It’s was disappointing to have the premium jump up when the registration was entered even though the car model and make didn’t change. There were also allot of (and too many) add on options where the... See more
Company replied
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Review summary
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Everything went quite smoothly when I made my car insurance renewal. The only criticism I have is that the lady I dealt with had a foreign accent and I find that sometimes difficult to understand, but... See more
Company replied
Renewal was smooth and seamless. The premium increase was something of a surprise, but roughly in line with competitors, sadly !! I have had no cause to test the service, and long may it live that... See more
Company replied
The price for insurance is good. Didnt like the fact so much was an "added extra" that would have made the cost too much. Overall experience was good so far.
Company replied
Company details
Written by the company
Get a car insurance quote from 1st CENTRAL and you won’t be disappointed. As experts in UK motor insurance, 1st CENTRAL provides cheap car insurance for new drivers and experienced drivers, along with a high standard of customer service. Our friendly support teams are on hand to help you with your car insurance quote. We can customize your affordable car insurance policy with optional extras including Legal Cover, Personal Accident Cover, Hire Car, Excess Protect and RAC Breakdown Cover.
Who We Are
Written by the company
- We offer Defaqto 5-Star rated car insurance
- Our car insurance provides quality cover and includes a comprehensive range of features and benefits including a courtesy car, £1500 of key cover and 90 days driving in Europe, as standard
- We’re competitive on price
- We’ve got some very smart people in our pricing team (and some clever technology) monitoring the market to make sure we’re always giving the best price possible. We’re pretty hot on fraud too, which helps us keep our premiums lower.
- We’re not all talk
- If you make a claim, we’ll look after you. You'll be assigned a Personal Claims Advisor, enjoy free collection and delivery of your vehicle, a 5 year warranty on all repairs, mobile repairs and estimates where possible, and like for like vehicle replacement.
- We’re nice people
- All of this is backed up by support from our friendly call centre. Our call centre is open at sensible times including weekends and our claims line is open 24/7, 365 days a year.
Contact info
Perrymount road, RH16 3SY, Haywards Heath, United Kingdom
- 1stcentralinsurance.com
4.3
Excellent
197K reviews
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Good price and a computer friendly company
Very is to apply online, and when I needed help the chat line was very helpful, albeit slow. They do need to invest in a chat system that makes a sound once the agent has answered your question. Off course a fair price too
30 September 2026
Avoid!!!!
If you want to talk to a human this is not the provider for you.
Customer service is non existent.
Tried to cancel my car insurance because the renewal quote was extortionate. The auto online chat bot thing couldn't do it so I tried to phone and was put on hold over and over again. Absolute joke. Avoid this company!
1 October 2026
Car insurance
1 October 2026
The proof of the pudding is in the…
The proof of the pudding is in the eating!
I will review 1st Central when and if I have to make a claim on my car insurance, until then it's an unknown!
4 September 2026
Spent an hour and 10 minutes waiting…
Spent an hour and 10 minutes waiting for my policy to be cancelled, ending up in putting the phone down. Finally got it cancelled on the fifth attempt.
1 October 2026
Not able to speak to anyone from…
Not able to speak to anyone from customer service- if you ask to be sent a link for the chat there is no resolution through the AI bot, spent over 2 hours on separate days waiting and never got to speak to a person. Can do things online but this is a deterioration in service sadly as last year I spoke to a very helpful person.
30 September 2026
It was great experience with 1st…
It was great experience with 1st central car insurance..
1 October 2026
Excellent customer service
Excellent customer service, respond and act on time and a convinient prices for car insurance policies.
1 October 2026
I was trying for a week to contact them…
I was trying for a week to contact them , this was phone, web chat and WhatsApp
1 October 2026
Easy to use website plenty off options…
Easy to use website plenty off options and we'll explained
1 October 2026
Avoid 1st Central insurance
I chose 1st Central because the insurance price was competitive, and I can't fault the cost of the policy itself. However, the customer service experience has been extremely disappointing.
I'm in the process of cancelling my policy because I'm moving to private hire insurance. The online cancellation process shows I'm due a refund of £132.37, but the refund is being sent to old card details that are no longer correct. The website advises contacting customer support if the card is no longer valid.
Unfortunately, I've spent over two hours waiting on the phone without getting through to anyone, and the live chat has been unavailable or unhelpful. It's frustrating when you need assistance with something as important as a refund and can't reach a member of staff.
Cheap insurance, but the lack of customer support lets the company down. Good prices mean very little if customers can't get help when they need it.
Would not recommend based on my customer service experience.
1 October 2026
Unprompted review
May use AI-assist with repliesRead more
At Trustpilot, it's all about human content. This business can also access our AI-assisted response tool which helps them draft replies.
Very easy to use the site and I…
Very easy to use the site and I received all my documents by email and it was great value
1 October 2026
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
We're so pleased you found our site easy to use and that you received all your documents by email. It's wonderful to hear you found it great value. Thank you for your positive feedback!
Emily
Absolutely great experience
Absolutely great experience. Done online and within seconds.
1 October 2026
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
We are so pleased to hear that you had a great online experience and that it was completed so quickly. Thank you for your wonderful five-star review!
Emily
Disappointed by the lack of flexibility
Disappointed by the lack of flexibility
I was initially very happy to choose this insurance as it seemed like a good deal. However, I intended to pay monthly and believed I had selected the monthly payment option.
I soon realised that the full annual payment had been taken from my account, so I contacted customer services straight away to ask for the payment method to be changed.
Unfortunately, I was told that because the payment had already been taken, they were unable to change the policy to monthly payments. The only option was to cancel the policy and set it up again, which resulted in me being charged a cancellation fee.
I was extremely disappointed that a simple and genuine error could not be resolved without a charge, particularly as I contacted them promptly. I asked whether the fee could be waived given the circumstances, but unfortunately they were unwilling to do so.
As a result, I have decided not to take out another policy with them. What initially appeared to be a good deal has ultimately left me very disappointed with the customer service and lack of flexibility.
29 September 2026
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
We are truly sorry to hear about your disappointing experience regarding the payment method and the subsequent cancellation fee. We understand your frustration with the lack of flexibility and the inability to resolve a genuine error without incurring a charge. Your feedback is important to us as we strive to improve our processes and customer service.
Emily
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
Thanks for your great feedback! We always aim to give the best service and price to our customers 😊.
Emily
I cancelled auto renew
I cancelled auto renew, as the car was scrapped but you went ahead and renewed anyway
1 October 2026
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
Thank you for your feedback. We're very sorry to hear about the unexpected renewal despite your cancellation request, especially given the circumstances with your car. We understand how frustrating this must be.
Emily
Slightly baffled & disappointed
I feel slightly baffled by the way in which a price can be inflated by 60% on a renewal, despite the reduction in value of a car from £4350 to £1950 in a year. That is even with full no claims discount.
I called and after waiting for over half an hour I got a voice to whinge to. It seems that I had been informed by text of my impending policy renewal and missed it.
From £304.94 to £473.91. Outrageous price hiking.
I will be more careful next time.
1 October 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
We appreciate you sharing your experience regarding your renewal. We are truly sorry to hear about the significant price increase despite the reduction in your car's value and your no-claims discount. We understand your frustration with the renewal process and the wait times you experienced. Your feedback is valuable for our improvement.
Emily
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
We're glad you found our prices good! We are always working to improve our website experience.
Emily
Reply from 1st Central Insurance
Hi
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that your experience with our customer service was not a positive one. We are always striving to improve, and your comments are valuable in helping us achieve that.
Emily
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