Cost of ownership: what a car costs per year and per kilometre in Switzerland

23.09.2026

Most people underestimate what their car costs. You notice fuel and servicing, but not the loss of value. Every year the TCS calculates the costs of a model car; the figures are a good reference point.

The TCS model calculation 2026

The model car has a new price of CHF 45'000 and covers 15'000 kilometres a year. It costs CHF 11'112 a year, or around 74 centimes per kilometre (TCS model car 2026). Of this, CHF 6'977 are fixed costs that arise even when the car is not used, and CHF 4'135 are variable costs that grow with every kilometre.

The TCS breaks down the costs as follows (shares according to the TCS, franc amounts rounded by us from them):

So the biggest chunk is the loss of value: depreciation and mileage-related loss of value together make up 40 per cent.

What changed in 2026

Compared with 2025, the TCS puts the kilometre costs two centimes lower at 74 centimes per kilometre, even though the model car became more expensive: the new price rose from CHF 44'400 to CHF 45'000. Comprehensive insurance premiums rose markedly, by 14 per cent. For electricity, the TCS calculates with 18 kWh per 100 kilometres and an electricity price of 28 centimes per kilowatt hour (TCS press release of 6 January 2026); by our calculation that is around 5 francs of electricity per 100 kilometres.

The model calculation applies to a new car. From ten years of age and 150'000 kilometres, the standard values of the TCS calculator are no longer meaningful (TCS kilometre costs). For older cars, your own invoices are what count; an example follows further down.

Costs per month

From the TCS annual figure, the costs per month work out as follows (calculated by us, rounded to whole francs):

So around 580 francs a month are due before you have driven a single kilometre. The 74 centimes per kilometre apply at 15'000 kilometres a year: if you drive less, the fixed costs are spread over fewer kilometres, and every kilometre becomes more expensive.

Energy: petrol, diesel or electricity

Petrol is more expensive in 2026 than in the calculation

The TCS calculated with CHF 1.71 per litre of unleaded 95 (TCS press release). In mid-September 2026, however, a litre cost CHF 2.10 on average, diesel CHF 2.38 (Tages-Anzeiger). As a TCS rule of thumb, 16 centimes more per litre raises the costs by one centime per kilometre (TCS kilometre costs). For the model car that is around 2.4 centimes more per kilometre, or about 360 francs a year.

Petrol or electric

The TCS compared petrol and electric cars over a ten-year period of use. Its conclusion: the lower fuel and servicing costs of electric cars make up for their higher new price after a certain mileage (TCS comparison of petrol and electric cars). Whether that works out for you therefore depends on how much you drive: if you drive little, you are left with the difference in the new price; if you drive a lot, you recover it through electricity and servicing. For both types of drive the same applies: what your car really costs is shown by your own invoices for servicing, tyres and repairs.

The fixed items in detail

• Vignette (motorway sticker): CHF 40, valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year. Without a vignette you pay a fine of 200 francs plus the vignette (ch.ch).
• Motor vehicle tax: depends heavily on the canton. For a Škoda Octavia 2.0 TSI, according to the TCS, it is between CHF 264 and 669 a year, CHF 453 on average; in Zurich it is CHF 338, in St. Gallen CHF 636 (TCS tax comparison, as of February 2026).
• Insurance: In a Comparis survey from January 2026, 27 per cent paid between 500 and 799 francs a year and 26 per cent between 800 and 1'199 francs; 45 per cent reported a premium increase (Comparis). Of those who switched, 44 per cent saved at least 200 francs.

Servicing and repairs: 10 per cent, but not evenly spread

For the model car, repairs and servicing come to around 1'100 francs a year. According to the TCS, this figure is too high in the first two to four years, because the car is then usually still under warranty; the money should be put aside for years eight to ten. Individual repairs such as a new diesel particulate filter can cost up to 7'000 francs (TCS kilometre costs). Which jobs are due when and what a service costs is explained in the guide Car maintenance plan: which intervals are really needed?.

How to work out your own costs

• TCS calculator: For CHF 14.90 the TCS calculates the kilometre costs of your model; you need the list price including extras, kilometres per year and consumption. The calculator is inaccurate for cars over CHF 120'000, for cars over ten years old and for under 5'000 kilometres a year (TCS kilometre costs).
• Free: The TCS car search shows the statistical average costs for current new cars.
• Your own figures: Your actual spending is the most accurate. Collect all invoices for servicing, repairs and tyres for a year and add tax, insurance and vignette. If you photograph your garage invoices anyway, you have the total per vehicle and year with no extra effort.

Example: a used car over ten years

A worked example, not a measurement: we take a car that is older than ten years and use only items that are documented above. Depreciation no longer applies, and the purchase price is left out.

Over ten years that is around 45'000 francs, without a parking space and without the purchase price. With the model car's parking space (CHF 1'780 a year), a further 18'000 francs or so would be added. The item servicing and repairs is rather on the low side for an old car: the TCS itself says that its calculator is no longer meaningful from ten years and 150'000 kilometres (TCS kilometre costs). That is exactly when it pays to know what you have really spent in recent years.

How to read a garage invoice is explained in the guide Understanding your garage invoice.