Switzerland Car Market in 2025 keeps spiraling down. Full-year sales dropped by 2.8%, with Volvo falling into 10th and Tesla reporting sharpest losses overall. EVs defied trend and grew, with Skoda surging 96.8% in 2nd.
Economic Environment
Switzerland’s economic outlook has improved slightly, with GDP growth now expected to reach 1.4% in 2025 and 1.1% in 2026, before normalising at around 1.7% in 2027 as the global economy gradually recovers. The easing of US tariffs has strengthened prospects for affected export sectors and improved planning certainty, although foreign trade is expected to provide only a moderate boost, with domestic demand remaining the main growth driver.
Private consumption should stay resilient, supported by very low inflation, forecast at just 0.2% in both 2025 and 2026, while investment activity is expected to pick up gradually as capacity utilisation improves. Labour market conditions are likely to remain somewhat subdued, with unemployment rising to an average of 3.1% in 2026 before easing to 2.9% in 2027. Despite the improved outlook, risks remain elevated due to persistent global trade uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, financial market vulnerabilities, and the continued strength of the Swiss franc.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
Following last year’s negative trend, the Swiss car market seems to be slowly curbing the downward trend. Full year sales in 2025 reached 232,523 units, down by 2.8% in year-on-year volume. Still, this marked an improvement compared to the previous months, where losses fluctuated around 8%.
Brand-wise, Volkswagen was the new leader with a 11% share (+6.4%), followed by Skoda -up 1 spot- in 2nd with 9.6% (+5.6%) and BMW -down 1 spot- in 3rd with 8.8% (-6.2%)
Mercedes ranked 4th (-6.2%), followed by Audi in 5th (-4.2%), Toyota in 6th (-7.6%) and Hyundai up 2 spots- in 7th (+5.8%).
Renault -up 2 spots- ranked 8th (+2.1%), followed by Dacia -up 2 spots- in 9th (+12.9%). Volvo -down 3 spots- closed the top 10 (-10.9%).
Looking at specific models, reported in the dedicated article, the Toyota Yaris became the new best-selling model despite a 5.2% year-on-year loss, followed by the Volkswagen Tiguan which grew 2 spots and 9.7%.
EV Market Trend and Outlook
The Swiss EV sector shows signs of resiliency, despite the broader automotive contraction. Full year sales in 2025 gained 23.4% to a share of 18%, thanks to a dense network of charging points and tight CO2 reduction targets. Still, removal of tax exemptions and broader stagnation dampened sales growth.
Tesla retained top spot despite losing 27.8%, followed by Skoda which surgged 96.8% and 3 spots in 2nd while Volkswagen ranked 3rd. Notably, Volvo slipped 3 spots from 2nd into 5th.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The Swiss auto market peaked in 2015 with 323,783 units sold, marking a 7.3% year-on-year increase. Sales then declined steadily until 2018, reaching 299,656 units, a 4.6% drop, due to market saturation, changing consumer preferences, and the early effects of stricter emissions regulations.
After a brief recovery, the market was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a 24% drop in sales. Despite some rebound, it remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, sales hit a decade low at 225,867 units, then rose by 11.6% in 2023, only to decline again in 2024 by 5.1%, totaling 239,294 units. This was largely due to weak economic growth, lower consumer confidence, and ongoing supply chain issues.
Switzerland saw strong early EV adoption, spurred by government incentives and high household wealth. EV registrations rose rapidly from 2014 to 2020, reaching 15,000 units, and peaked in 2023 at around 35,000—a 25.6% increase. In 2024, however, EV sales fell 12.5% to 46,141 units. This was driven by the removal of tax breaks, limited affordable models, and insufficient charging infrastructure, particularly for renters.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for all Brands, top 10 Manufacturers Groups and top 10 Models.
