Carshare test: insurance companies cannot find a policy and refuse to pay
Insurance companies refuse to compensate car owners for CTP for a crashed car. At least one such case is already known due to difficulties with synchronizing vehicle data in the NSIS system. Earlier, Izvestia wrote that for the same reason, motorists may face fines for lack of CTP, but the camera verification mechanism has not yet entered into force. Nevertheless, the problems turned out to be closer than previously thought.
On November 6, 2025, a Geely Coolray crossover in the Yandex livery flew into the Mazda of Alina K., a resident of the Moscow Region (name changed), which was left in a permitted parking lot. Drive." The culprit of the accident fled to the scene, and the Kulray check in the National Insurance Information System (NSIS) according to the state registration number showed that at the time of the incident, the CTP policy for the carsharing vehicle had the status "Terminated". The operator of the short-term rental service claimed that there is a CTP.
The VIN situation
Later, Izvestia established that there was still a car policy, but a different one. It was issued with a VIN number, and according to the license plate number of the car, this policy could not be found in the NSIS system. The press service of the insurance company that issued the contracts confirmed the availability of these policies on Geely Coolray: terminated and valid at the time of the accident.
The press service of the NSIS told Izvestia that currently, when concluding a CTP contract, insurers transmit information to the system on at least one vehicle identifier. This can be the license plate number, VIN, as well as the body number or chassis number. If the VIN of the vehicle (vehicle) has not been transferred, then when searching for information in the system, you will not be able to find the CTP policy for it.
Experts interviewed by Izvestia considered that difficulties with data synchronization would lead to the mass distribution of fines when the OSAGO check using cameras would be launched.
"There is no obligation to search"
However, the problems turned out to be closer, and the carsharing story described above had a sequel. The insurance company of the owner of the Mazda that was wrecked in an accident did not find a valid CTP policy for a carsharing car at the time of the incident.
In the letter (a copy is available to Izvestia) The insurer indicated that it had no grounds for compensation and recommended that they seek compensation directly from the harm-doer.
— The insurance company proceeds from the information in the accident documents. If the vehicle is no longer insured by a particular company, then there is no obligation for this insurance company to look for other valid contracts for the vehicle. The requirements regarding which information items the insurer verifies the fact that the liability of the harm—doer is insured have not been established," the press service of the Russian Union of Motor Insurers (RSA) explained to Izvestia.
A policy search by VIN is available, but the vehicle identifier must be specified in the accident documents so that it can be searched, explained Roman Lobodin, director of the AlfaStrakhovanie Compulsory Insurance Department.
What should an accident victim do?
In this situation, the victim can contact the carsharing company and ask for the data of the current CTP agreement in relation to the vehicle of the culprit, the RSA advises. If this action fails, you can get the information from the NSIS and then apply to the UK with a statement.
The victim should request from "his" insurance company to request the correct VIN number from the insurer of the culprit, Renaissance Insurance recommends. In case of refusal, it is advisable to contact the financial ombudsman or request the policy number from the carsharing operator yourself.
The procedure for the actions of the victim who disagrees with the decision of the insurer is described in Article 16.1 of the CTP law, the RSA said. If the victim does not agree with the insurer's decision, he/she submits a pre-trial claim to the company and attaches documents substantiating the victim's claim. If the insurer sends a refusal, then you need to contact the financial commissioner. If the FU's decision does not satisfy the victim again, he goes to court.
If it is confirmed that the insurer refused unreasonably, the victim has the right to expect payment of insurance compensation, a penalty, compensation for moral damage and a fine, Orest Matsala, a leading lawyer at the European Legal Service, told Izvestia.
Who will be found guilty?
The claim can be filed against several defendants at once: the culprit of the accident, the owner of the car and the insurance company. In accordance with art.1079 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for damage caused by a source of increased danger. If there is a lease agreement for a vehicle without a crew, the lessee is recognized as the defendant. If the carsharing company is unable to provide information about the tenant, then it will bear the responsibility itself.
If it is confirmed in court that the CTP policy was properly issued for the car, then the liability of up to 400 thousand rubles will fall on the insurer, and in the uncovered part on the owner of the car, who can be recognized as both the tenant and the landlord.
Due to the peculiarities of allowing drivers to access the vehicle, the courts most often recognize the tenant, the direct culprit of the accident, as the proper defendant, notes Orest Matsala.
To find the culprit, it is necessary to provide all available evidence to the traffic police as soon as possible: recordings from video recorders, recordings from surveillance cameras and photographs of damage, the Renaissance Insurance press service said. A carsharing company can also help in finding the culprit. When the culprit is identified and the CTP policy is issued, the fact that he fled the scene of the accident does not affect the payment — compensation will be transferred, the representative of the insurer added.
And if there is no CTP after all?
If the carsharing policy is not issued, it is impossible to receive compensation for CTP damage. This is a different situation from an emergency when an unidentified driver causes harm to health: then a compensation payment is paid from the RSA fund.
The limit is not applicable, since there is no insurance, which means that the guilty party is obliged to compensate for the full damage calculated on the basis of an expert assessment. It includes the cost of repairs, spare parts, materials and work, as well as lost profits if the car is used to generate income, and the cost of a representative in court.
According to established judicial practice, the responsibility for damage caused by a carsharing car is borne by the driver — the direct culprit of the accident, who was driving the car under a lease agreement. If for some reason the driver is unknown, then carsharing is responsible, Renaissance Insurance noted.
An unlikely case
The case when a carsharing car does not have a CTP policy is extremely unlikely, insurers interviewed by Izvestia note. Usually, registration with a VIN occurs when buying a new vehicle, before registering with the traffic police, they note. This is not a very common situation.
Igor Morzharetto, a member of the Presidium of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, also recalled the obligation of the car owner to inform the insurer about the license plate number of the car after its registration, as prescribed in the "Rules of Compulsory Insurance of civil Liability of vehicle Owners" approved by the Central Bank. According to this document, the motorist is given three days from the moment of registration of the vehicle with the State Traffic Inspectorate.
At the same time, the aforementioned Geely Coolray has been driving in carsharing livery since 2022, and it is unknown why his policy was issued with a VIN and license plate. Neither the carsharing company nor the leasing company that owns the car responded to Izvestia's request.
The RSA reported that in the first ten months of 2025, 77.1 thousand contracts were signed for vehicles whose purpose is rental or short-term rental. For the whole of 2024, 99.5 thousand contracts were issued for such machines.
— We have no guarantees that all rental or carsharing vehicles are insured with the correct reflection of the purpose of using the vehicle, — stated in the RSA.
In addition, the lack of synchronization between the identifiers of the same vehicle casts doubt on the statistics of insurers. Errors are possible in any system, even one that has cost billions of rubles, notes Igor Morzharetto.
— Moreover, the system is so complex and covers millions of cars. While there is time, we need to make adjustments to it," Morjaretto said.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
