# Kasko insurance and car theft: when it pays and when not _Updated: 8 November 2026_ **Short answer:** Kasko pays for car theft only if theft is in the package you bought. Even then it can refuse the theft if the car was unlocked, if the key was in the car, if you do not hand over all the keys or if an alarm listed in the policy was not switched on. > **The service we recommend: Car alarms** An alarm with a siren, and more expensive models add an app and GPS. We tell you the price when you tell us the model. [More about the service](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/car-alarm-installation) ## What kasko insurance is Kasko is voluntary insurance that pays for damage to your own car. Compulsory insurance pays only for damage you cause to others with your car. What kasko pays for depends on the package: a crash, fire, hail, storm, flood, theft. Full kasko insures the car as a whole. Partial kasko with some insurers covers only the glass, without theft. ## Does kasko cover car theft Not every kasko does. With some insurers the package covers everything except theft, and theft is an add-on agreed separately. Do not look at the name of the package. Look at whether „vehicle theft“ is on the list of risks, that is, of what is insured, in the policy. When you add theft, the insurer asks you to show all the keys you got with the car. If one is missing, the insurer decides whether it will accept theft at all. ## When kasko does not pay for theft Even when theft is in the package, kasko can refuse the theft in these cases: - **The car was unlocked:** Kasko insures the theft of a locked car. When you press the lock button, a thief can jam the key signal with a device, so the car stays unlocked and you do not notice. So after locking, pull the door handle. - **The key was in the car:** According to the Ministry of the Interior, from January to August 2023 more than half of the cars stolen in Belgrade were driven away with the key in the ignition. Take the key with you even when you step out briefly, and do not leave the engine running. - **You did not hand over all the keys:** When you report the theft, you hand over all the keys you got with the car and the fobs of an alarm listed in the policy. If one is missing, the insurer treats the car as unlocked. So keep the spare key at home, never in the car. - **You lost a key and did not change the locks:** When you lose a key or it is stolen, kasko requires you to change the locks, the keys and the alarm keys at your own cost, and to send it proof. Without that you lose the right to a payout for theft. [More about a lost key](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/car-key-programming) - **The alarm in the policy was not switched on:** If the alarm is listed in the policy, but at the time of the theft it was not switched on or did not work, kasko can refuse the theft. - **Someone from the family took the car:** Kasko does not pay for theft when the car was taken by a spouse, parent, child, brother, sister or someone who lives with you. - **The car has an altered VIN:** Kasko does not pay for damage to a car that turns out to have an altered VIN. So check a used car before you buy it. [More about a VIN check](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/vin-check) ## Alarm and kasko: a discount and a condition for theft An alarm sounds the siren when someone opens a door, hits or moves the car. More expensive alarms also tell you on your phone. With kasko an alarm can also mean this: - **A discount on kasko.** Some insurers give a discount on kasko if the car has an additional anti-theft device. [More about the kasko discount](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/kasko-discount) - **A condition for the insurer to accept theft.** For some cars the insurer accepts theft only when the car has an additional anti-theft device. This is a device that, when someone tries to steal the car, turns on the lights and siren or sends a message to your phone, and does not let the car move. Whether it accepts your device, the insurer decides when you sign the policy. - **List the alarm in the policy.** Kasko pays for equipment fitted after you bought the car only if it is listed in the policy. So after the alarm is fitted, tell the insurer and ask them to list it in the policy. An alarm with an engine lock sounds the siren and flashes the indicators when someone tries to steal the car, and the engine will not start without the small fob you carry. [More about alarm installation](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/services/car-alarm-installation) For a more expensive car, an immobiliser and GPS tracking go with the alarm. The immobiliser does not let the engine start without your fob, so it also stops a thief who has your key or makes a new one. GPS shows you where the car is. [More about theft protection](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/car-theft-protection) ## Report the theft straight away Report the theft to the police straight away, on 192. Some insurers ask you to report the theft to them within 24 hours, and by law at the latest within 3 days. The deadline is in the terms of your policy. [More about what to do when your car is stolen](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/car-stolen-what-to-do) ## How much and when kasko pays for a stolen car **How much and when kasko pays for a stolen car depends on** - **After 30 days:** kasko pays for the theft only if the car is not found within 30 days of the police report. - **The value of the car on the day of the theft:** kasko pays what the car was worth when it was stolen: the price of the same new car, reduced by the age of the car. This is not the price you paid. - **The excess is deducted:** the excess is the part of the damage you pay yourself, if you agreed one. When the damage is smaller than the excess, for example a stolen mirror, you get nothing. - **What you hand over before the payout:** the registration document, all the original keys and the policy. - **Payout deadline:** by law the insurer pays no later than 14 days after the report. When the insurer needs time to establish the damage, the 14 days count from the day it establishes that it owes you and how much. If the amount is still not established 14 days after the report, at your request it must pay you the part that is not in dispute. - **The policy ends:** after the payout for a stolen car the policy ends. For a new car you take out a new policy. ## Is kasko valid abroad Kasko usually applies in Europe, and some insurers leave out Russia and Turkey. An insurer can also exclude theft for certain countries, and this is written in the terms you get with the policy. [More about your car on holiday](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/car-theft-on-holiday) ## What to ask before you sign the policy Ask the insurer and get the answers in writing: - Does the package cover vehicle theft, or is theft an add-on? - Which keys must I show now, and which must I hand over after a theft? - Do you require an additional anti-theft device for my car, and which ones do you accept? - Do I get a discount for an alarm? - How big is the excess for theft? - In which countries does the policy cover theft? ## If the insurer refuses the claim Send the insurer a written complaint: by post, by email or at one of its offices. The insurer must answer you in writing within 15 days. It may extend the deadline by at most 15 more days, but it must tell you. If you are not happy with the answer, send a complaint to the National Bank of Serbia, no later than 6 months after the answer. You fill in the complaint on the form on the National Bank of Serbia website, and attach your complaint to the insurer and its answer. The complaint costs you nothing. If you need help, call the National Bank of Serbia Info Centre on 0800 111 110. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does kasko pay for stolen car parts? Yes, if theft is in the package. The excess is deducted from the payout. With some insurers keys and hubcaps are not insured even then. ### Does kasko pay for things stolen from the car? Kasko pays for the car, the equipment fitted at the factory and equipment listed in the policy. With some insurers luggage can be added separately, for an extra charge, and even then money, jewellery, phones and cameras are not insured. ### What if the stolen car is found? If it is found before the payout, you take the car back, and kasko pays for the damage to it. If it is found after the payout, the insurer takes the car. You can get it back if you return the amount paid to the insurer, at prices on the day you take it back. The exact rule is in the terms of your policy. ### Until when can I claim a payout from kasko? By law the right to a kasko payout lasts 3 years. The time counts from 1 January after the year in which the right arose. Still, report a theft straight away, because the reporting deadlines are short. ### Does kasko pass to the new owner when I sell the car? No. When you sell the car, kasko ends. If there was no claim, the insurer returns part of the premium, the money you paid for the policy, for the remaining time, when you ask for it in writing. Have a question about your car? Message us on WhatsApp or call 067 774 1606. ## Read also - [Car theft in Serbia: 9 ways thieves steal a car](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/how-cars-are-stolen-in-serbia) - [OBD car theft: how thieves make a new key](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/obd-car-theft) - [Keyless theft (relay attack): how it works, how to stop it](https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/keyless-car-theft) --- Page on the website: https://autoindustrija.rs/en/advice/comprehensive-insurance-car-theft auto-industrija, Belgrade. Phone and WhatsApp: +381677741606. E-mail: kontakt@autoindustrija.rs.