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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

Name: Car insurance
Rating: 1.71 (965 reviews)

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1.71

Based on 965 reviews, last reviewed 7th Jun 2026

100% increase in 5 star reviews

in the past 90 days

15% decrease in 1 star reviews

in the past 90 days

11%

80%

Latest highest rating:

5

Just started my third year of car insurance cover wi... Just started my third year of car insurance cover with 1st Central. Good value for money, helpful customer service, clearly laid out website and easy ... Read more Reviewed on: 17th April 2026

Latest lowest rating:

1

Please avoid this company, money grabbers! I purchased car insurance and then found a more comprehensive cover for the same price, so within 12 hours decided to cancel whilst policy was pending... Read more Reviewed on: 7th June 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 (965)

Cheap at first, but it will cost you later

I took out a car insurance policy with 1st Central because it looked like a great deal. However, once they had all my documents, they suddenly decided to remove my No Claim Discount without proper explanation and increased my premium by over £380 — including a £50 admin fee. This was done without my consent, and I was told the new amount would simply be added to my monthly payments unless I paid it in full. I was left with no choice but to request cancellation. The whole experience felt dishonest and stressful. There was a complete lack of transparency, poor communication, and no accountability. What seemed cheap at the beginning ended up being a costly mistake. Avoid this company at all costs. Reviewed on: 25th April 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Alvaro, 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: 25th April 2025

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

I really wish I’d read the small print. This company is a masterclass in hidden fees. £50 arrangement fee just to start the policy, £50 to cancel, and even £50 to make a simple change. It adds up fast and feels like they’re taking advantage. Reviewed on: 24th April 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Lee, 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 arrangement fee when the policy is set up and this is something customers agree to in the set up process. We also advise of the £50 cancellation fee at this stage too. We also advise of all of our fees on our website here - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/motor/payments-and-fees/what-are-your-car-insurance-fees-and-charges We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 25th April 2025

Happy Driver

Great experience got my car insurance straight away and was able to drive it that night fantastic Reviewed on: 22nd April 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Maureen, Thank you for your great feedback. We always look to offer the best service to our customers Response date: 23rd April 2025

Happy Driver

Excellent company so easy to deal with and excellent price Reviewed on: 19th April 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: 22nd April 2025

Took £881 when by their own admission the insurance...

Took £881 when by their own admission the insurance was cancelled. Then tell you it will take 10 days for the refund . Absolute disgrace . AVOID THIS COMPANY . Reviewed on: 5th April 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Brian, 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. Ashley Response date: 7th April 2025

I wish I had read previous reviews before taking out...

I wish I had read previous reviews before taking out a policy with these scam artists. Their common tactic is to lure you in with a low quote, only to later demand additional documents based on fabricated claims. First, they asked for proof of my no-claims history, which I provided. Then, they suddenly claimed that an accident from three years ago—which I had correctly declared as non-fault—was actually my fault. This is completely untrue, and no other insurer has ever questioned it. I’ve now provided proof that it was indeed a non-fault claim, so I’m waiting to see what excuse they come up with next. It’s clear they’re determined to find a way to increase my premium. Reviewed on: 3rd April 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Jacob, 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: 4th April 2025

Avoid at all costs

I purchased insurance 10 days ago. After making the payment, I contacted customer service to inquire if any additional information was needed from me. They informed me that nothing else was required. However, seven days later, I received an email requesting that I need to upload few documents, including my license and a no-claim bonus certificate, which I promptly did. They did not specify the number of years of no-claim bonus required, so I submitted a certificate covering three years. When I followed up with customer service, I was told that only two years of no-claim bonus from the same provider were necessary, which I had already provided. Despite this, they stated that since I submitted three years and they had not requested that amount, I would incur an additional charge. Furthermore, there was a discrepancy with the date of my license test, and although I was initially told that any amendments made online would be free, I was later informed that I would need to pay £166 to correct the date. The requirement for a three-year no-claim bonus certificate, when only two years were needed, seems unreasonable to me. This situation feels like an attempt to extract additional funds from customers. When I questioned why I was not informed of this earlier during my previous call, the representative explained that she was from a different department. Regardless of the department, it is unacceptable to provide misleading information to customers. They clearly stated that online amendments could be made without charge, so I fail to understand why I am being asked to pay an extra £166. Essentially, it appears that they offer a lower initial quote only to request more money shortly thereafter. They attempted to deceive me by questioning why the previous quote indicated 9,000 miles while the new one only shows 5,000. I explained that I had a car previously, and the system automatically populated the data since I used the same comparison website. This time, however, we will not be using the car as frequently because my current job does not provide parking, so it will primarily be for social purposes. She persisted, asking why I had mentioned 9,000 miles before. I clarified that while I did mention that figure, I did not proceed with the quote they provided; instead, I opted for a different option, which is unrelated to this situation. It seems they will create numerous excuses to extract money from you, and the entire company appears to be a scam. I have cancelled my current insurance with them will never use their service again. Don't buy this insurance after seeing cheaper price, they are stealing customer's money using their trick to scam. I never seen before this kind of Scammer company who steal customer's money after making lots of unnecessary excuse. Date of experience: March 28, 2025 Reviewed on: 29th March 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Parth, 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: 31st March 2025

Wouldn’t even quote for a renewal.

I was with this company for a year. I paid my premiums on time and without fail, when it came to renewing, they initially tried to add £150 a year to my premiums, despite me not having any accidents, not claiming or even contacting them. When I spoke to them to discuss this, they then said they couldn’t even quote me. If I’m not the sort of customer that insurance companies want then I don’t know what is! AVOID! Reviewed on: 28th March 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Dan, 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 can't offer insurance to every customer and we are governed by our underwriters. If underwriting criteria changes in the year, this means we sometimes can't offer a customer a new policy at renewal. Ashley Response date: 31st March 2025

Scam AVOID AVOID AVOID

1 day before my insurance was due for renewal I rang up and spoke with a lady who it's fair to say English wasn't her first language. I asked her multiple times to change my policy to pay monthly rather than renewal in one lump sum. She assured me that she couldn't do it that evening as the policy was in 'processing stage' if i called back first thing in the morning i wouldn't be charged and would be able to change to pay monthly as the policy will then be in 'confirmation stage'. I look at my account in the morning and the money has come out in full and when i call to complain i am told there is a cancellation fee and the money cant be refunded for 10 days.... Scam of a company AVOID! Reviewed on: 28th March 2025

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. 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: 28th March 2025

Exit fees everywhere.

Exit fees everywhere. I sold my car so needed to cancel. They charge a £50 arrangement fee, £50 admin fee and a £10 cancellation fee. Now I thought cancelling was a admin task. Reviewed on: 27th March 2025

Reply from 1st Central Hi Ben, 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 cancellation fee when a policy is set up. We also advise of the £50 non-refundable arrangement fee. This isn't charged at cancellation, but this is a non refudnable fee from when you set you policy up with us. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley Response date: 28th March 2025

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1st Central: Car insurance reviews

100% increase in 5 star reviews

15% decrease 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 (965)

Cheap at first, but it will cost you later

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

Happy Driver

Happy Driver

Took £881 when by their own admission the insurance...

I wish I had read previous reviews before taking out...

Avoid at all costs

Wouldn’t even quote for a renewal.

Scam AVOID AVOID AVOID

Exit fees everywhere.

Do you have a different 1st Central product?

Want to see more from 1st Central?

Breakdown cover

Personal accident

Home insurance

Join Smart Money People

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