Annual cost of owning a car in Switzerland
The annual cost of owning a car in Switzerland is around 10,000 francs. Comparis explains the costs you need to consider.
18.04.2024
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1. Annual cost of owning a car in Switzerland
On average, owning a car costs approximately 10,000 francs per year. The exact amount mainly depends on:
The vehicle: cars with a high new price usually result in more costs.
Your driving behaviour: the more you drive, the higher the costs per year.
The total cost of owning a car consists of fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs include, for example:
Amortization or lease payments
Insurance
Seasonal tyre change and storing tyres
The variable costs depend on your use of the vehicle. Variable costs include:
Repairs and service
Buying new tyres
2. Fixed costs of owning a car in Switzerland
Depreciation of the value of a new car per year
Your car loses value over time. There are two terms for this:
Depreciation: calculated loss of value of a car. It is used for calculations in accounting, for example in relation to company cars.
Loss of value: the actual worth your vehicle loses. This happens, for example, due to wear and tear.
In the long term, depreciation is approximately 10% per year. However, the greatest loss of value happens in the first few years that the car is used.
Amortization costs
Amortization is the payment of your lease or loan instalments. How high it is varies depending on the contract and the vehicle.
Cost of owning a car per year: car insurance
The cost of car insurance depends on various factors. Car insurance premiums can cost up to several thousand francs per year.
Generally speaking, the more your insurance covers, the higher the premiums. For example, yearly costs for full casco insurance are higher than for partial casco insurance. If you only have mandatory liability insurance for your car, you pay even less.
Good to know: leased cars usually require full casco insurance.
Do you want to save money on car insurance? Compare different car insurers and their policies.
Annual vehicle tax
You must pay motor vehicle tax each year for your vehicle. The amount varies depending on the canton and the vehicle. Possible factors taken into account in the calculation include:
Power
Weight
Cubic capacity
CO2 emissions
In some cantons, you pay less or even no tax for an electric car.
How much does a motorway vignette cost?
A vignette is mandatory if you want to drive on motorways. It costs 40 francs per year. If you are found driving on the motorway without a valid vignette, you’ll have to pay a fine of 200 francs. You can attach the vignette to your windshield, or register online.
How much does a private parking space cost?
The monthly cost of a private parking space depends on:
The type of parking: is it a garage, carport or outdoor space?
Location: parking in cities is often more expensive.
When you rent an apartment, you can often also rent a parking space.
Still looking for a parking space? At Comparis, you can find parking spaces in our property marketplace. To search, select the “Parking space, garage” field under “Property type”.
Don’t want to rent a parking spot? Then you can buy a resident parking card for the Blue Zone. The price varies from one municipality to another.
City of Zurich: 300 francs per year
City of Winterthur: 710 francs per year
City of St. Gallen: 360 francs per year
City of Bern: 264 francs per year
3. Variable annual car costs
If you drive a lot, you often have higher variable costs. These include:
According to TCS, you pay 375 to 560 francs for services per 15,000 kilometres driven. The cost of repairs vary depending on the type of damage and the vehicle.
Tip: set aside enough money for unforeseen repairs.
How much you spend on fuel depends on:
Your vehicle’s fuel consumption
Kilometres driven
Your driving style: high speeds as well as frequent stopping and starting increase consumption.
Fuel prices fluctuate greatly. Pay attention to prices before refuelling, and don’t forget to compare prices.
The more you drive your car, the faster your tyres will wear out. In principle, tyres have a service life of 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres.
You should buy new tyres after ten years at the latest. This is because over time, the rubber of the tyres becomes brittle. Among other things, this reduces adhesion in wet conditions.
You also need different tyres for summer and winter, unless you have all-season tyres.
Minimum tread depth
Summer tyres should have a tread depth of at least 1.6 millimetres. For winter tyres, the minimum is four millimetres. This is for safety reasons. The lower the profile, the safer the tyre.
You may also have to factor in additional costs for your car:
Costs for towing and roadside assistance
Cleaning costs
Costs for accessories such as roof racks
Fines
4. Example calculation for annual car costs
Annual mileage: 15,000 kilometres
Postcode and city: 3001 Bern
Electricity price: 0.304 CHF/kWh
This article was first published on 04.05.2020
