Swiss car insurance premiums rise for 7 in 10 drivers

A bonus.ch survey released June 16, 2026 found that 69% of Swiss drivers saw their car insurance premium rise over the past two years, with the share climbing to 78% in Italian-speaking Switzerland. Even so, only 12% of respondents switched insurers last year, underscoring how price pressure has not yet translated into broad shopping behavior. Why it matters: - Car insurance costs are rising for most drivers in Switzerland, and the biggest increases are concentrated in Italian-speaking Switzerland. - The survey also shows that many policyholders are staying put, even as premiums climb and savings from comparison shopping can reach several hundred francs. - The results point to a market where price pressure is growing, but customer inertia remains strong. What happened: - bonus.ch said 69% of Swiss drivers saw their car insurance premium increase in the past two years. - In Italian-speaking Switzerland, 78% reported a premium increase. - In western Switzerland, 70% reported higher premiums. - In German-speaking Switzerland, 65% reported higher premiums. - Only 12% of respondents changed car insurers in the past year. - The survey has run annually since 2010 and the 2026 edition also examined premium increases, pricing criteria and insurer switching. The details: - 41% of respondents described the increase as slight, while 28% described it as strong. - 31% said they did not see a premium increase. - The 30- to 39-year-old group reported the highest increase rate at 77%. - Drivers aged 60 to 69 reported the lowest increase rate at 64%. - At Die Mobiliar, 48% of customers reported a premium increase. - At Zurich, 86% reported a premium increase. - bonus.ch linked the higher premiums to inflation, which has raised costs for spare parts, wages and repairs. - bonus.ch also pointed to more frequent claims, partly tied to unfavorable weather conditions. - The survey says policyholders can cancel after a general premium increase, even outside normal notice periods, if the increase is not tied to an individual claim. - Service quality was the top reason for staying with an insurer, cited by 41% of respondents. - Premium level came next at 32%, followed by services offered at 19%. - Missing the cancellation deadline was cited by 8%. - Premium level was the main reason for switching insurers, cited by 53% in 2026 versus 40% in 2025. - Competitive offers fell to 11% from 18% a year earlier. - Buying a new vehicle fell to 18% from 22%. - Service quality stayed nearly flat at 12%, versus 11% in 2025. - Services offered declined to 6% from 9%. - Only 13% of respondents said they fully understood insurers’ explanations for premium increases. - 45% said they understood those explanations only partially. - 42% said they did not really understand them or did not understand them at all. - Western Switzerland had the highest level of non-understanding at 45%. - Italian-speaking Switzerland followed at 41%, and German-speaking Switzerland was at 38%. - 62% of respondents said their premium fits their driver profile. - 38% said their premium is not or not really justified. - Western Switzerland and Italian-speaking Switzerland were the least satisfied regions on that question, with 40% saying their premium is not or only weakly justified. - In German-speaking Switzerland, that share was 32%. - Nearly half of 30- to 39-year-olds, or 49%, said their premium is not or only weakly justified. - Among people over 80, 75% said their premium is justified or rather justified. - 65% of respondents wanted premium-setting criteria to focus on driving behavior and claims frequency. - Claims history ranked first at 37%, followed by driving behavior at 28% and driver profile at 21%. - Vehicle type came in at 13%, and place of residence at 2%. - Driving behavior mattered more in western Switzerland at 30% and Italian-speaking Switzerland at 29% than in German-speaking Switzerland at 24%. - Driver profile was cited more often in German-speaking Switzerland at 25% than in western Switzerland at 18% and Italian-speaking Switzerland at 19%. - More than 1,600 users took part in the 2026 satisfaction survey. - The survey converted answers into scores from 1 to 6, with 6 as the best score. - The questionnaire covered clarity of information, claims handling, reimbursement time, value for money and customer service. - Overall satisfaction with Swiss car insurers averaged 5.2 out of 6, which bonus.ch described as good. - The spread between insurers was only 0.4 points. - Die Mobiliar ranked first with 5.5 out of 6, its 15th straight year at the top of the bonus.ch ranking. - ELVIA, TCS and Vaudoise tied for second at 5.3. - Allianz, AXA and Smile followed with 5.2. - German-speaking Switzerland averaged 5.3, western Switzerland 5.2 and Italian-speaking Switzerland 5.0. - Among the 10 most populous cantons, Lucerne posted the highest average score at 5.5. - Ticino had the lowest score at 5.0. - Drivers under 30 gave insurers the lowest satisfaction score at 5.1. - Drivers in their 40s gave the highest score at 5.4. - Women rated their car insurance slightly higher than men, at 5.3 versus 5.2. - bonus.ch published the detailed analysis, tables and charts at the full report . - bonus.ch also provided direct access to the insurer satisfaction ratings and the car insurance premium comparison tool . Between the lines: - The survey suggests premium increases are broad-based, but consumers still do not compare often enough to force major switching. - The gap between perceived fairness and actual payment may help explain why many policyholders stay with the same insurer despite higher costs. - The regional divide suggests pricing pressure and customer dissatisfaction are more acute in western and Italian-speaking Switzerland than in the German-speaking part of the country. What’s next: - bonus.ch’s findings suggest insurers may face continued pressure to justify premium changes more clearly. - If price differences remain wide, more policyholders could move toward comparison shopping and switching in future renewal cycles. - The market appears likely to stay highly competitive, with small differences in satisfaction scores and ongoing premium pressure shaping renewal decisions. The bottom line: - Swiss car insurance is getting more expensive for most drivers, but most policyholders still are not changing providers.