First check that you did not leave the car somewhere else
The car often turns up in the next street, or it was towed away. Before you call the police, do this:
- Remember where you last parked the car and which way you walked off.
- Walk the whole block and the nearby streets.
- Ask the people you live with whether one of them took the car.
- In Belgrade check whether the car was towed. On the Parking servis website, in the section „Gde mi je pauk preneo auto“ (where was my car towed), enter the registration number, or call 11-0-11. You collect a towed car with your ID card and registration document.
If the car is not in any of these places, it has probably been stolen. Call the police straight away.
Call the police on 192
Call the police straight away. Give the duty officer a clear description of the car and as many details as you can. Tell them in order:
- the registration number, make, model, colour and year
- where you left the car and when you last saw it
- what makes the car stand out: a scratch, a sticker, a roof rack, the wheels
- whether the key or the registration document was left in the car
- whether the car has GPS and where it is now
Ask for a confirmation of the report or the police record. The insurer asks for this paper with the theft claim.
You can share a photo of the car and the plates on social media, but only after you have reported the theft to the police.
What are the chances the car is found
According to the Ministry of the Interior, about 4 out of 5 cars stolen with the key in the ignition are found. Cars stolen without the key are found less often. A GPS device shows where the car is. More about GPS vehicle tracking
If the car has GPS, give the location to the police
Give the location to the police, and tell them again when the car moves. If the police ask for access to the app, so they can follow the car themselves, give it to them.
Do not go to the car yourself. You do not know who is with it and what they will do when they see you.
The app also keeps the trip history: where the car went and where it stopped. Save screenshots showing the location and time. The police and the insurer will need them.
If you have an engine block with the GPS, switch it on from the app. Once the thief turns the car off, the engine can no longer be started.
Tell your insurer straight away
By law you must tell your insurer within 3 days of learning about the theft. Some insurers ask you to report the theft to the police and to them within 24 hours, and to send a written report within 3 days. The deadline is in the terms of your policy.
If you are late and the insurer suffers a loss because of it, it can reduce your payout by that much. First tell the insurer about the theft by phone or in person, then confirm it in writing, on the insurer's form. Also confirm in writing everything you agree on the phone.
Comprehensive cover (kasko) can refuse a theft if:
- the car was unlocked or the key was inside
- the alarm listed in the policy was not switched on or did not work
- you do not hand over all the keys you got with the car and the fobs of the alarm listed in the policy, because the insurer then treats the car as unlocked
- you lost a key or had it stolen before the theft and did not change the locks and keys
What to prepare for the insurer
Before paying out, the insurer asks for:
- all the keys you got with the car, including the spare
- the fobs of the alarm listed in the policy
- the registration document
- the kasko policy
- the confirmation of the report or the police record
If the registration document was left in the car, tell the police. Your name and address are on it. Also report the missing registration document at the vehicle registration desk of the MUP (the police). You get a confirmation that stands in for the registration document until the new one arrives, for 30 days at most.
When kasko pays and what if the car is found
What kasko pays: it depends on whether the car is found
- Not found within 30 days of the report: kasko pays what the car was worth on the day of the theft, less the excess, if you agreed one. After the payout the policy ends.
- Found before the payout: you take it back and kasko pays for the damage to it.
- Found after the payout: the insurer takes the car. You can get it back if you return the amount paid, at prices on the day you take it back.
The excess is the part of the damage you pay yourself.
When you get the car back, a key the thief took or made still starts it. We delete the keys you do not have from the car, if your car allows it. A deleted key no longer starts the engine. More about a lost key · More about the car locksmith
If you do not have kasko
Compulsory insurance does not pay for the theft of your car. It only pays for damage you cause to others with your car. Without kasko everything depends on whether the car is found.
That is why GPS matters most when there is no kasko. More about GPS tracking
Stolen wheels, headlights or plates
The steps are the same: the police on 192, then the insurer. Tell the police which items are missing, because the insurer asks for that in the report. Kasko pays for stolen parts if theft is in the package you bought, and the excess is deducted from the payout.
Photograph everything from several sides, both the spot and the damage.
Do not repair the car until the insurer has inspected it.
With some insurers, if the assessor from the insurer, who inspects the damage, does not come within 5 working days of the written claim, you may start the repair with photos and a damage record.
If the plates were stolen, you get new ones after the report. The same registration number cannot be issued again for 2 years.
Car stolen abroad
Call the local police and ask for a record or a confirmation of the report. With the theft claim, the insurer asks for a police document from the country where the car was stolen. Kasko usually applies in Europe, but the insurer can exclude theft for some countries. More about your car on holiday
How the car disappeared and what protects it next time
Which protection helps depends on how the car was stolen. Find your case:
The key was left in the carTake the key with you even when you step out for a moment, and do not leave the engine running.
The car was not locked, although you pressed the buttonWhen you press the lock button, a thief can jam the key signal with a device, so the car stays unlocked. After locking, pull the door handle.
No broken glass, and you have all the keysThe thief may have caught the signal of a keyless key, which unlocks and starts the car while it is in your pocket. Or he made a new key through the OBD port under the steering wheel, the way a mechanic does. An immobiliser stops both: the engine does not start without a small fob you carry with you, even when the thief has your key or makes a new one. More about the immobiliser
OBD protection also stops key making through the OBD port. More about OBD protection
A key pouch also helps against keyless theft, because it blocks the signal. More about keyless theft
GPS does not prevent theft, but it shows where the car is. For a more expensive car, GPS goes with the immobiliser. More about theft protection
