Smart Money People Logo

Voting in the British bank awards 2025 is open - Vote here

Share this page

1st Central reviews

1st Central Logo
Rated Poor 1.52/5

1st Central reviews

Verified business
Last reviewed within 7 days

Review summary

People rate this company as Poor based on 887 product reviews

Average score of 1.52/5
5 star
13%
4 star
5%
3 star
2%
2 star
2%
1 star
78%
Reviews for 1st Central have trended positively over the past 90 days

Latest positive rating

5/5

Very professional and helpful when needed

Very professional and helpful when needed

Latest negative rating

1/5

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... 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 £580 to £1,030, I called them and they said there was nothing they could do, that it was not their fault, while other insurance companies offer from £500 to £800 for the new address - full package with breakdown! Avoid 1st Central!!! SCAM Read more Read less

{"display":"damian d","full_name":"damian d","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1106521.png"}}'s avatar
Car Insurance
damian d 16th February 2025

About 1st Central

1st Central insurance are a UK Car insurance provider which launched in 2008 based in Haywards Heath.

Are you looking for the perfect car insurance to keep you on the road? Our 1st Central car insurance reviews can help you decide if it’s the right option for you.

If you’re considering taking out an insurance policy with 1st Central, check out our reviews first. Discover which insurance policies 1st Central policyholders have and how satisfied they've been so far. Learn more about the benefits of being a 1st Central member. All of this and more can be found in our 1st Central reviews.

Smart Money People is the place for 1st Central reviews. Read and write reviews to help increase trust and transparency in Financial Services.

1st Central at a glance

Reviews for 1st Central

Showing 11 of 887 company reviews Last reviewed within 7 days

I changed the address to another one 200 yards away...

Car Insurance 16th February 2025

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... 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 £580 to £1,030, I called them and they said there was nothing they could do, that it was not their fault, while other insurance companies offer from £500 to £800 for the new address - full package with breakdown! Avoid 1st Central!!! SCAM Read more Read less

Rated Terrible 1/5
Read more product reviews
Reply from 1st Central
Hi Damian, 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
17th February 2025
1st Central

Absolute scam of an insurance company - AVOID

Car Insurance 15th February 2025

Absolute scam of a company. I paid on a monthly basis, and when I went to sell my car, the cancellation fee was £75 -... Absolute scam of a company. I paid on a monthly basis, and when I went to sell my car, the cancellation fee was £75 - nearly double the monthly insurance. I will never use 1st Central again, and will be advising everyone I know to do the same. Pure greed Read more Read less

Rated Terrible 1/5
Read more product reviews
Reply from 1st Central
Hi Will, 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 have this FAQ that goes in to what any additional fees might be for - https://help.1stcentralinsurance.com/motor/cancellations/if-my-car-insurance-is-cancelled-why-do-i-still-owe-money-to-1st-central. We’ll use your comments to help improve our service. Ashley
17th February 2025
1st Central
  • 1/5

    Genuinely the worst insurance company ive ever deal...

    Genuinely the worst insurance company ive ever deal with. i was only with them 26 days and they charged me £75 to leave them. i... Genuinely the worst insurance company ive ever deal with. i was only with them 26 days and they charged me £75 to leave them. i had to leave as they upped my monthly payment from £56 to £100.20, despite beig quoted £51.00 on their website! Read more Read less

    {"display":"Brooke K","full_name":"Brooke K","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1106220.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Brooke K 14th February 2025
  • 1/5

    Horrendous SCAM.

    Horrendous SCAM. Decided they would add another £347 to the policy for a change of job, which was from working at a till in a... Horrendous SCAM. Decided they would add another £347 to the policy for a change of job, which was from working at a till in a Post office to Shop assistant working on a till. Have been advised to inform First Central of my intention to contact the FCA. Which I have done. Read more Read less

    {"display":"Beverley G","full_name":"Beverley G","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1106062.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Beverley G 13th February 2025
  • 1/5

    Seems that's it's not just me experiencing the same...

    Seems that's it's not just me experiencing the same thing. I just read this review. The same think happened to me. Sadly, it's quite common... Seems that's it's not just me experiencing the same thing. I just read this review. The same think happened to me. Sadly, it's quite common with this insurance company. "Be very careful when buying insurance of this company. They were the cheapest online at the time on confused.com but they needed additional info AFTER the policy was set up. I called them , they asked me about my occupation and they said it wasn’t the right discription and proceeded to ask question after question. After finally slightly altering my employment details(very slightly altered that would never change the price on the website)they slapped me with another 130£ including an admin fee. Absolutely furious as now my policy is way more Expensive than the next best one on confused.com . They have you snookered because to cancel the policy they slap you with another fee so I stayed with them reluctantly because of this.they’ve lost a lot of my custom on my other vehicles as I’ll never use them again for anything so ultimately they’ve lost out.Never experienced anything like it in all my years of driving. Not a happy customer" Be very careful!!!! Read more Read less

    {"display":"AM A","full_name":"AM A","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1103884.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    AM A 11th February 2025
  • 1/5

    Worst insurance company!

    Worst insurance company! Have never had such a bad experience like with 1st cetral they wanted to charge me £640 for makinga change

    {"display":"Klaudia K","full_name":"Klaudia K","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1103876.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Klaudia K 11th February 2025
  • 1/5

    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... 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 drive round for months without insurance! I’m lucky I was not arrested or in an accident. AVOID Read more Read less

    {"display":"Tom ","full_name":"Tom ","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1101292.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Tom 6th February 2025
  • 1/5

    The worst experience and the worst insurance company.

    The worst experience and the worst insurance company. My car broke down at the beginning of the insurance and they refused to suspend  the... The worst experience and the worst insurance company. My car broke down at the beginning of the insurance and they refused to suspend  the insurance or even cancel it. I called for several months and every time they kept me on the line for an hour and told me that someone would return to resolve my problem as soon as possible. In the end, no one called me. I do not recommend this company at all. The worst dealings with customers. Read more Read less

    {"display":"sedra Rajab ","full_name":"sedra Rajab ","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1095887.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    sedra Rajab 31st January 2025
  • 1/5

    *SCAMMERS * Untrustworthy keep well away from this c...

    *SCAMMERS * Untrustworthy keep well away from this company.

    {"display":"Benny bo","full_name":"Benny bo","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/images\/default_new.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Benny bo 30th January 2025
  • 1/5

    Will increase policy

    Started my policy they then asked me for more information I provided said information they then hit me with an increase and an admin fee... Started my policy they then asked me for more information I provided said information they then hit me with an increase and an admin fee which resulted in my policy doubling. I tried to cancel and they made it so expensive to leave I ahd to stay. Will not be renewing with these. Read more Read less

    {"display":"Garry S","full_name":"Garry S","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1092500.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Garry S 23rd January 2025
  • 2/5

    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... 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. Read more Read less

    {"display":"Tzice","full_name":"Tzice","avatar":{"url":"\/assets\/uploads\/avatars\/users\/1090084.png"}}'s avatar
    Car Insurance
    Tzice 20th January 2025

    Products from 1st Central

    Showing all products offered by 1st Central

    We are Smart Money People

    Join 2 million active users who make better financial decisions with the power of reviews.

    Create an account

    Protecting trust by verifying companies and reviewers

    The only site that specialises in financial services

    Providing everyday people with a voice