Tag Archives: Automotive

This week, two PLR/FDP parliamentarians proposed increasing the price of the motorway vignette required to drive on the Swiss motorway network, reported SRF. © Stefano Ember | Dreamstime.comThe two politicians making the proposal are from the cantons of Schwytz and Ticino, two cantons affected by the heavy traffic passing through the Gotthard tunnel, one of the key north-south connections through the Alps. The proposed higher vignette cost is aimed at deterring foreign road users from...

Since 1990, the cost of travel by car has risen 24%, while travel by public transport has leapt by more than 100%, reported SRF. © Hai Huy Ton That | Dreamstime.comSince 1990, fuel prices and car prices have fallen, while the cost of tickets to ride public transport have consistently risen. According to Stefan Meierhans, Switzerland’s chief price watchdog, the rising cost gap is creating the wrong incentives. Why take a train when a car is cheaper? Another challenge is the way the...

At the end of September 2023, driving was banned on a 60 metre section of Langstrasse in Zurich. To enforce the ban, cameras were later set up on 8 January 2024 to catch and fine errant drivers. Since then 17,310 fines have been issued. © Thomas-Stoiber – Dreamstime.comThe driving ban, which excludes buses, was introduced to make the area more cycling friendly and applies from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. At CHF 100 each, the recent fines have generated 1.7 million of revenue for the city....

With all of the price hikes in Switzerland it is difficult to believe inflation is running at around 2% (it was 1.4% in November 2023). Health insurance premiums in 2024 are on average 8.7% higher than they were in 2023. Now Swiss car insurance is set to get more costly. The insurance advisor VZ predicts an average rise of 15% for vehicle insurance in 2024, reported RTS. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.comThe average expected rise is 15%. However, some premiums may rise by as much...

The government of the canton of Ticino is strongly opposed to tolls for the Gotthard road tunnel, reported RTS this week. Gotthard Tunnel © Stefano Ember | Dreamstime.comThe idea of charging a toll for the highly congested Gotthard tunnel linking Ticino, which lies south of the Alps, to the rest of Switzerland, has been discussed for some time. In a public poll run at the end of June 2023, 69% of those surveyed said they believed a toll was needed, compared to 28% who were opposed to...

This week, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) published its predictions and ambitions for electric transport infrastructure. Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.comBy 2035, SFOE expects more than half of all passenger cars in Switzerland to be electric. This means the country has around 12 years to complete its charging infrastructure, it said. The SFOE study estimates there will be 2.8 million plug-in vehicles on Swiss roads by 2035, and by 2050 they should be the dominant type of...

Vehicles imported into Switzerland are subject to a 4% tax, with the exception of electric vehicles that attract none. This week, the government decided to end the exception from the beginning of next year. Photo by Hyundai Motor Group on Pexels.comThe import tax, along with fuel and other taxes, is used to build and maintain roads. Given current federal budget pressures, and the logic of charging all road users, the federal government has decided to tax the importation of electric cars...

Passing in the right on multiple-lane roads is illegal in Switzerland and the penalties for those caught are severe. However, confusion abounds when it comes to the application of the rule. As more cases are challenged in court the definition of what is acceptable and the penalties evolve. This week, another case concluded setting a new legal precedent on the level of sanctions in some cases. © Annanahabed | Dreamstime.comWhen the rule was first introduced there was little flexibility....

Every year Switzerland’s motorway vignette is a different colour. Next year it’s yellow. Valid from 1 December 2022 until 31 January 2024, the new stickers must be displayed by anyone using Switzerland’s motorway network. The price remains the same. The motorway stickers have cost CHF 40 for 28 years. Introduced after a referendum in 1985, the sticker originally cost CHF 30 before increasing to CHF 40 in 1995. Inflation since 1995 means the sticker costs in real terms around 15% less...

After a legal analyis the government of the canton of Geneva has decided that drivers of the ride hailing service are employees rather than independent contractors, effectively banning Uber from operating under its current model. © Oleksandr Lutsenko | Dreamstime.com In an interview with RTS, Mauro Poggia, a lawyer and Geneva state councillor, said that Uber is a transport company and as such must employ its drivers. Employees are treated differently to contractors. One of the key...