First Alternative car insurance review

First Alternative is part of the Esure Group, one of the UK's 10 biggest insurers. It offers car insurance alongside its well-known sister brands Esure and Sheilas' Wheels.

Its policy is underwritten by Esure Insurance Limited. We've rated the policy here, but haven't received feedback from enough of First Alternative's customers to rate its levels of service.

It will insure drivers between 19 and 90 years old.

Please note that the information in this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please refer to the particular terms and conditions of an insurer before committing to any financial products.

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Does First Alternative offer the best car insurance?

Here's how First Alternative scored in our latest survey:

• 67% policy score on its standard policy – joint 9th out of 31 providers we reviewed and a Best Buy
• We didn't get enough respondents to our claimants' survey to rate First Alternative's customer and claims service 

See how this compares with the best car insurance.

What does First Alternative offer?

How good is First Alternative's car insurance policy?

First Alternative's policy was a Best Buy in our analysis.

It scored 67%, which placed it in the top fifth of the 76 policies we reviewed.

We liked that it had a fairly low compulsory excess (£50) for accidental damage claims. It also offers up to £500 for hotel expenses if you have to stay away from home because of an accident.

On the downside, the policy charges one of the highest cancellation fees ‒ £60 if you cancel in the first year, although this reduces to £35 in subsequent years.

Vandalism protection

If you make an insurance claim and your insurer has to pay out, this is registered as a 'fault' claim - even if you weren't to blame for the incident. One such example is vandalism claims - where the criminal responsible for the damage can't be located, leaving the insurer to fork out for the repairs.

Unlike many insurers, with First Alternative, you won't lose a no-claims discount (NCD) if you claim for vandalism on your car. This means the claim will have less of an impact on your premium the following year.   

How can you save money on First Alternative car insurance?

First Alternative's policy can be bought directly or through the following comparison websites:

• Compare the Market
• Confused.com
• GoCompare
• MoneySuperMarket

First Alternative offers a multi-car discount if you insure more than one car - although this only applies if you buy the insurance directly.

We think you're best off using comparison sites to find quotes from other car insurers to compare with your offer from First Alternative. You could then mention what you've been quoted and use it to haggle the premium down.

The above information is correct as of December 2024

• Find out more: get a cheap car insurance quote

How does First Alternative compare with other providers?

First Alternative has a policy score of 67%, earning a Best Buy badge. 

It also scored a five stars on repairs guarantee. It competes well with Sheilas’ Wheels, which also scored 67%, and outperforms Co-op Car Insurance, which received a 49% policy score.

First Alternative: How can you claim?

If you need to make a claim with First Alternative car insurance, call 0345 607 7280 .

• Find out more: is it worth claiming on your car insurance?