How buying a car (California) in Switzerland is very different to the UK process!

[R_Sargeant_CH]

This might interest you!

In Switzerland, the number plates belong to individuals, not vehicles. If the owner changes, different number plates. Because of this, I can opt to use the plates interchangeably on more than one vehicle, as long as only one is on public roads at once. And I can change this at any time. At present, we have 3 vehicles and 2 plates.

This is what I had to do to arrange collecting our new California:
1) Order California (choosing all the options was hard)!
2) Arrange lease and sign
3) Add new vehicle to existing insurance policy, by phone. Invoice will be sent sometime later!
4) The insurance company immediately adds the VIN to the Swiss central insurance register
5) I go to the local vehicle registration office. They check the central register for insurance and issue the log book to me
6) I take the plates from the old vehicle (we asked that both old T5 and new are insured, they just cannot be driven at the same time)! The T5 will be sold asap.
7) I take the plates and documents to the dealer, and drive away the new vehicle!
and...
8) If I don't pay the insurance, the central entry is marked, the local police come and confiscate the plates, and I get a fine!

This is all so sensible. Typically Swiss. But very different.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Yes, the "Wechselschild" is a very good idea - we have 4 vehicles and 2 plates - as is the fact that the plates clearly indicate the vehicle is insured, unless plates are stolen which is not very common.
When I came here over 20 years ago, we were amazed that you buy something, even like a sofa or something large, or online now, and get an invoice maybe after the item has shown up. Very trusting, but it works. You simply don't want to get into the 'not paid' process and end up on a financial blacklist that could impact your chances of getting a job.

 

[SusiBus]

Switzerland appears to be an amazingly beautiful well organised country to live in, but what's the downside apart from not having any coastline?

 

[Van Diesel VW]

Switzerland my favourite holiday destination, hopefully will visit again in 2023, when my van turns up.

Sounds like a great way to register vehicles, bet this system stops unregistered and untaxed vehicles being on the road unlike the uk!

 

[Chiroshi]

Switzerland appears to be an amazingly beautiful well organised country to live in, but what's the downside apart from not having any coastline?

If you are buying your first, or only car, then you don't have the luxury of an alternative means of transport between the seller, the administration where you need to get the plates, and the dealer. It's not uncommon to see people riding bikes or taking the train somewhere with a set of number plates sticking out of a backpack. Of course, all this can only be done within normal working hours, and not at lunch time. Dealers will sometimes offer to carry out the retrieval of plates for you, but they charge handsomly for the priviledge.

 

[andyinluton]

How does it work with multiple cars & multiple drivers in a household? does each driver have their own plates? and is the insurance against the driver or the vehicle?

 

[Van Diesel VW]

If you are buying your first, or only car, then you don't have the luxury of an alternative means of transport between the seller, the administration where you need to get the plates, and the dealer. It's not uncommon to see people riding bikes or taking the train somewhere with a set of number plates sticking out of a backpack. Of course, all this can only be done within normal working hours, and not at lunch time. Dealers will sometimes offer to carry out the retrieval of plates for you, but they charge handsomly for the priviledge.

Always found Swiss public transport to be very efficient, your trains always run on time unlike the uk

 

[Swiss Cheese]

How does it work with multiple cars & multiple drivers in a household? does each driver have their own plates? and is the insurance against the driver or the vehicle?

A number plate can go on max. 2 cars only, so if you have 3 cars, then one plate is permanently on the 3rd car and you need those 2 sets of plates.
The plate itself is a physical thing and it is illegal to create a duplicate. Hence you actually move the plates from car to car, but we have handy brackets for this to make it easy.
Insurance (in my experience) is for the car, and not the driver. So anyone seems to be able to drive it (I might be wrong but I did not have to list my wife on the policy, or anyone else).

The downside of living here is that it's hellishly expensive.
For a Disco 3 and Cali Beach on a change-plate, it costs me almost CHF 900 for the road tax and then CHF 2,400 for insurance - so CHF 3,300 for both vehicles (GBP 2,650)

 

[andyinluton]

Why wouldn't you just get 3 sets of plates if you have 3 cars? just curiosity, we have 6 cars & 5 drivers in our house & can imagine it causing chaos.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

Because you only pay insurance for the one car that is actually being driven, thus approximately halving the cost. Also, if you don't drive a (say) vintage car in winter, swap plated are ideal. The first sunny weekend of the year all these beautiful oldies emerge bearing the platess off the family Golf.
It's also possible to "Park" the plates, say over Winter. The road tax and insurance stops as well. A lot of bikers do this.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

A number plate can go on max. 2 cars only, so if you have 3 cars, then one plate is permanently on the 3rd car and you need those 2 sets of plates.
The plate itself is a physical thing and it is illegal to create a duplicate. Hence you actually move the plates from car to car, but we have handy brackets for this to make it easy.
Insurance (in my experience) is for the car, and not the driver. So anyone seems to be able to drive it (I might be wrong but I did not have to list my wife on the policy, or anyone else).

The downside of living here is that it's hellishly expensive.
For a Disco 3 and Cali Beach on a change-plate, it costs me almost CHF 900 for the road tax and then CHF 2,400 for insurance - so CHF 3,300 for both vehicles (GBP 2,650)

Yes, but as a Tesla owner, in some Cantons, road tax is zero. Unfortunately not where we live, where it's based on weight and power. A Tesla model S is both heavy and powerful - ouch!

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

Yes, but as a Tesla owner, in some Cantons, road tax is zero. Unfortunately not where we live, where it's based on weight and power. A Tesla model S is both heavy and powerful - ouch!

Yes, any driver is the norm.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

How does it work with multiple cars & multiple drivers in a household? does each driver have their own plates? and is the insurance against the driver or the vehicle?

The plate is insured, with any driver. Of course each vehicle is also covered for fire etc.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

unregistered and untaxed vehicles

Unregistered and untaxed vehicles seem unknown here, although I'm surprised villians don't steal plates!

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Why wouldn't you just get 3 sets of plates if you have 3 cars? just curiosity, we have 6 cars & 5 drivers in our house & can imagine it causing chaos.

In your case it sounds like you need 5 cars on the road at the same time, so you would need at least 5 plates, with one of those possibly a change-plate for the 6th car. Note that you'd only be able to have exactly one of the 5 driver cars swap plates with the 6th. You could not randomly choose which of the 5 to use.
So maybe if you have a daily driver and the 6th car is the Ferrari which you take out from time to time, that is the change-plate setup. The rest of the family have to stick with the Fords and Fiats and can't then swap their plates to take you your Ferrari. Makes sense

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

Switzerland appears to be an amazingly beautiful well organised country to live in, but what's the downside apart from not having any coastline?

Expensive if you are not salaried here, conservative with small "c", not much else!

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Unregistered and untaxed vehicles seem unknown here, although I'm surprised villians don't steal plates!

I have heard of plates being stolen, but it is not common (actually only heard once in 20+ years). Usually when a vehicle is stolen for a quick cross-border exit, they will put also stolen plates on it.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

If you are buying your first, or only car, then you don't have the luxury of an alternative means of transport between the seller, the administration where you need to get the plates, and the dealer. It's not uncommon to see people riding bikes or taking the train somewhere with a set of number plates sticking out of a backpack. Of course, all this can only be done within normal working hours, and not at lunch time. Dealers will sometimes offer to carry out the retrieval of plates for you, but they charge handsomly for the priviledge.

That reminds me of seeing hitchhikers carrying UK Trade Plates in the old days. Does that still happen?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

That reminds me of seeing hitchhikers carrying UK Trade Plates in the old days. Does that still happen?

Yes, it means they can pocket the saved train fare.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

Always found Swiss public transport to be very efficient, your trains always run on time unlike the uk

True. We are 100m from the local station towards Zürich. My office has little parking and it's genuinely quicker to take the direct train and walk the 500m the other end. The planning authorities will greatly restrict the number of parking places proposed for new buildings, and on-street parking is generally restricted or just not allowed. Our cars are parked in purchased parking bays under our apartment block, so "off road" if we swap plates!

 

[andyinluton]

In your case it sounds like you need 5 cars on the road at the same time, so you would need at least 5 plates, with one of those possibly a change-plate for the 6th car.

It would be too complicated for us - I use all 6 cars, the wife 5, the 3 oldest kids use 3 between them although we each nominally have our own car. We just take whatever's not blocked in / what's most appropriate / which set of keys we can find / which ones got any petrol in it.

Would we need extra plates for trailers or do they use the car ones?


As a comparison our insurance costs are about £2,000 for the year & road tax is £2070 - currently with 3 drivers under 21 and 3 cars being clobbered with the extra tax for being over £40k, With the anomaly that the most expensive to buy, least fuel efficient one is the cheapest to tax, and the fastest, 2nd most valuable is the cheapest to insure.

 

[Swiss Cheese]

Would we need extra plates for trailers or do they use the car ones?

Yes, trailers (and thus caravans, of course) need to have their own plate. They are also MOT'd separately. I have no idea what that costs for a plate as I don't have a trailer. But I assume the plate covers the trailer insurance, etc.

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

It would be too complicated for us - I use all 6 cars, the wife 5, the 3 oldest kids use 3 between them although we each nominally have our own car. We just take whatever's not blocked in / what's most appropriate / which set of keys we can find / which ones got any petrol in it.

Would we need extra plates for trailers or do they use the car ones?

The UK is the only European country I know of that does not require different plates for trailers (and insurance, and inspections)! I see some pretty dangerous trailers in the UK! Separate plates are required for trailers in Switzerland, with (I think) insurance, inspections and taxes!

 

[California_Ocean]

Sounds like the system in Germany ... but as always, the Germans like to go that little bit further.

To register a new car in Germany you currently need ...

1. To sign the finance contract to buy the car and pay the deposit - then the dealership will send the "Fahrzeugbrief" to the registration office where you live. The Fahrzeugbrief is proof of ownership and a record of the exact spec of the vehicle. If you have the Fahrzeugbrief, you own the car - so if there is finance involved, the registration office uses the info on the form to register the car and issue a Fahrzeugschein (registration document), they then send the Fahrzeugbrief to the finance company, who keep the Fahrzeugbrief until the finance is paid off. If you buy it outright, you get the Fahrzeugbrief and can take it to the registration office.

2. Next you need a "Schadenfreiheitsrabatt Bestätigung" (A statement of your no-claims status) from your existing insurer for any other car you drive, and you use that to shop for a new policy on your new car. You are then issued with an eVB (electronic Versicherungs Bestätigung) which you need to prove insurance when you register the car.

3. Optionally, you can then go online and reserve a number plate, costs 10€, the first part will be fixed dependent on where the car is registered, where I live, the first 3 letters are STA. You get a PIN so the registration office can allocate the number you choose to your car.

4. If the car is new, you then need to go to the town hall and get a "Meldebestätigung" which is proof of your address. You need this to register a new car.

5. Due to covid, you now need to book an appointment to register the car (used to be able to turn up and queue), and for the appointment you also need a negative covid test no older than 24 hours.

6. You need to get your number plates made with the number you reserved and take them along to the appointment too. If you haven't reserved a no. then the registration process is halted while you toddle off and buy some number plates once you know what number they have allocated to you.

7. At the registration appointment, they check your address, your insurance, your ID, your Covid vaccination and test status, your driving licence, and they issue a registration document (Fahrzeugschein). They also affix a MOT sticker and an insurance sticker to your number plates. Similar to Switzerland, if you stop insuring the car the police will come to your house and remove your plates.

8. You also sign a direct debit so they can extract the annual car tax directly from your bank account.

9. After you have done all this, you can go to the dealer with the number plates, attach them to the car and drive off.

The

The registration number is allocated to the individual, not the car and insurance is split in two, there is a third party part which covers any driver of the car that has your permission - it is set by law to be any driver (a bit like the swiss example). There is an optional fully comprehensive part, which covers the policy holder and any named driver, or any driver depending on which policy you chose. Interesting fact - if you have a valid driving licence, are drunk and a passenger in a car also driven by a drunk (and insured in Germany), you will get prosecuted because you could have remained sober and driven the car - due to any driver 3rd party insurance being legislated.

.... my registration appointment is Friday, and I pick up my Cali Ocean on Saturday

 

[R_Sargeant_CH]

Sounds like the system in Germany ... but as always, the Germans like to go that little bit further.

To register a new car in Germany you currently need ...

1. To sign the finance contract to buy the car and pay the deposit - then the dealership will send the "Fahrzeugbrief" to the registration office where you live. The Fahrzeugbrief is proof of ownership and a record of the exact spec of the vehicle. If you have the Fahrzeugbrief, you own the car - so if there is finance involved, the registration office uses the info on the form to register the car and issue a Fahrzeugschein (registration document), they then send the Fahrzeugbrief to the finance company, who keep the Fahrzeugbrief until the finance is paid off. If you buy it outright, you get the Fahrzeugbrief and can take it to the registration office.

2. Next you need a "Schadenfreiheitsrabatt Bestätigung" (A statement of your no-claims status) from your existing insurer for any other car you drive, and you use that to shop for a new policy on your new car. You are then issued with an eVB (electronic Versicherungs Bestätigung) which you need to prove insurance when you register the car.

3. Optionally, you can then go online and reserve a number plate, costs 10€, the first part will be fixed dependent on where the car is registered, where I live, the first 3 letters are STA. You get a PIN so the registration office can allocate the number you choose to your car.

4. If the car is new, you then need to go to the town hall and get a "Meldebestätigung" which is proof of your address. You need this to register a new car.

5. Due to covid, you now need to book an appointment to register the car (used to be able to turn up and queue), and for the appointment you also need a negative covid test no older than 24 hours.

6. You need to get your number plates made with the number you reserved and take them along to the appointment too. If you haven't reserved a no. then the registration process is halted while you toddle off and buy some number plates once you know what number they have allocated to you.

7. At the registration appointment, they check your address, your insurance, your ID, your Covid vaccination and test status, your driving licence, and they issue a registration document (Fahrzeugschein). They also affix a MOT sticker and an insurance sticker to your number plates. Similar to Switzerland, if you stop insuring the car the police will come to your house and remove your plates.

8. You also sign a direct debit so they can extract the annual car tax directly from your bank account.

9. After you have done all this, you can go to the dealer with the number plates, attach them to the car and drive off.

The

The registration number is allocated to the individual, not the car and insurance is split in two, there is a third party part which covers any driver of the car that has your permission - it is set by law to be any driver (a bit like the swiss example). There is an optional fully comprehensive part, which covers the policy holder and any named driver, or any driver depending on which policy you chose. Interesting fact - if you have a valid driving licence, are drunk and a passenger in a car also driven by a drunk (and insured in Germany), you will get prosecuted because you could have remained sober and driven the car - due to any driver 3rd party insurance being legislated.

.... my registration appointment is Friday, and I pick up my Cali Ocean on Saturday

Wow! I once wanted to live in Germany...