Newly disclosed data by the Federal Roads Office (Astra) has revealed the most popular car brands in Switzerland today. The report found that the number of vehicles on Swiss roads and motorways has soared in recent decades, with German brands still holding sway.

Number of cars in Switzerland soars

According to the data, compiled by the Tages-Anzeiger, while the population of Switzerland has increased by 70 percent between 1960 and 2024, the number of vehicles has shot up by 842 percent. By the end of last year, more than 4,8 million cars were calling the alpine nation home.

Despite both diesel and petrol cars declining in popularity since 2019, they still make up the vast majority of vehicles. As of 2023, just 3,5 percent of cars on the road are electric.

Which Swiss regions are the more car mad?

Today, two-thirds of adults in Switzerland own at least one car. As of October 2024, the place with the highest density of cars registered is Appenzell Innerrhoden at 1.438 vehicles per 1.000 inhabitants. However, this is mainly because the vast majority of rental cars are registered in the region.

Therefore, the areas with the most cars per 1.000 people are Maloja in Canton Graubünden (774), Höfe in Canton Schwyz (772) and the Entremont district of Canton Valais (754). By contrast, Basel (293), Zurich (305), Lausanne (369), Lucerne (387) and Geneva (407) have the fewest cars per 1.000 residents.

VW the top car brand in Switzerland

According to the study, Volkswagen is the most popular brand of car. As of 2024, 610.726 VWs were registered in Switzerland, making up 12,7 percent of all vehicles on the road.

German carmakers are by far the most common across the cantons, with Mercedes (363.757), BMW (352.146) and Audi (327.975) rounding out the top four. Together, the top four German brands account for more than a third of cars on the road.

What is the most common car model?

In terms of the most popular models, the VW Golf took the top spot with 172.000 registrations. It was followed by the Octavia from Czech manufacturer Škoda (115.000) and its peers the VW Polo (91.000) and Tiguan (72.000). The Toyota Yaris, Fiat 500 and Audi A3 rounded out the top seven.

Finally, the study found that most drivers in Switzerland will not be livening up the streets with the colour choice of their wheels. They found that 33 percent of cars on the roads are grey or silver, followed by black (23,8 percent), white (20,8 percent) and blue (10,1 percent).

Most popular car brands in Switzerland

In all, here are the most popular car brands in Switzerland:

1. Volkswagen (610.726)
2. Mercedes (363.757)
3. BMW (352.146)
4. Audi (327.975)
5. Škoda (276.955)
6. Toyota (229.773)
7. Ford (201.465)
8. Renault (185.179)
9. Opel (184.324)
10. Peugeot (154.353)

For more information, and to see which car brands are most popular in your home town, check out the piece from the Tages-Anzeiger (subscription required).