KZBlog

Another compare and contrast article on buying auto insurance.

Differences: In Kazakhstan, they apparently have one policy which matches the state minimum. No one tries to sell you additional insurance or pushes you to get a bigger policy. No one looks at your age or the type of car you drive or your past accident history. There’s one rate–the state minimum of about 10 000 tenge (plus bank fees)–and it doesn’t appear to matter if you’re an 18 year old driving a Ferrarri or a 50 year old driving a Niva whose had your license for 30 years and never had an accident or a traffic violation.

Similarities: We got a little gift (I chose a Weatherman-type knife over the Thermos) and a discount card. Something relative new to Kazakhstan, they also gave us a little card with clear instructions about what to do if you have an accident–who to call and what documents to show to whom. Very cool.

All in all buying insurance is a much better and easier experience in Kazakhstan than in the US and you still get a present.