Unmanned mode: Russia launches new car insurance against drone attacks
Insurers began to launch special policies to protect cars from damage during UAV attacks, organizations told Izvestia. New products appeared after the growing demand for such protection. So, RESO-Garantia started selling the instrument at the end of July, and Absolut Insurance is going to start in September. VSK is also planning a launch. In most cases, standard casco policies do not cover drone damage. Now companies have started offering separate protection costing from 3,000 to 8,000 rubles. In which cases the driver will receive a payment under the new insurance, see the Izvestia article.
What new car insurance are appearing in the Russian Federation
The demand for insurance against drone attacks is growing in Russia, market participants told Izvestia. To satisfy him, the largest players have started launching special policies for car owners that cover damage from drone strikes.
This risk is included in the voluntary car insurance (CASCO) agreement for only a few companies. Basically, damage to vehicles from a UAV attack is not included in the standard coverage, since such events are classified as a terrorist act. At the same time, companies may additionally include the risks of "terrorism" and "sabotage" in the contract, the All-Russian Union of Insurers (VSS) said.
Against this background, market participants have begun to launch specialized policies that protect against these risks. For example, at the end of July, RESO-Garantia introduced a product that covers damage caused by UAV attacks, said Pavel Yakovlev, deputy director of the company's retail insurance department. He stressed that interest in insurance is growing — in the second half of August, the company sold 2.4 times more such policies than in the first two weeks after the launch.
The price of such protection starts from 4 thousand per year, and the insured amount is up to 1 million rubles. The policy covers damage caused by the fall of drones and their parts, aircraft or building elements, as well as damage related to these events. This includes paying for the evacuation of cars as a result of such incidents, the company added.
Absolut Insurance also plans to launch a product in September that will insure a car in case of UAV attacks. It will be possible to issue it separately from CASCO and CTP, the company clarified.
The cost of the policy varies from 3-8 thousand rubles per year, depending on the insured amount — 400 thousand, 1 million or 2 million rubles. An insured event will be considered damage or complete death of a car due to the effects of drones, their parts or debris, if the incident is classified as a terrorist attack or sabotage.
The VSK press service also announced plans to launch a separate product. The new policy will protect housing and transport from attacks together or separately, they said. Izvestia asked the Central Bank for comment.
Earlier, the market began to develop boxed solutions more often. These may include hard hat policies with reduced coverage. For example, with a large number of exceptions or a deductible (when a person in any case independently covers part of the damage). Now insurers are moving from adapting existing products to developing individual specialized policies.
The willingness of insurers to take on the risk of damage to UAV vehicles is linked to the growing demand and accumulated statistics of such cases, said Irina Frank, co-founder of Frank Auto. In addition, a separate product allows the company to assess the risk more accurately.: she sets the payment limit, the insurance territory, the list of covered events and exclusions, and then calculates the cost of the policy, the expert explained.
Who would need such a policy?
The justification for buying a separate policy for a car depends on the region. For drivers from quiet areas, at a cost of 3-8 thousand rubles per year, its purchase may be impractical, says economist Olga Gogaladze. In border areas and cities that are regularly attacked, such protection is more relevant, especially for expensive cars: repairs after shrapnel can cost over half a million rubles.
At the same time, in Moscow, the Moscow region, St. Petersburg and other large cities, such a policy can find a significant audience precisely because of the low price, says Irina Frank from Frank Auto.
In her opinion, the mass appeal will strongly depend on the simplicity of the product. If a person gets a clear limit, a clear description of the insured event and a simple payment procedure, then the policy can sell very well. A large number of exceptions and a complicated event confirmation procedure will quickly reduce customer interest, the expert added.
Before buying a policy, you need to carefully read the contract. Depending on the program, exceptions to coverage may include military operations, certain territories, violation of the deadline for notifying the insurer, and damage beyond the established limit. At the same time, it is important to take into account the formulations "UAV crash", "terrorist act", "sabotage" and "military actions" — these are different insurance risks, despite the external similarity of events, Irina Frank drew attention.
In addition, car owners need to be prepared to confirm an insured event — in a situation with drones, this is more difficult than in a hijacking or an accident. The company will need to be documented with information from official sources — for example, a certificate from the police, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the municipality administration or an act of inspection of the scene will be suitable, Olga Gogaladze explained. The document should indicate that the damage was caused by the fall or impact of the drone or its debris. If there were surveillance cameras nearby, then these recordings may also be useful.
It is important that the connection between the damage and the drone is recorded. The expert warned that if the document only states "damage by unknown objects," the insurance company may refuse to pay, as the cause of the damage will not be determined.
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