The Cost of Car Insurance in Switzerland

The cost of mandatory and voluntary car insurance can add a substantial cost to owning a car in Switzerland. Read on to find out how much you can expect to pay for car insurance, how premiums have developed over time, and how to cut the cost.

How much does car insurance cost in Switzerland?

The cost of car insurance varies broadly. Factors that generally play a role in determining your insurance premiums are:

• Which insurance you need: Third-party liability insurance is obligatory in Switzerland, but insurance that protects your own car like semi-comprehensive, fully-comprehensive, and parked-car damages insurance, are voluntary.
• Which insurance provider you use: As Table 1 shows, the cost of insurance varies broadly between insurance companies. You can save up to hundreds of francs per year by taking the time to compare car insurance offers.
• The size of your engine: How powerful your car is helps determine how much you have to pay for third-party liability car insurance and fully-comprehensive car insurance.
• The value of your car: This can affect premiums for semi-comprehensive and fully-comprehensive insurance.
• Having a garage: If your car is primarily parked in a covered parking or a garage, you will typically pay less for semi-comprehensive insurance.
• How much you drive: The more distance you expect to cover each year, the higher your insurance premiums will be.
• Your age and insurance claim history: Other factors directly related to you – your nationality, place of residence, your gender, and how long you’ve had your drivers license, for example – may also be taken into consideration.

Each insurance provider has its own way of applying different criteria and calculating different risks.

Does the cost of car insurance go up each year?

There is no sure way to know how the cost of insurance will develop in the future. However, we can look at how premiums have developed in the recent past. Historical data from Financescout24.ch shows that the cost of insuring popular models has massively increased over the past five years.