Who pays: motor liability or kasko
Motor third-party liability insurance (liikluskindlustus) is compulsory in Estonia and covers damage your car causes to others. If you are the injured party, the at-fault driver's insurer pays for your repair – no deductible, and you have the legal right to choose the workshop. If you caused the accident, only your own comprehensive (kasko) policy repairs your car.
Kasko is voluntary and covers your own car regardless of fault, minus the deductible in your policy (usually 100–500 €). Most kasko policies also cover towing and a courtesy car.
If the at-fault driver was uninsured or fled and was never identified, the Estonian Motor Insurance Bureau (LKF) compensates the injured party. In that case calling the police is mandatory.
At the scene – 5 steps
Most accidents in Estonia are documented by the drivers themselves, without police. Do these five things so the insurer has no questions later.
- 1. Safety: hazard lights, warning triangle, reflective vest. Call 112 if anyone is injured.
- 2. Photos: position of the cars before moving them, road markings and signs, damage to both cars close up and from a distance, number plates.
- 3. Joint accident report (teade liiklusõnnetusest): fill it in with the other driver on the paper form (keep one in the glovebox – your insurer provides it) or online at avarii.lkf.ee. Sketch, damage, who is at fault, both signatures. If fault is disputed, do not sign – call the police.
- 4. Exchange names, phone numbers, plate numbers and insurers. Take witnesses' contacts.
- 5. Call us on +372 5343 8409 – we tell you what to do next and send a tow truck if the car cannot be driven. We bring it to our workshop at Telliskivi 57D and start the claim straight away.
Afterwards, report the damage to the insurer as soon as possible – most policies set a deadline. If you come to us, we file it together.
When the police must be called
Call 112 and have the accident registered by the police if anyone is injured, the drivers disagree about fault, the other driver left the scene or is unknown, a driver appears to be drunk or unlicensed, public property was damaged, or a car has no valid insurance. The police issue a reference number – attach it to the claim.
Filing the claim – Estonian insurers
The claim (kahjuteade) goes to the insurer that pays: the at-fault driver's insurer for liability claims, your own insurer for kasko. Every Estonian insurer has an online claim form; attach the accident report, photos and your details, and you can name Avariiautoremont (BCA Autoekspert OÜ, Telliskivi 57D) as the repairer. The forms are in Estonian or Russian; English-language support varies – if you prefer, come to us and we file the claim with you.
| Insurer | Online claim | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| If | if.ee | +372 777 1211 |
| ERGO (incl. former Gjensidige) | ergo.ee | +372 633 3746 |
| PZU | pzu.ee | +372 622 4599 |
| Swedbank | swedbank.ee | +372 888 2111 (24h) |
| Seesam | seesam.ee | +372 628 1700 |
| LHV | lhv.ee | +372 680 1122 (24h) |
| Salva | salva.ee | +372 683 0500 |
| BTA | bta.ee | +372 5686 8668 |
| Elama (formerly Inges) | elama.ee | +372 641 0436 (24h) |
| Balcia | balcia.ee | +372 5777 9090 |
What we do for you
Avariiautoremont is a body and paint workshop in Tallinn handling insurance repairs since 2002, with direct claims handling for every insurer. We check the accident report, file the claim, prepare the CABAS repair estimate the insurers accept, deal with the claims handler, and then repair the car: body repair, painting, paintless dent removal. Towing 24/7, a guarded car park and a courtesy car are available. See insurance claims handling for details, or send us photos for a first assessment.
