Vehicle Insurance in Russia

Find out about the types of vehicle insurance available in Russia, how to make a claim and what the cover provides...

In order to drive any vehicle in Russia, a driver must have the minimum compulsory third-party liability insurance OSAGO (ОСАГО; Obyazatelnoe strahovanye avtograzhdanskoy otvetstvenosti / Обязательное страхование автогражданской ответственности), colloquially known as avtotsivilka (автоцивилка).

This policy is of quite limited coverage, so it is advisable to purchase additional insurance. For foreign drivers in Russia, it is recommended to take out the full 'autokasko' insurance, offered by all major insurance companies, which may also include road assistance.

If importing a vehicle, insurance can be arranged at the border when entering Russia.

OSAGO Insurance

The OSAGO policy must be carried at all times while driving. Together with the insurance contract and the policy paper, the insured driver receives a form called Notice About Accidents (Izveshchenyia o dorozhno-transportnom proizshestvii / Извещения о дорожно-транспортном происшествии – also known as the Izveshchenyie o DTP / Извещение о ДТП). In the event of an accident, it must be updated by the insured at the scene and submitted to the insurance company.

Documents needed for OSAGO insurance include:

• Proof of identity
• Vehicle registration document, or the technical passport of the car (PTS, ПТС; Pasport Transportnogo Sredstva / Паспорт Транспортного Средства)
• Driving licence

Other Types of Insurance

Some other types of policy available above the compulsory OSAGO insurance include:

• Comprehensive and Collision Insurance (CASCO, Strakhovanyie avtomobilya po CASCO / КАСКО, Страхование автомобиля по КАСКО) commonly referred to asautokasko (автокаско) or ‘fully comprehensive’ insurance
• Voluntary Civil Liability Insurance (Strakhovanyie grazhdanskoyi otvetstvenosti / Страхование гражданской ответственности) which increases the liability limit from the compulsory insurance contract
• Additional Equipment Insurance (Strakhovanyie dopolnitelnogo oborudvanyia / Страхование дополнительного оборудования) which covers any equipment installed in the car
• Driver and Passengers Insurance against Accidents (Strakhovanyie voditelya I pasazhirov ot neschastnogo sluchayia / Страхование водителя и пассажиров от несчастного случая)

The costs, duration and conditions of policies and agreements differ between insurance companies and for individual customers, cars and requirements in a policy. Most companies have a calculator on their website to work out approximate prices of cover and to compare services offered.

There are efforts to implement a bonus/malus system in OSAGO insurance, but it is not yet fully functional due to the lack of a unified accident reporting system among insurance companies. There is now a move towards this with a progressive policy in place to implement the system and the Union of Auto-Insurers is starting to collect information in a common database.

Making a Claim

In order to make a claim after an accident, the insured (or proxy) must present to the insurance company the documents listed below within 15 days. The usual term of processing a claim by the insurer is 30 days. Details of how and where repairs are assessed and carried out, the possibility of a courtesy car and how claims are processed can vary between individual policies and different insurance companies, so should be confirmed when signing up for a policy.

Items required to file a claim after an accident

• Claim form
• ID of the driver
• Driving licence of the driver
• Vehicle registration document, or the technical passport of the car (PTS, ПТС; Pasport Transportnogo Sredstva / Паспорт Транспортного Средства)
• Power of attorney (if applicable)
• Statement about the accident (written by the traffic police officer at the scene of the accident)
• Copy of the statement about administrative violation of the law (stamped by the traffic police)
• Notice About Accidents form with information about damages to the car, which is given together with the OSAGO insurance papers
• Notice No.154 (if applicable)with information about the damage to the vehicle(s) and indicating the guilty party (this is provided by the traffic police officer fi one was present at the accident)

Breakdown and Recovery in Russia

Roadside assistance (Pomoshch na dorogakh / Помощь на дорогах) and recovery services are available as part of some insurance packages or separately from the same or different companies, some of which are listed below.