The number of new cars taking to Switzerland’s roads and motorways slumped in 2024, new data from Auto Schweiz has revealed. Last year saw an electric vehicle retain its title of the most popular model to buy, though the growth of EVs more generally has stagnated.

Car sales in Switzerland declined in 2024

Last year, Auto Schweiz reported 239.535 new passenger cars registered in Switzerland, 12.679 or 5 percent fewer than in 2023. Auto Schweiz noted that sales are still well below the roughly 300.000 new cars sold annually before the pandemic, meaning that the average age of vehicles in Switzerland has started to grow.

Last year saw the rise of full and mild-hybrid cars, which totalled 33,6 percent of all cars sold in 2024. Today, purely petrol and diesel cars now only account for 38,2 percent of new vehicles.

Removal of tax breaks for EVs leads to sales slump

However, 2024 was the first year in which sales of electric cars and plug-in hybrids fell, by 12,5 and 10,4 percent respectively compared to 2023. The organisation noted that for Switzerland to achieve its short-term environmental targets, 50 percent of vehicles on the road have to be plug-in hybrids or EVs. Today it is 28 percent.

In the report, Auto Schweiz President Peter Grünenfelder said stagnating electric vehicle numbers “are the result of misguided policies.” He argued that the decision of the government to make EVs subject to some vehicle taxes at the start of 2024, parliament’s decision to vote against building a state-subsidised network of EV charging stations and the rising cost of energy has served to make buying an electric car less attractive.

With climate change a pressing issue and bans on new petrol and diesel vehicles on the horizon, the association called on the government to make the EV transition a priority by making them more affordable and accessible for drivers.

Tesla Model Y is the most popular car model for fourth-year running

Despite the slump in EV sales, an electric car was named the most popular model to buy in Switzerland in 2024. Last year, the Tesla Model Y outsold all other models for the fourth year in a row, with 6.600 rolling off the production lines and onto roads across the cantons, 406 more than the year before.

The Škoda Octavia (5.405) and Volkswagen Tiguan (4.725) rounded out the podium places.

10 most popular car brands in Switzerland in 2024

In all, here are the 10 most popular cars sold in Switzerland in 2024:

1. Tesla Model Y (6.600)
2. Škoda Octavia (5.405)
3. Volkswagen Tiguan (4.725)
4. Mercedes-Benz GLC (4.353)
5. BMW X1 (4.264)
6. Audi Q3 (3.899)
7. Škoda Karoq (3.583)
8. Škoda Kodiaq (3.437)
9. Toyota Yaris (3.436)
10. Volkswagen Golf (3.256)

The news comes as a bright spot for what has been a difficult year for Tesla: 2024 was the first time in over a decade that orders for Teslas declined worldwide. The international company delivered 1,79 million vehicles last year, 19.355 fewer than in 2023.

It also must be noted that while the Model Y took first place for cars sold, like the most popular cars in Switzerland overall, the VW Group and its brands Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, Cupra and Porsche collectively sold more EVs. In 2024, just under 30 percent of electric cars sold in Switzerland were from the group, followed by Tesla in second with just under 20 percent.

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