In August 2025, the share of plug-in hybrids in new registrations rose to 12.3%, significantly higher than the previous year (7.7%). This is a clear indication that plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular in Switzerland, as auto-schweiz notes in its monthly statistics. A total of 16,136 new passenger cars were registered in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, 1.3% more than in August 2024. Given the severely battered Swiss car market, this is actually a reason for car importers to rejoice.
Subtitle: Plug-in vehicles reach new high
Plug-in vehicles – i.e., pure electric cars (BEVs) plus plug-in hybrids – accounted for a whopping 32.5% of new registrations in August. This corresponds to just under a third of the market.
Plug-in hybrids grew particularly strongly compared to the previous year: the annual share of PHEVs rose from 8.6% to 10.7%, while BEVs increased from 18.2% to 20.5%. PHEVs are therefore currently growing at a higher rate in percentage terms.
Federal government targets remain unachieved
Despite this growth, the federal government’s target of 50% plug-in vehicles by 2025 remains unattainable. As a result, importers face fines in the hundreds of millions. The same situation prompted the European Union to implement flexibility measures for achieving its targets in the EU as of July 9, 2025. Thomas Rücker, director of auto-schweiz, believes that “a similar approach is urgently needed for the local automotive industry in order to relieve the burden on companies and consumers.”
Tax and duty burden remains high
Against this backdrop, auto-schweiz believes it is worth taking a look at the high tax and duty burden on motorists. With a cost coverage ratio of over 156 percent and total levies of over CHF 12.7 billion, motorists and the Swiss automotive industry are paying significantly more than the costs they incur.
For Mario Bonato, economist at auto-schweiz, one thing is clear: “Mobility must become affordable. The proliferation of taxes and levies must be decisively countered, because the automotive industry is already paying more than its fair share.” One effective lever for relief would be, for example, the abolition of the automobile tax that is payable on importation into Switzerland. This tax of 4 percent, which is effectively a customs duty, is hardly user-based and has an extremely distorting effect on the market. The tax burden must be reduced and the chaos of levies brought to an end.
