Add coins: what will the increase in CTP limits lead to?

The limits of payments for property damaged in an accident and damage to life and health caused as a result of an accident may increase significantly. Moreover, the deputies propose to index these limits annually. Insurers and experts are ambivalent about these initiatives. The details are in the Izvestia article.

Raise the ceiling

In Russia, the maximum limits of payments for avtograzhdank established by law may increase. The relevant bill has been submitted to the State Duma for consideration. As follows from the text of amendments to the law "On OSAGO" posted in the legislative support system of the parliament, it is planned to raise the payment limit for property damaged as a result of an accident from the current 400 thousand rubles to 700 thousand rubles. As for the maximum amount of compensation for those injured in car accidents, it is planned to increase it from the current 500 thousand rubles to 800 thousand rubles. Along with a one-time increase in these limits, which, according to the bill, is expected to be made as early as September 1, 2026, the proposed amendments also provide for their annual indexation "from January 1, taking into account the growth of the consumer price index (core inflation)."

"The existing limits of insurance payments do not correspond to modern economic realities and do not fully protect the rights of victims of road accidents, since the maximum amount of insurance payments has not been indexed since 2014," the explanatory note to the bill says.

As a result, the level of real insurance compensation for damage is gradually decreasing and the fulfillment of the goals for which the law was created — compensation for damage to car owners through insurance, is leveled, the authors of the amendments believe. The deputies emphasize that against the background of rising insurance premiums and the expansion of the tariff range, there is no increase in payments. This forces car owners to apply to the courts to recover the funds required for repairs and the purchase of spare parts, since insurance does not cover the full restoration of the vehicle, the parliamentarians note. Thus, according to the average statistical data for the period from 2014 to 2024, the average cost of a CTP policy increased from 1.8 thousand rubles to 7.5 thousand rubles (+284%), while the maximum amount of insurance payments remained unchanged, follows from the accompanying documents to the draft law.

"The bill will reduce the burden on judicial authorities, increase the level of public confidence in the insurance institution and ensure the possibility of obtaining fair insurance amounts, taking into account the increase in insurance tariffs, the cost of spare parts and repair of vehicles, as well as medical services in case of harm to life and health," the explanatory note to the amendments says.

Acceptance of reservations

Data from the National Insurance Information System (NSIS) show that the number of insured events for which the amount of compensation is equal to or exceeds the established limits of compensation under CTP contracts is growing. This trend is most typical for life and health benefits, and by 2025, the share of compensation "above the bar" reached 37.47%, the organization notes. As for payments on hardware, if in 2022, according to the NSIS, 3.23% of refunds accounted for payments over the limit, then in 2023 this figure was 4.82%, in 2024 — 7.03%, and in 2025 — 8.04%.

— The increase in the number of insurance claims with marginal compensation payments confirms the expediency of discussing the issue of revising insurance amounts and limits on CTP in the upward direction, says the head of the NSIS Nikolay Galushin.

The issue of insurance amounts is logical and more relevant than it was a few years ago, according to the Russian Union of Motor Insurers (RSA). However, it makes sense to raise the limits only if the insurance premium does not fluctuate due to rising prices for spare parts: if current figures remain, then it will be possible to consider changing the limits, the Union emphasizes.

— At the same time, the first step should be to increase the maximum amount of payments for harm to life and health, because, for example, in public transport and taxis this limit is 2 million rubles, and for CTP it is still 500 thousand rubles. However, the amount of 400 thousand rubles in terms of compensation for damage caused to the property of each victim (the maximum provided for under the CTP) is increasingly not enough for a full-fledged car repair. After all, prices for spare parts and work are rising," the RSA told Izvestia.

The constant increase in the average payout, as well as the number of accidents with damage exceeding the established limits, negatively affects the security of vehicle owners and inevitably leads to the issue of increasing the limits on CTP payments, which have not changed for more than 10 years, the Union noted. At the same time, the RSA separately emphasizes that this will inevitably lead to an increase in the cost of policies.

— It would be most correct to consider the limits in conjunction with the issue of free tariffs, namely, more limit — more tariff, or free tariff formation. Moreover, the containment of the average premium, despite all the trends of recent years, suggests that insurers are able to give a fair rate depending on the individual characteristics of the client, the RSA said.

But the proposal for an annual indexation of limits in the Russian Union of Motor Insurers is considered inappropriate and incorrect.

"The size of the indexation of insurance amounts, the procedure and methodology for determining it are not clear. In addition, the bill provides only for an increase in the consumer price index and does not provide for an indexation procedure in the event of a decrease in the consumer price index. It also seems incorrect to include in the federal law a mechanism for increasing insurance amounts by an amount not known in advance," said Evgeny Ufimtsev, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in a letter addressed to Anatoly Aksakov, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Financial Market (a copy is available to Izvestia).

Safety margin

Maxim Kadakov, editor-in-chief of Za Rulem magazine, believes that the issue of increasing or even eliminating CTP payment limits is long overdue. The increase in prices for spare parts and the cost of technical center services in some cases does not allow us to meet the established limits, he notes.

— In this matter, it is important for crane to maintain a balance so that an increase in limits does not lead to a significant increase in the price of policies. Recent calculations by independent experts have shown that even a complete rejection of the "payment ceiling" will lead to an increase in the price of insurance by 10-15%. The main thing is that another expansion of the CTP tariff corridor should not be served under this sauce," he told Izvestia.

Insurance companies have a significant margin of safety, which will allow them to raise the limits of payments for hardware without changing the tariffs for policies at all, says Anton Shaparin, vice president of the National Automobile Union (NAS). Currently, less than 78% of the amounts collected from the sale of insurance are used for damage compensation, he explained. As for the limits of payments for life and health, according to the vice president, it makes sense to increase them, only for CTP absolutely all expenses for the treatment of victims of road accidents will be compensated, and not only those that cannot be covered by Compulsory Medical Insurance (CHI).

— The ambulance takes the injured in the accident to the nearest regional hospital, where they receive medical care within the framework of compulsory medical insurance. CTP, according to current legislation, compensates only for expenses that are not covered by compulsory medical insurance. Therefore, in the structure of payments for motor vehicles, the share of compensation for damage caused to life and health is now minimal," said Anton Shaparin.