Car market continues to stagnate
The Swiss car market is stagnating: Slightly fewer cars were sold in April 2026 than in the same month last year. And overall, sales figures in the first quarter of 2026 remained at a similar level to the same period in 2025.
The market for new passenger cars in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein lost momentum in April 2026. With 18,618 new registrations, the monthly result remains virtually unchanged compared to the previous year's figure of 18,664 vehicles (-0.2%). The cumulative volume after the first four months is around 71,600 passenger cars, which corresponds to only a wafer-thin increase of 0.3% compared to the weak previous year. This continues the subdued market development of the first quarter. Pure electric drives and plug-in hybrids continued to grow in April. These plug-in vehicles accounted for 37.5% of new registrations in April. The cumulative share of plug-in vehicles since the beginning of the year is 34.7%.
The market for new passenger cars in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein has yet to gain momentum. Despite spring exhibitions, attractive offers and a number of new products, demand remains subdued.
Electric share grows
Pure electric vehicles (BEV) have increased by 13.3% since the beginning of the year compared to the previous year, while plug-in hybrids (PHEV) have grown significantly faster with an increase of 27.0%. Together, plug-in vehicles have achieved a market share of 34.7% since the beginning of the year. Hybrid vehicles increased by 1.8%. This results in a further decline in the market for pure petrol and diesel drives.
Thomas Rücker, Director of auto-schweiz , comments: «The electrification of the vehicle fleet is continuing to grow - even if purely electric drives are still below expectations. The pressure on the automotive industry remains high because the overall market is not yet recovering.»
Modern vehicles are part of the solution
New passenger cars are an important part of Switzerland's climate targets. They make a major contribution to renewing the vehicle fleet and reducing CO2, particulate matter and noise emissions. At the same time, they increase road safety thanks to modern assistance systems. Sustainable market development is therefore also key from an economic perspective.
Source: https://www.auto.swiss
