In addition to compulsory insurance, which any driver must receive, there is also voluntary insurance. What do the CASCO policy and agreement look like?

How not to make mistakes when drawing up a document? What details should you pay special attention to?

What does a CASCO policy look like?

What does a CASCO policy look like? This is a special form that reflects the terms of the insurance contract. Unlike MTPL, it does not have a standard form, and may look different from different companies. Such a document must contain information about the insurance and the parties who entered into the agreement. That is, in essence, it contains exactly the same information as the contract. The form can be filled out on both sides.

There are two types of conditions in a voluntary car insurance contract: essential and additional. The first of them are the main ones. They determine the conditions under which insurance is provided and describe other important details. This category includes:

• vehicle (it is called the subject of insurance);
• when compensation is paid (full list of situations);
• amount of compensation;
• for how long the contract will be valid.

Additional conditions may specify a large number of details, the most significant of which are:

• franchise: is it there or not, if so, what are its conditions;
• how and under what conditions compensation is paid;
• how to contact the insurance company in the event of an insured event;
• damage assessment services provided by the insurance company, such as legal advice, calling a tow truck, independent examination;
• restrictions applicable to the provision of services;
• reasons why compensation may be denied;
• the rights and obligations of both parties, as well as responsibility for their failure to comply.

Validity

The standard period for which a CASCO agreement is concluded is one year. But it is possible to apply for it for a shorter period of time, at least a month. However, a policy issued for such a short period will cost significantly more.

Features of a voluntary insurance contract

At the legislative level, the execution of a CASCO agreement is not regulated in any way. However, most companies have a standard document form that contains the following information:

• information about the insurer and the policyholder;
• who, other than the owner, can drive the vehicle;
• all data about the car: make and model, identifier, license plate number, year of manufacture and mileage;
• where exactly the insurance will be valid (in what territory, in what countries and regions);
• for what period is the policy issued?
• information about the beneficiaries (for example, about the bank if the car was purchased on credit);
• list of risks;
• rights and obligations of the parties;
• insurance payment limits;
• probable conflict situations and ways to resolve them;
• how and why a contract can be terminated before its expiration;
• how and on what grounds changes and additions can be made to the contract;
• details of the parties;
• seals of both organizations, if the policy is issued to a legal entity.

The insurance contract (sample) can be downloaded for review.

Any other data may be included in the paper. There are also appendices where additional conditions are indicated.

Most often, insured events include the following situations:

1. An accident involving two or more people.
2. Damage to a car when colliding with stationary objects such as fences, trees, poles and curbs.
3. Heavy objects falling on the vehicle.
4. Fires.
5. Natural disasters.
6. Actions of strangers who intentionally damaged the car;
7. Accidental damage to the machine due to careless actions.

The insurer has the right to refuse to sell the policy if:

1. The car does not meet the requirements stated by the insurer.
2. The driver is under the age of majority.
3. The policyholder does not have driving experience.
4. The information provided is not true. This applies, for example, to a situation where the owner of a car claims that he intends to use it for personal purposes, but in fact works on it as a taxi driver.
5. The policyholder refuses to provide the vehicle for preliminary inspection.
6. Previously, a person wishing to obtain a policy very often applied for compensation.

This is not an exhaustive list; there may be other reasons for refusal. Only the most common ones are listed above.

What should you pay attention to?

Without fail, the paper must contain a description of the circumstances under which a specific event is not considered insured, therefore, the damage for it is not compensated. Risks are usually accompanied by clarifications that under certain circumstances they are not valid. For example, if a car is stolen, then this event will be considered insured only if the owner took all possible measures to prevent this situation. That is, if the keys were left in the car, the owner will not receive a refund.

As a rule, the insurance company will be able to refuse compensation under the following circumstances:

• driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs;
• using a vehicle that is known to be faulty;
• smoking in a car or any other violation of fire safety regulations;
• improper transportation of the vehicle;
• intentional damage to the car by its owner or driver;
• at the time of the accident, a driver who was not included in the insurance was driving;
• use of the vehicle incorrectly or for other purposes;
• the car was damaged during terrorist attacks or hostilities;
• When applying for a policy, inaccurate information about the condition of the vehicle was provided.

Is it possible to change the conditions

It is usually necessary to change something in an already signed contract if the conditions or quality of use of the car have changed, or the number of people who can drive it has increased. The policyholder must report any such matters to the insurer. This is done in writing, within one day.

Next, the insurance company will analyze the information received. If she decides that the risks have increased, she may demand to pay an additional amount. The insurer will set a deadline for which you need to pay the money. If this is done, an addendum will be added to the document. If the owner of the vehicle is not ready to pay extra, then the contract is subject to termination.

You can also extend the contract before its expiration. To do this, the policyholder will need to come to the organization’s office or arrange a meeting with its agent. In this case, the cost of the policy may also change, since the mileage and market value of the car in its current condition are taken into account. It is also important how often the car was involved in accidents. If this did not happen or was an extremely rare occurrence, then the cost of insurance may even be reduced.

What documents are needed

To issue a policy, you will need to provide the insurer with the following documents:

• a completed application form issued by the insurance agent;
• passport for an individual or certificate of registration for a company;
• confirmation that the car belongs to the policyholder (for example, a title or purchase agreement);
• diagnostic card or inspection certificate;
• driver's licenses of everyone who will be allowed to drive a car;
• previous CASCO policy, if any;
• documents for anti-theft systems that are additionally installed in the car.

Is it possible to terminate early?

The car owner can terminate the contract early at any time by writing a statement to the insurer. The latter will have to return the money for unused time. However, they may be charged a fee for transferring money.

The policy may terminate early if:

1. The owner of the car died.
2. The insured car cannot be restored.
3. Insurance rules are not followed.
4. The SC was liquidated.

There are also one-time contracts that are terminated after the first application for payment.

The document may establish other restrictions on the amount of compensation received. For example, no more than three for the entire duration of the action or for a certain period.

Registration process

To apply for a CASCO policy, you must write an application and submit it to the company, attaching the documents listed above. Next, the car must be provided to the insurer for inspection. During this process, numbers will be verified, the presence of keys will be confirmed, and existing damage will be identified. After this, the paperwork is completed, and at the end the client is given a policy, confirmation of payment (check), and other papers for which he signed.

Before concluding a contract, you must study the insurer's website. In addition to tariffs and conditions, you can find information there about what their policy looks like and in what ways their policy is protected. This will help protect against scammers who like to pretend to be representatives of well-known companies such as Ingosstrakh, VSK, etc.

A CASCO policy will allow you to further protect your car from various emergency situations. But when preparing it, you must be extremely careful so that the resulting document does not turn out to be just a useless piece of paper.

The CASCO insurance contract is a guarantee of protection of the vehicle owner from unexpected expenses for car repairs as a result of his participation in an accident, as well as from damage due to theft, illegal actions by third parties, fire, explosion or falling objects on the vehicle.

In addition, such insurance protects against situations where the policyholder is at fault for the occurrence of an insured event or force majeure circumstances occur (storm, hurricane, hail, heavy snowfall, lightning, earthquake, flood, etc.). If an insured event occurs, the insurance organization with which the car owner has entered into a CASCO agreement pays compensation in the form of the insured amount.

Attention! The contract is regulated by Russian Federation Law No. 4015-1 of November 27, 1992, which states that voluntary insurance is carried out on the basis of a contract and insurance rules that determine the conditions and procedure for its implementation.

Conditions of conclusion

The main parameters of the CASCO insurance agreement are the following provisions:

If these requirements are met, the car owner can count on concluding an agreement.

Read more about the conditions of insurance, requirements of the insurance company, the amount of payments under the CASCO policy, but you will find out what is needed to obtain this type of insurance in installments.

Step-by-step instruction

To ensure that the policyholder clearly understands exactly how the procedure for concluding an agreement is carried out, we recommend using the step-by-step actions presented below. It is also advisable to compare the cost of the policy from different insurance companies using.

Drawing up an application

The application can be drawn up in free form or according to a sample established in the specific insurance organization in which the agreement is concluded.

The form is filled out directly at the insurance company upon presentation of the necessary papers.

Provision of documents

The car owner must present the following list of documents:

• Original with a copy of the passport of a Russian citizen.
• Driver's license.
• Vehicle passport.
• Vehicle registration certificate.

Additionally, you will need to present the following documents:

• Diagnostic maintenance card.
• Receipts for payment for existing installations in the car that were installed outside the factory conditions.
• Power of attorney in case of purchase of CASCO by an authorized person, and not by the owner of the car.
• A power of attorney for the right to drive a vehicle to a citizen who is trusted by the car owner.
• When renewing an existing policy, presentation of previous insurance is required.

Reference: Before signing a contract, a vehicle that was not produced in the current year or has a mileage of over 100 km is subject to mandatory inspection.

The procedure is carried out during the daytime, and the car must be clean. The insurance amount is calculated taking into account the existing problems.

Completing the contract

The legislation of the Russian Federation establishes that The CASCO insurance contract must be drawn up in the form of a written document according to Art. 940 Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The document contains the main points found in almost all insurance organizations.

Let's find out what structural blocks the insurance policy as a whole consists of and learn how to correctly fill out each section separately.

Start

This part of the contract contains the following information:

1. Subject of the concluded agreement: the parties to the agreement are identified, and then their obligations are stated.
2. Object of insurance: it is a vehicle.
3. List of insured events: the main risks requiring compensation from the insurance company are indicated:
   • car damage;
   • hijacking;
   • commission of illegal actions by third parties;
   • fire;
   • explosion;
   • natural disasters;
   • entry of foreign objects into the vehicle and actions of animals.
4. Amounts existing under the insurance program - compensation, payments and bonuses.
5. Indication of the place, region, territory where car insurance is provided: territory of the Russian Federation or the CIS.
6. Duration of insurance: it is necessary to indicate the time of entry into force and termination of the contract. Moreover, not only the date is entered, but also the hours and minutes.
7. List of rights and obligations on the part of the insurer and the citizen.

Main part

The main part should contain:

Final part

It contains the remaining conditions with attachments, and also here the details of the policyholder and the insurer are indicated. Signatures are provided only if they are available.

Validity

Most often, citizens draw up an agreement for 12 months. However, if the car owner wishes, the contract can be issued for a period of less than 1 year. At the same time, the cost of insurance will become more expensive, since in this case CASCO is calculated on a monthly basis.

Important: The minimum term for concluding a contract is 1 month.

The date of entry into force of the insurance is considered to be the date of conclusion of the contract.

What does the document look like in the photo?

In the photo you can see an example of a CASCO policy:

When is refusal possible?

There are cases when insurers have the right to refuse to issue a CASCO agreement. Let's figure out when this happens.

1. Inconsistency of the vehicle in terms of functional and technical parameters: when the car is broken and requires major repairs or is old.
2. The driver has too little driving experience in his category.
3. If fraud is detected on the part of the policyholder. For example, when applying for insurance, it turns out that the car is going to be used as a taxi, and for this type of car the insurance company has its own rates and risk levels.
4. In case of unauthorized installation of any additional equipment on a vehicle that is not provided for by the factory design of a particular model. In fact, this fact is established in the absence of the necessary papers.
5. Unreasonable refusal of a franchise.
6. Detection of expired or false documents from the car owner.

Extension

The agreement can be extended in unlimited quantities. In this case, insurance organizations reward car owners who have become regular customers with some discounts. Favorable benefits are provided in case of continuous multiple renewals. Experts recommend contacting insurers 1 month before the contract actually expires.

For this purpose, the car owner must arrive in an insured vehicle at the insurance organization and submit an application in writing. After this, the expert will examine the car and give an opinion. Then the cost of CASCO insurance is calculated, as well as the amount of the contribution payable by the policyholder.

Important: Extension is not possible when the owner of the car changes or the car itself changes.

Termination

It takes into account possible insurance events for which the car owner will receive compensation. Of course, the cost of the insurance policy is high, but according to CASCO statistics, the payment to the client is most competent.

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

CASCO is a type of voluntary vehicle insurance. The main function is comprehensive protection against theft, theft, arson, and other situations that cause damage to the vehicle. The CASCO insurance form differs from that provided for compulsory motor liability insurance and has a more expanded list of items. In order to avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is important to know what a CASCO policy is, what it looks like and how to distinguish it from a fake.

Note. Each company has its own CASCO policy - what it looks like and in what design it is presented depends on the preferences of the policyholder. However, there are some points provided for by law, and they must be present in the document.

CASCO policy - what it looks like in different insurance companies

What does CASCO look like and what features does it have? The form itself can be white, light yellow, light pink, light blue. In addition, there may be other shades. There are no special requirements for what a CASCO insurance policy looks like, so everything depends on the insurance company providing the service.

The difference is in the barcodes - one company applies one, and another two. Each of them carries certain information - general information about the policy, the policyholder, driver data, the amount of the sum insured and much more. Below is a CASCO policy, the photo of which will clearly show the features of the document. At the same time, you can compare the samples yourself and see the differences between the forms of different insurers.

The original CASCO policy form always looks presentable. It is made of thick paper and has barcodes, holograms and other “decorative” elements. As a rule, the more reputable the company, the more different distinctive signs on the document.

Note. If the client does not know how to correctly fill out the CASCO policy, you can ask the insurance agent for a sample. Two copies must be filled out - one remains with the policyholder, the second is taken by the owner of the vehicle. In this case, both documents must be identical.

Mandatory clauses in the CASCO insurance policy

The CASCO insurance policy, a sample of which is issued for review by each company, must be filled out correctly and contain the following items:

Information about the policyholder's company (name of organization, contact details, legal address). 2. Last name, first name and patronymic of the client. 3. Details of the vehicle owner.

• Full name of the person who will receive compensation upon the occurrence of an insured event.
• Complete information about the vehicle (make, model, year of manufacture, body color, number, etc.).
• Region of insurance coverage.
• List of persons allowed to drive the insured vehicle.
• Sum insured.
• Full list of insurance cases.
• Additional information (franchise, presence of an anti-theft system and other nuances).
• Conditions provided for payment of compensation.
• Duration of the insurance agreement between the company and the client.
• Date, signatures of both parties and necessarily the company seal. Without it, the policy is invalid.

Not everyone knows what CASCO insurance looks like and how to fill it out correctly, so insurance agents often take on this task. After filling out the form, you need to check the information entered as carefully as possible to eliminate any errors.

How to distinguish an original CASCO policy from a fake

It’s not enough to just know what a CASCO policy looks like; you also need to be able to distinguish an original from a fake. Sometimes this is extremely difficult to do, since “traditional craftsmen” approach their task responsibly and make a high-quality copy. However, there are still differences. A non-original CASCO form can be determined by factors such as:

• Empty required fields are the name of the policyholder, his contacts and legal address.
• Lack of original signature, “wet” seal and complete information about the insured object.
• Big discount (more than 10-15%). 4. The presence of erasures and erased characters/letters in the form.

The authenticity of the organization’s identifier (TIN) and license are publicly available on the Central Bank resource. This means that the consumer can go to the Central Bank website, find the “Check financial market participant” section and enter the TIN of the insurer’s company in the required field. In addition, there is a special database of lost forms. There you can check whether the document that is offered to the client under the guise of the original policy has not been cancelled.

Note. An example of a CASCO form can be found on the website and at any time you can compare it with what one or another insurance company offers you. If there are any doubts about the authenticity of the document, it is better to contact another organization. What points to pay special attention to

When choosing a company, be sure to pay attention to such points as:

• List of insurance risks. The more there are, the better.
• Deadlines for payment of compensation. Many companies indicate “vague” information in this paragraph. If the contract does not specify the exact terms of compensation for damage, it makes sense to contact another policyholder.
• The procedure for determining the amount of compensation. If the damage is assessed by an independent expert, the payment may be less than the damages. It is better to give preference to those companies where repair costs are calculated by a service station specialist.
• List of risks that do not provide for payment. Often the contract stipulates that compensation for damage is not provided if the radio is broken, the policy holder is to blame for the accident, etc. Please read this list carefully. Often it is so large that the benefits of CASCO are lost.

In order to avoid controversial situations in the event of an insured event, clarify all the necessary nuances before signing the agreement, and not after. This will help you get a policy on the most favorable terms and fully protect your vehicle.

What to do if you were deceived?

If, after purchasing a service from a dealer, it turns out that the CASCO policy form is not original, the victim can only submit a statement to the police department regarding fraud. Unfortunately, in such a situation you should not count on payment of compensation - this policy has no force. The only way out is to take out insurance from another company.

To protect yourself, be sure to ask the insurance company for an example of the CASCO form and carefully check it for any suspicious elements. This is especially true in cases where the service is arranged through intermediaries at home. Knowing what a CASCO policy looks like in the original, you can roughly understand whether it is a fake or not. In addition, remember - a self-respecting company provides insurance services only in an office environment. Completing documents on your knees is always suspicious.

– a voluntary type of insurance. Each insurance company has its own set of services included in the policy.

What does a CASCO policy look like: form and completed sample insurance document

The legislation does not stipulate what appearance and form a CASCO policy should have, that is, insurance companies themselves decide this issue, which makes CASCO vulnerable to forgery and fraud.

This document must be executed on special paper that has the following qualities:

• there are protective fibers;
• there are watermarks;
• details of the organization issuing the policy (at the top of the form);
• barcodes;
• information about the issued license;
• wet seal of the organization and signature of the employee.

Attention! Both copies of the contract must be identical!

The form itself must contain the following information:

• car data (make, color, year, license plate number);
• owner details;
• territory of the agreement;
• , which are subject to compensation for damage under insurance;
• data of persons entitled to drive a car;
• date of conclusion and ;
• conditions and ;
• signature of the car owner and authorized person.

Below we will provide a photo or text document containing a completed CASCO policy form.

First of all, you should pay attention to the quality of the form.

If it is made on ordinary office paper, then you should refrain from insurance, since reputable companies themselves are interested in protection against fraud, so they use only high-quality forms. Although there may be problems here, since there is no single model for CASCO, and it is difficult by eye.

You can download a completed sample CASCO insurance policy here.

You can download the CASCO form here.

Photo of the CASCO policy

How to distinguish from a fake?

Before concluding a contract and paying, you need to make sure that the information about the insurance company and the specific form is accurate. To do this, you first need to check the number against the database of lost forms.

IMPORTANT: Next, the registration number of the insurance company and the availability of a license are checked on the Central Bank website. You can call the company's representative office and check on the employee offering to conclude an agreement. The company itself is obliged to provide all data.

You can find out more about how to check your CASCO policy.

What facts should raise doubts:

1. high discount (more than 10%);
2. it is proposed to conclude an agreement not in the official office of the company;
3. the agent agrees to enter into an agreement even if one of the required documents is missing;
4. The form is not completely filled out; there are typos or errors.

If there is even the slightest suspicion about the “purity” of the transaction, then it is better to refuse the services of the insurer. To reduce possible risks, it is better to conclude such transactions only in the official office, where you can check all the information about both the insurance agent and the company. Fraudsters, as a rule, do not have their own offices and are reluctant to share personal information, such as passport details or registration.

Read in detail about the nuances of the procedure for applying for a CASCO policy.

People are inherently gullible, so various types of fraud remain profitable at all times. The insurance industry is no exception: there are scammers here too. Some create “fly-by-night” insurance companies, others sell fake policies, others sell stolen, written off or unaccounted for policy forms, and so on. How to protect yourself from scammers?

The most rational answer to this question is: you shouldn’t buy insurance anywhere.

You wouldn’t buy an apartment in a gateway from an unknown guy, would you? Then why do you give a lot of money to unverified people in the hope of thousands of dollars in protection for your car in the future? To avoid problems with fake or invalid CASCO policies, it makes sense to listen to the recommendations of experts.

We reduce risks before purchasing a CASCO policy

How to recognize a dangerous insurer or a fake CASCO policy?

To do this, it is advisable to visit the offices of selected insurance companies. Here you can see what the CASCO policy of this insurer looks like and ask a lot of questions, looking it in the eyes. CASCO is a voluntary type of insurance that does not provide standard policies that are uniform for all companies. That is why it is advisable to find out at the company’s representative office what their form looks like in order to subsequently be able to distinguish a fake.

Each CASCO policy has its own degrees of protection, for example:

• Special paper with security fibers.
• Watermarks on paper.
• At the top of the form is a logo indicating details that can be checked.
• Various barcodes and other signs.
• And obligatory - wet seals of the company with signatures of responsible persons, affixed by hand.

When you come to the insurance company's representative office, ask for free access to the following information:

• Phone numbers and email addresses of the company where you can contact.
• Full name of managers.
• Company registration number (TIN).
• Number and date of issue of the license with all attachments indicating the permitted types of insurance services.
• Bank details.

In addition, just in case, you can familiarize yourself with the insurance rules of this company and ask how quickly payments are made for insured events. Accordingly, upon returning home, you can check on the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation whether this company has a license. This will be enough not to be afraid to buy an invalid CASCO policy from this insurer.

If you apply for a CASCO policy in the office, you can personally verify that all the necessary stamps and signatures are affixed by the responsible persons. If you purchase insurance from an agent outside the office of the insurance company, it is advisable to know in advance what the policy looks like, the seal and signature of the head of the insurer.

Please note that the second copy of the document must be identical to the first.

Fill out the policy together with the agent, specifying his details and company phone numbers. Needless to say, you should never put your signature on a blank CASCO policy form.

How to identify a possible forgery?

How can you tell if an offer from an insurance agent is suspicious? If he promises too big a discount, this should alert you. The main interest of the insurer or its representative lies in receiving an insurance premium from the car owner. At the same time, discounts when purchasing a CASCO policy are costs of the insurance company that need to be compensated somehow. As they say: nothing personal, just business! Commissions on CASCO insurance contracts rarely reach 20% of the payment amount. Therefore, if an agent offers a discount of 10% or more, this could be for one of the following reasons:

1. This is a fraudster.
2. The insurance company is a classic financial pyramid. In other words, the lack of funds for current payments forces the insurer to attract customers (and their money) using such unviable methods. This is a sure sign of a going bankrupt company.
3. The agent works for a car dealer, and the discount on car insurance in this case is positioned as an additional bonus for the client. In other words, a large discount is provided without a catch and is used to achieve marketing goals (forming a more advantageous offer for the car buyer; as a result, the seller will earn money not on insurance, but on the sale of the car and its further maintenance).
4. This insurance company has an overly aggressive pricing policy, which will objectively lead to problems in the future. These problems will subsequently certainly affect the clients of such an insurer.
5. The real discount is 5-7%, the rest of it is “gained” due to various restrictions on insurance coverage and various clauses in the contract.

In each of these cases, you should not lose your head from joy or despair. First, you need to thoroughly understand what exactly is involved in the offer to buy a CASCO policy cheaply. Always follow the above plan and be sure to rely on your own knowledge and care.

What to do if you suspect an agent of fraud?

Unfortunately, not all insurance companies pay due attention to issues of economic security. Some insurers' representative offices do not take effective measures to control the quality of their services.

If the agent is not trustworthy for any reason, you can simply refuse to cooperate with him and turn to another specialist. When meeting with a broker or agent outside the company’s office, it is best to immediately ask for a passport and write down his personal data, and then ask for (and write down) his contact information (residence address, social media page, phone number, work address, etc.). ) By his reaction to this request, you can understand whether it is worth concluding a deal with such an agent.

Almost all insurance companies issue powers of attorney to their employees for the right to enter into contracts, which contain passport data, circle of responsibility and limits on insurance amounts. Before applying for a CASCO policy, study this document and find out whose interests the employee represents - an insurance company or some kind of broker. If in doubt, take photographs of the documents, call the insurance company or broker, and ask whether this employee really works there.

Analysis of the appearance of the policy form

What does a CASCO policy look like?

Today in Russia there is a rather alarming situation with fake OSAGO policies. Every year thousands of fakes pop up on the market. In fact, no one is safe from them. Fraudsters also fake CASCO insurance policies. And again, anyone can face a similar problem.

You can always find a sample CASCO policy on the websites of insurance companies. However, it is important to understand that the contract is not the only document regulating the rights and obligations of the insurance company and policyholders. Traditionally, insurance consists of two important parts: a CASCO insurance policy and insurance rules. As in any agreement, the CASCO policy form indicates:

• Information about the policyholder (the one who pays for the insurance).
• Full name of the car owner.
• Data of the beneficiary (the entity or organization that will receive the payment during the insurance event).
• The territory in which this agreement is valid.
• Vehicle data.
• List of insurance risks covered by the contract.
• The so-called sum insured (the maximum amount of liability of the insurance company under the contract).
• List of persons allowed to drive a car.
• Additional terms of the agreement (payment procedure, deductible, etc.).
• Contract time.
• Details, signatures of the parties.
• Insurer's stamp.

Typically, a CASCO policy is a form on special branded paper with protective elements. In turn, the “Insurance Rules” are detailed instructions for the policyholder, which outlines all the terms of the relationship between the parties to the contract. Of course, the same insurance rules apply to CASCO policies purchased online. Most importantly, make sure that the contract contains all the necessary information, as well as original signatures and seals.

What in the policy should be checked especially carefully?

There are no universal methods for calculating fake policies, but perhaps one piece of advice can be given. Before applying for a CASCO policy, ask the agent for the policy form number and receipt number. Next, dial the number of the insurance company and try to find out if the insurer has forms with such numbers in the database. Also find out who these documents belong to, and do not forget to ask the person who provides this information to introduce himself. Write down all the information on paper and save it with your CASCO policy. Such information is usually enough to protect yourself. If it turns out that such a number does not exist in the database, then there is nothing further to talk with this agent.

When filling out the forms, do not forget to check the CASCO policy. Carefully read everything that is printed, as well as everything entered using a computer and written by hand.

Checking the CASCO policy is very important, because if significant errors are made, the policy may subsequently be declared invalid.

The CASCO policy form does not indicate the conditions under which the insurance company may refuse to pay, but such information is in the insurance rules. Usually, gross violation of traffic rules, driving while intoxicated, and other similar circumstances are indicated as reasons for refusal. It is important to remember that some insurers add rather unexpected clauses to this section, which are often written in small print. That's why you should carefully review the terms and conditions of your insurance before you sign.

After purchasing a CASCO policy

How to check the authenticity of a CASCO policy?

By the time the contract is signed, it is necessary to sufficiently rely on the reliability of the insurer and its agents, but it also does not hurt to check the CASCO policy for authenticity. In addition, at this stage it is a good idea to check the contract again to ensure it is filled out correctly, and only then pay the premium. After signing the contract and paying the insurance premium, the policyholder must be given:

• Original payment receipt.
• Original policy.
• Insurance rules for the policy.
• Inspection report (if a pre-insurance inspection was carried out).
• A copy of the additional agreement (if one was drawn up).

It is advisable to slowly double-check all received documents and store them for the entire duration of the contract.

Is it possible to check CASCO insurance by policy number?

Each insurance company has its own database of CASCO policies. You can check your CASCO policy by number by calling the company’s hotline or on the Internet:

• Some insurers post a form on their official website where you can check the authenticity of your CASCO policy.
• Some insurance companies create a personal account for each client, where you can check your CASCO policy number at any time.

Is there a unified RSA database for verifying the authenticity of a CASCO policy?

While the OSAGO policy number can be checked in the unified RSA database, such a database does not exist for CASCO policies. The fact is that this is a voluntary type of insurance, therefore, RSA does not check CASCO policies. The lack of a single database for all companies complicates matters somewhat.

But there is also good news - each CASCO insurance policy has its own unique number entered into the insurer’s database. What does this mean for the policyholder? First of all, you can check the authenticity of your CASCO insurance policy by contacting the insurance company or on its official website.

What to do if a fake or invalid policy is discovered?

If, despite all your efforts, you purchase a fake CASCO policy, we recommend that you immediately contact the police. However, unfortunately, this insurance contract will no longer be useful. To regain insurance coverage, you will have to buy a new policy.

What to do if an error is found in the CASCO policy?

It was not in vain that we focused on the importance of repeatedly checking the CASCO policy and filling it out correctly. Errors in the CASCO policy can lead to serious consequences. For example, if one number is incorrectly indicated, it may be difficult to identify the car in an insurance case. It happens that because of this the payment is not made. There are cases when a bank did not accept a CASCO policy in cases where the insurer made even minor errors in the policy. Subsequently, the insured's arguments that the mistake was made by the insurance company's employees are not taken into account. Accordingly, you will have to seek the truth in court. That's why it's better to double-check everything several times. If an error is discovered, you should not wait for an insured event. Contact your insurer immediately for corrections.

Choosing an insurance company is a responsible step

When choosing a company, you should not be guided only by reasoning or persuasion like:

• This insurance company has entered into an agreement with the dealer from whom I purchase the car, which means it is good.
• This insurance company has the lowest insurance cost.
• This company is highly praised by managers at the car dealership.
• The company is state-owned, so I like it.
• There are so many good reviews about this insurance company on the Internet.
• My friends were insured there - they liked it.

We offer a number of criteria for choosing an insurance company:

• The company has been operating in the insurance market for at least seven years at the time of conclusion of the contract.
• Included in the list of the 50 largest insurance companies in Russia in terms of fees.
• The insurer's shareholders include a number of large legal entities.
• The insurance premium for CASCO/MTPL is no more than 50% of the company’s total income for the reporting year.
• Authorized capital of at least 300 million rubles.
• Expert RA rating “A” or higher.
• Availability of quality control service.
• The level of payments (the ratio of payments to collections for the reporting period) is no more than 37%.
• A clean history of insurance activities (no license restrictions from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation or serious warnings from the RSA).

Manipulations with CASCO policy

Is it possible to add an additional driver to the policy?

To change the list of drivers under the contract, the following factors must be taken into account:

• How much time is left until the end of the contract?
• Driving experience and age of the new driver. If this person has more experience than all previously registered drivers, then perhaps this will not affect the cost of insurance.

If a CASCO insurance policy is concluded on standard terms, then the amount of additional payment is often small. Typically, the company calculates the price of the policy for the year, taking into account the new conditions, and the cost of the original policy is deducted from this amount. Next, the resulting difference is multiplied by the remaining term of the contract and divided by the number of days in a year.

To make changes to the CASCO policy, you need to contact your insurance company or agent and draw up an additional agreement, which is signed by both parties and stored along with all documents until the end of the CASCO policy.

Is it possible to return insurance and get part of the insurance premium back?

Like any other contract, the CASCO policy can be terminated before the end of its validity period at the request of one of the parties. This procedure is carried out on the basis of the “Insurance Rules” and has its own nuances. If early termination of a CASCO policy occurs at the will of the policyholder, then to do this, you should contact the insurance company with a termination application. In this case, the insurer has no right to refuse.

Listed below are some features of the relationship between the parties to the CASCO insurance contract that everyone should know about:

• The basis for termination of the CASCO agreement (according to Article 958 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation) is the irreversible loss of the car from an event that is not an insurance event. Some insurance companies do not cover a car fire caused by faulty electrical wiring under the CASCO policy. That is, an event occurred, the car was lost, the risk of insured events occurring in the future is excluded, therefore, the contract terminates. In this case, the insurance company is obliged to return part of the funds paid by the policyholder when concluding the contract. The time remaining until the expiration of the policy is compensated, and in this case the calculation is made by days or full months (the law specifies that an incomplete month is considered a full one). If the insurance rules say that the company makes deductions for the costs of conducting the business or withholds previously paid compensation, you can try to defend your interests in court.
• In all other cases (i.e. termination of the CASCO contract at the request of the policyholder, when the car is not lost), the insurance payment is returned only if such a procedure is specified in the contract. The insurer can set a refund of the premium reduced by the amount of payments, or it can completely return the remaining part of the premium - everything that is written in the rules and in the contract will be legal. True, very ambiguous judicial practice has developed in resolving such issues.
• If, when selling a car, the company intends to retain almost the entire premium, it is not necessary to terminate the CASCO policy early. You can try to sell it to the new owner along with the car. This must be reported to the insurer with an application for amendments to the contract. However, it is worth considering that some companies may refuse to satisfy such a client’s request.
• It is very important to know that the insurance company can initiate termination of the contract if the degree of insured risk has changed, but the car owner refuses to pay extra for it.

From all of the above, we can draw an important conclusion: read the insurance rules before purchasing a policy, and also when you are planning to terminate the CASCO insurance contract.

Is it really profitable to buy a CASCO policy in installments?

If it is important to buy a CASCO policy as cheaply as possible, it is better to refuse installment plans altogether. True, sometimes there are cases when a policy is needed today, but there is simply not enough money for it. Then it makes sense to take out a CASCO policy “on credit” and spread out the payment over time.

Moreover, if an insured event occurs, the insurer may make an incomplete payment. As an alternative, the policyholder may be offered to fully repay the debt in installments, and after that the insurer will make a full payment. All these subtleties are stipulated in the insurance contract. However, you need to understand that those who purchase a CASCO policy in installments, when an insured event occurs, often find themselves in a less advantageous position than the policyholder who paid for the policy in one payment.