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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

14% 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

Stay clear of this company.

Will never use again, went to cancel my policy and they wanted £116 which I cannot afford. This included the cancellation fee of £50. The £50 I would understand but not the rest. They are just money grabbing and very poor customer service. Reviewed on: 28th April 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Jess, 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 cancellation fee when a policy is being set up. The remaining balance will be made of time on cover and interest. We have this FAQ that goes in to some details on this - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/kb/FAQ/content/PROD-7744/If-my-car-policy-is-cancelled-why-do-I-still-owe-money-to-1st-CENTRAL?query=why%20do%20i%20owe. Ashley Response date: 22nd May 2024

BEWARE THE AUTO RENEWAL!!

By law, you have a minimum 14-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel the policy for any reason. Imagine how upset I am that these haven't contacted me with a quote, sought the appropriate approval to debit my account, and then refused to return my payment. WHEN I DONT EVEN OWN THE CAR ANYMORE!! Reviewed on: 16th April 2024

Reply from 1st Central Hi Steve, 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: 22nd May 2024

BE WARRY OF 1stCentral Insurance!

Attention Potential Customers Attention Potential Customers: Exercise extreme caution when considering 1stCentral Insurance.!!!! Due to an small mistake on my part, where I accidentally reported the wrong month for an accident (May instead of June), my policy was cancelled. I was even charged for cancellation! While I acknowledge my error, the severity of their response has left me facing unexpected financial hardship. Now, I am facing increased premiums and difficulties in finding a new policy because of the cancellation on my record. It is unfair that a simple error should lead to such harsh consequences. It's clear that their priority lies in maximizing charges rather than offering fair and accurate service. I strongly advise looking into other insurers who value fairness and accuracy in their client dealings! Reviewed on: 10th April 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

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