on: 7th April 2024

Asked for more information after the 14 day cooling...

Asked for more information after the 14 day cooling off period which I provided but this wasn’t good enough even though there policy team and customer service said it was they decided to then cancel my insurance and are trying to charge me money because it’s over the 14 days??? Complete scam and very poor awareness of policies from the customer service and policy team. Reviewed on: 28th March 2024

Scammed by this company.

Scammed by this company.. After 2 months of my policy, this company decided my 9+ years of no claims bonus wasn’t good enough because it was previously on a pickup truck… So they doubled my premiums and reduced my no claims to zero, even though I have never made a claim. Not wanting to lose all my no claims I was forced to cancel the policy, which they very nicely charged me £119 to cancel… Absolute scammers stay away Reviewed on: 27th March 2024

This company is rubbish.

This company is rubbish. I drive to Europe. I know they cover Europe countries for 90 days and I don’t have to have green card. But I rang them told them I’m going drive though Serbia and because they not in EU I needed a green car or international insurance certificate that show which countries they cover. But they don’t provide me one. I rang them about 20 times spoke to every single person there. I explained the situation, I said I pay if there is fee but they don’t give sugar. I have drive to Europe few times before I was with admiral and Esure they provided me with green card. I been asked green card before so I know what they like when you drive to other countries but I went without one because first central refused to give me one. So I drive and at the Serbian border I paid about £100. had to get insurance to drive in Serbia otherwise they wouldn’t let me into country. this company don’t care dant give sugar about they customer. Specially if you are foreign they don’t even wanna listen you. very bad customers service. I’m cancelling my insurance with them I had multiple insurance. If you wanna decent service don’t go near them Reviewed on: 26th March 2024

Scam, Worst Customer Service Ever

I recently had a disappointing experience with 1st Central Insurance, and I feel compelled to share my frustration to warn others. I was in the process of shopping around for car insurance and obtained a quote from 1st Central. However, I ultimately decided to go with a different insurance provider due to better coverage and pricing elsewhere. To my shock, I discovered that 1st Central had charged me an "arrangement fee" for a policy that I hadn't even started. This is outrageous! Why should I be penalised for not proceeding with a policy? They claimed that this fee was for including my details on an insurance database, a service that other reputable companies provide without charging a fee. What's even more frustrating is that this sneaky charge wasn't clearly disclosed upfront. It's buried deep in their terms and conditions, which most people don't bother to read in detail. It feels like a deceptive practice aimed at squeezing extra money out of customers. I reached out to their customer service team to express my dissatisfaction, but they simply brushed me off, citing their terms and conditions. There was no empathy or willingness to address my concerns. I urge anyone considering 1st Central Insurance to proceed with caution. Don't fall for their seemingly competitive quotes without carefully scrutinizing the fine print. Their lack of transparency and willingness to nickel-and-dime customers for services that should be standard is appalling. I'll certainly be taking my business elsewhere, and I advise others to do the same. Buyer beware! Reviewed on: 26th March 2024

RUN!! Scammers

Firstly, upon having an accident was only given a fraction of the cars value, which then took them over 4 weeks to pay me. Leaving me with ni money to purchase a new car, so I couldn't get to work.When i evenutslly got a new car, i was told the montly price was £84 to then be slammed with a £120 bill each month. I complained over 8 weeks ago now and have been lied to each time about when they will resolve it. I now have my legal team involved!! AVOID LIKE THE PLAUGE Reviewed on: 19th March 2024

Beware online buyers!

Car insurance bought online and cancelled within 24 hours of taking it out (and well before the policy was due to start). This incurred a £50 charge that was apparently mentioned. I thought this was illegal practice, but apparently a company can change a "small" administration fee. Not sure how "small" is defined, but they have just lost one customer for life. Angry and upset. Reviewed on: 18th March 2024

Avoid, premium increase and admin fees

Very similar experience to a lot of other customers. 1st Central lure you in with an initially cheap price. Once the cooling off period has finished, they'll find tiny discrepancies in your policy. For example, car purchase price being out by a few days. They then increase the premium and charge a £50 admin fee. Avoid as it's not just money, it's the hassle of dealing with them Reviewed on: 17th March 2024

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