Everything about Car Insurances In Switzerland

What You Need to Know About Car Insurance in Switzerland

In Switzerland, having a car insurance isn't just a legal requirement; it's also a crucial step to protect both your vehicle and yourself from financial risks. Choosing the right car insurance is of paramount importance because it determines how much you'll have to pay in case of an accident or theft.

Liability Insurance - You Can't Do Without It

In Switzerland, it's legally mandated that all vehicles participating in road traffic must have liability insurance. This insurance covers damages that you, as a driver, may cause to other people or their property.

The minimum coverage amount for liability insurance in Switzerland is 5 million Swiss Francs, meaning your insurance will cover damages up to this amount.

Important: Liability insurance does not cover injuries or damages that you or your passengers may suffer in an accident. For this, you need to take out separate insurance.

Partial and Comprehensive Insurance - For Optimal Protection

In addition to liability insurance, Switzerland offers other insurance options.

Partially comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance covers damages to your car that you didn't cause yourself. This includes damages from factors like marten attacks or hailstorms. It also covers theft of your car.

Fully comprehensive insurance

Comprehensive insurance covers damages to your car that you didn't cause yourself. This includes damages from factors like marten attacks or hailstorms. It also covers theft of your car.

Parking damage

A parking damage refers to damage to a parked vehicle caused by an unknown person. For instance, you park your car overnight in a public parking lot in Zurich. In the morning, you return to your vehicle only to find a new scratch. Since the car was parked, and you don't know who caused the damage, it qualifies as a parking damage.

To cover parking damages to your vehicle, you have the option to add a parking damage insurance as an additional option to your partially or fully comprehensive insurance. This special insurance covers the repair costs for a certain number of parking damages per calendar year—and depending on your agreement, it may even come with no deductible. If you choose not to purchase a separate parking damage insurance, it's typically possible to have parking damages repaired through your existing fully comprehensive coverage. However, please note that in this case, there is usually a deductible.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Switzerland

In Switzerland, insurance premiums for car insurance are calculated based on different factors like the type of vehicle (price, horsepower, make, model year), your place of residence, and your age. Depending on these factors, insurance premiums can vary by several thousand Swiss Francs.

Deductible

In addition to the base price of car insurance, you should also pay attention to the deductible, which you can usually choose yourself. The deductible determines the amount you must pay yourself in case of a claim. For example, if you have a fully comprehensive insurance with a deductible of 1,000 Swiss Francs and cause damage to another car resulting in 4,000 Swiss Francs in damages, you would pay the 1,000 Swiss Francs, and the insurance would cover the remaining 3,000 Swiss Francs. It's important to note that, unlike health insurance, where the deductible applies for the whole year, with car insurance, the deductible is per claim.

Additional Insurances

If you want to be on the safe side, you can also opt for additional insurances. However, these are not legally mandatory.

Novice and Young Driver Insurance

Many insurers often offer special conditions for drivers under 25, as well as novice drivers within 3 years of obtaining their driver's license. Typically, there's a minimum deductible of CHF 500 or CHF 1,000 for liability and collision coverage. If your car is driven by novice or young drivers, it's recommended to consider adding this insurance with a higher deductible. It ensures that young drivers are well covered in case of accidents, avoiding excessive costs.

Gross Negligence Insurance

Gross Negligence Insurance is a specific form of auto insurance and not widely known, but it can be crucial in situations involving grossly negligent behavior.

This insurance comes into play when an accident is caused by the driver's gross negligence. Conventional auto insurance usually covers damages resulting from normal negligence or accidents beyond the driver's control. However, in cases of gross negligence, such as disregarding traffic rules, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or driving without a valid license, there can be significant consequences.

Without Gross Negligence Insurance, the driver would have to cover all resulting costs out of pocket, as regular auto insurance typically does not cover such damages. With this insurance, you can protect yourself from financial burdens, as it covers costs for damages to third parties and potentially your own vehicle repairs in cases of grossly negligent behavior.

Overall, Gross Negligence Insurance can be a valuable addition to your auto insurance, especially if you are aware of a higher risk of grossly negligent behavior.

Roadside Assistance Insurance

When your engine refuses to start or your battery dies, a roadside assistance service is a lifesaver. Having an assistance insurance can provide excellent protection in these situations.

Many comprehensive auto insurance policies already include roadside assistance coverage, ensuring you are covered in such cases. Otherwise, you can become a member of organizations like TCS or ACS in Switzerland, which offer roadside assistance coverage for around 80 Swiss Francs per year.

However, many insurers also offer their own roadside assistance policies. When considering one, make sure to check if it's valid only in Switzerland or also provides coverage abroad.

Rental Car Insurance

If your car is heavily damaged and needs repairs, you might need a replacement vehicle during the repair period. Depending on your insurance, you might have to pay for a rental car yourself or receive one for a limited number of days. With a specialized rental car insurance, the insurer covers the rental car costs during your car's repair, regardless of whether it's due to a covered incident or a breakdown. For example, in case of a total loss, you could receive a replacement car for an entire month, depending on the policy.

Legal Protection Insurance for Vehicles

This insurance provides additional legal protection when you're on the road. Legal experts assist you with legal questions and disputes related to your vehicle, such as contesting an overpriced garage bill.

The Best Car Insurance in Switzerland

Our partner, Zurich Insurance, is the largest insurer in Switzerland. With 28 help points and over 300 partner garages, help is always within reach. Zurich offers a wide range of supplementary insurance options, allowing you to tailor your coverage to your life, ensuring both you and your car are optimally protected.

Car Insurance - A Complex Topic

Choosing the right car insurance in Switzerland requires careful consideration and research, given the many options and providers available. However, the right insurance not only provides peace of mind on the road but also safeguards your budget in case of unexpected events.

If you dream of driving your ideal car but don't want to navigate Switzerland's insurance maze on your own, take a look at our CARIFY car subscriptions! For a monthly fee, you can drive a car of your choice, with insurance, service, repairs, and taxes all included. CARIFY offers a unique PREMIUM fully comprehensive insurance with a 0-franc deductible and unlimited parking damage coverage.

PREMIUM Insurance

• Fully-comprehensive insurance: covers you for all damages that you or a third-party might cause (e.g. collision) as well as parking damages (e.g. an unknown person scratched your car while it was parked). The deductible for this insurance isCHF 0 per event 

• Parking damage insurance: is included in the fully-comprehensive insurance with deductible of 0 CHF per event. No limitation on number of events per year.

• Partially-comprehensive insurance: covers for natural hazards (e.g. hail, marten, etc) with deductible of 0 CHF per event

• Roadside assistance in Europe 24/7

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