If Your Car Breaks Down or Is Stolen Abroad: Green Card, Kasko and Roadside Assistance Compared

Two situations drivers fear most on a trip abroad are being stranded by a breakdown and having the car stolen. At that moment, many people think first of their green card. But the green card has a different job: it replaces compulsory traffic insurance in the country you visit and pays for damage you cause to third parties. Knowing in advance which cover applies to a breakdown or theft means you call the right number when it matters.

Three covers, three different jobs

When something happens to your car abroad, three different covers usually come up:

• Green card: pays for property damage and injury you cause to others, under the rules of the country you are in. It does not deal with your own car.
• Kasko cover abroad: if your kasko (comprehensive motor insurance) includes it, it covers losses to your own car from risks such as accident and theft, under the policy conditions.
• Roadside assistance: provides towing, on-the-spot help and similar services after a breakdown or accident, within the scope defined in the policy.

A simple way to remember it: if you hit someone else’s car, their loss is paid by your green card. If your car breaks down or is stolen, no third party has been harmed, so the green card does not apply, and you are left with kasko and roadside assistance.

If your car breaks down

A mechanical or electrical fault is not an accident, and the green card does not apply. You would usually turn to your kasko roadside assistance or a separate assistance package:

1. Move the car to a safe place, switch on the hazard lights and wear a reflective vest.
2. Call the assistance line in your kasko policy; there may be a separate number for abroad.
3. Give your location, plate number and policy details.
4. Get approval from the assistance line before calling a tow truck yourself; otherwise the cost may not be covered.
5. Keep all invoices and documents.

Whether assistance works abroad, in which countries and with which services varies from policy to policy. Check before you travel.

If your car is stolen

Theft is not covered by the green card. Protection is only possible if your kasko includes theft cover abroad. If it happens:

• Report it to the local police straight away and get an official report.
• Inform your kasko insurer and your agency as soon as possible.
• Keep the registration document (ruhsat), keys and policy details; the keys may be requested for the claim.
• Ask the official authorities about the procedure for returning to Türkiye without the car.

The claim process, documents and any waiting period depend on the policy conditions. Confirm current requirements with official sources and your agency. Take photos, keep every report, invoice and message, and store documents issued in another language carefully.

Accidents, accommodation and getting home

In an accident, damage to the other party is paid by the green card, while damage to your own car falls under kasko cover abroad. Without it, repair costs for your car may stay with you. See the green card claim process after an accident abroad for the steps.

If you cannot continue after a breakdown or theft, you may need accommodation, a way home for passengers or transport of the repaired car back to Türkiye. Some assistance packages offer such services under certain conditions; others are limited to towing. Vehicle insurance does not pay passengers’ medical costs, so travel health insurance should be part of the plan.

Questions to ask before you leave

• Does my kasko include cover abroad, and in which countries?
• Is theft covered abroad?
• Does roadside assistance and towing work abroad?
• Which assistance number do I call from abroad?
• Does my green card cover every country on my route?

See our Maslak green card insurance page for the green card and Maslak comprehensive car insurance for protecting your own car abroad.

Scenario: a driver from Maslak

A driver heading to Europe from Maslak breaks down on the way. Knowing the green card will not help, she calls the kasko assistance line for abroad and gets approval for a tow. Because she added cover abroad to her kasko before leaving, she also knows whom to call if the car were stolen. An unprepared driver in the same situation might have to pay the costs out of pocket.

To review your green card, kasko and roadside assistance together before your trip, call us for English support on +90 530 375 89 61 or message us on WhatsApp.