Expat Car Leasing and Rental in Switzerland

Relocation support for all your mobility needs!

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Get a car without a Swiss credit history or Swiss driver's license

As an expatriate, you can arrange for your car before or after you move to Switzerland. Together with our Swiss partner, we can arrange car leasing, insurance, registration, road tax and delivery. Our partner will provide you with a real “turnkey” service. You can get a car lease even with an L-permit, only provided you have a valid work contract. A destination service for foreign professionals moving to or living in Switzerland.

Leave Switzerland peace of mind

If you are about to leave Switzerland and need to sell your car, our partner’s “Sales Assistance Service” will provide you with an easy and time-saving service tailored to your specific needs. Our partner will be happy to call you to provide you with a free car consultation and answer all the questions you may have about driving in Switzerland.

New and Used Cars

Be it for a new or used car, our Car Expert will according to your wishes find the car that best matches your needs. Enjoy a real turnkey service.

Expat Financing or Leasing?

Whether you need a lease or a personal loan, our experts will advise you on the best financing method for you.

Expat Auto Insurance

Get competitively priced insurance. No Swiss driver’s license needed to set up coverage. Our partner will find the best insurance coverage for you at the best rate.

Car Rental for Foreign Professionals

Rentals are from 1 day up to 12 months. The rental car program covers 100 countries globally. Click here to book…

We can assist you in all of Switzerland

All major cities and all smaller cities, we’ll be there for you: Zürich, Geneva, Basel, Lausanne, Bern, Lucerne, Winterthur, St. Gallen, Lugano, Biel/Bienne, Thun, Köniz, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Schaffhausen, Fribourg, Vernier, Chur, Neuchâtel, Uster, Sion and the list goes on…

No matter what Swiss canton you are relocating to, contact us for your car needs: Zürich, Berne, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Glarus, Zug, Friburg, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Schaffhausen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, St. Gall, Graubünden, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva and Jura.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is insurance included in the lease?

    Insurance is not included in the rates, but we'll connect you with our insurance partner. The cost for full comprehensive insurance is about CHF 1,500-2,500/year

  • Is there a down payment required to start the lease?

    Yes, usually 10% of the value of the car.

  • What is the minimum lease term?

    The minimum lease term is 12 months. Generally speaking, the longer the lease term, the lower the monthly payments.

  • How are the monthly payments made?

    The monthly payments are made by direct payments from your bank account.

  • What documents are needed to start a lease?

    The following documents are required:
    • Copy of passport
    • Copy of residency permit
    • Copy of assignment/employment agreement
    • Lease form to be completed

  • Is there a penalty to terminate the lease early?

    Yes, the amount for the penalty would depend on how much time is remaining on the lease.

  • Could I insurance and register the car in a different European country?

    No, you'd have to insure and register the car in Switzerland.

  • What is the expected delivery time?

    The expected the delivery time is two weeks.

  • Is ExpatRide specialized in only supporting expatriates, or is it available for short-term and domestic needs?

    ExpatRide’s primary focus is on workforce mobility services. It includes all employees’ transportation needs, be it short-term international assignments or long-term and permanent moves. We can assist employees moving domestically and internationally.

  • How can ExpatRide support our corporate relocation service needs?

    We work with you to establish a global mobility program for all aspects of car transportation. Aligning customary transportation across continents, budgets, allowances, self-pay, approved vehicles, individually tailored solutions, and centralized direct billing arrangement across all services.

    If you work with a Relocation Management Company. We can support and implement the plan mentioned above together with the RMC, including coordinating expense management for your employees, thus utilizing the relocation support services infrastructure already provided to you by the RMC. We work with all the major RMCs and Destination Services Providers.

    Please see more information on our “Corporate page”

  • Do you offer corporations direct billing via invoicing instead of credit card payment?

    Yes, we offer different payment options worldwide for corporations. This is individually accessed and may not be available for all.

  • Do you support Global Mobility HR with their expats’ transportation needs?

    Yes, we can assist corporate human resource divisions in coordinating all transportation needs for their employees on international assignments.

Practical Information on Driving in Switzerland

Speed Limits

Speed limits
Outside built-up areas: 80 km/h (50 mph)
Inside built-up areas:50 km/h (31 mph)
Motorways: 120 km/h (75 mph).

Alcohol & Driving

Don’t do it! The blood/alcohol limit in Switzerland is 50 mg per 100 ml of blood (0.5 grams/liter). Drivers with an alcohol level between 0.5 g/l and 0.79 g/l will be charged with a fine and could be taken to jail.

Kids in Cars

Children under 12 years must sit in a special child seat if they are under 150 cm tall. Children over 150 cm tall and children over 12 years of age must wear a seat belt.

Documentation

Always carry your driving license (and translation/international driving permit/license if appropriate), motor insurance certificate, a spare pair of glasses (if you wear glasses or lenses) and a red warning triangle (which you must place behind the car in an accident).

Minimum Age

The minimum age for driving in Switzerland is 18 for cars and two-wheel vehicles.

Auto Insurance

Basic motor vehicle insurance (third party cover) is mandatory for all drivers in Switzerland. Basic insurance will cover only damage to others, while more complete (comprehensive or semi-comprehensive) insurance will cover damage to the car insured as well.

Phone & Driving

Swiss law imposes summary fines of CHF 100 for using a phone without a hands free device while driving. In addition, the law requires a driver to maintain control of their vehicle and to avoid any form of distraction. Prosecution can result in large fines, loss of license and prison.

Seat Belts

Seat belts are mandatory in Switzerland.
Children over 150 cm tall and children over 12 years of age must wear a seat belt. On seats using pelvic restraints (older cars or minibuses), only children up to the age of 7 years must be secured using a children safety seat.

Driver’s license

For the first year, anyone can drive a car in Switzerland using their foreign driving license if they are 18 years old. Younger drivers who may hold a driver’s license in another country will not be able to drive.
If your driver’s license is in a language not recognized by the Swiss authorities (English, French, German or Italian) you will need to carry either an International Driver’s license or an International Driving Permit (IDP), which includes a translation of your driving license. In addition, certain criteria must be met:

• The license must have been issued by a competent authority abroad.
• It must be valid and have been acquired lawfully.
• The owner must be old enough to hold a Swiss license in the same category

How to Exchange your foreign driver’s license to a Swiss Driver’s License

To exchange your driving license, you must personally present the following documents at the Road Traffic Office:
• Application form. This can be downloaded on the website of the responsible Road Traffic Office.
• Original copy of a valid driving license.
• Residence permit. If your residence permit is in cheque card format, your residence certificate is also required.
• A color passport photo.
• Certificate from an ophthalmologist (confirmation in application form). Cost: approximately CHF 20.

Please see more details on the following website THE SWISS AUTHORITIES ONLINE.

Note: Information may not be up-to-date. Please check official government information for latest laws and regulations.

We finance all makes and models nationwide

We offer the following car brands and any other car brand available in Switzerland

Learn to navigate the Swiss languages of leasing

Below you’ll find a translation of common lease terms from English to the official languages spoken in Switzerland. To learn more about the meaning of these terms, simply follow the link to our Glossary for Expat Car Leasing

Glossary for Expat Car Leasing | ExpatRide

French

Down payment or Capitalized cost reduction – Acompte ou réduction des coûts capitalisés

Depreciation – Dépréciation

Early Termination – Résiliation anticipée

Excess mileage charge – Frais de kilométrage excédentaire

Excess Wear and Tear – Usure excessive

First Month’s Payment – Paiement du premier mois

Insurance – Assurance

Lease term – Durée du bail

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price – Prix de vente recommandé par le fabricant

Maintenance package – Pack de maintenance

Monthly payment – Paiement mensuel

Option to Purchase – Option d’achat

Residual value – Valeur résiduelle

German

Down payment or Capitalized cost reduction – Anzahlung oder Reduzierung der aktivierten Kosten

Depreciation – Abschreibung

Early Termination – Vorzeitige Beendigung

Excess mileage charge – Überschüssige Kilometergebühr

Excess Wear and Tear – Übermäßiger Verschleiß

First Month’s Payment – Zahlung des ersten Monats

Insurance – Versicherung

Lease term – Vertragslaufzeit

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price – Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung des Herstellers

Maintenance package – Wartungspaket

Monthly payment – Monatliche Bezahlung

Option to Purchase – Kaufoption

Residual value – Restwert

Italian

Down payment or Capitalized cost reduction – Acconto o riduzione dei costi capitalizzati

Depreciation – Ammortamento

Early Termination – Risoluzione anticipata

Excess mileage charge – Addebito chilometrico in eccesso

Excess Wear and Tear – Usura e strappi in eccesso

First Month’s Payment – Pagamento del primo mese

Insurance – Assicurazione

Lease term – Durata del contratto di locazione

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price – Prezzo di vendita suggerito dal produttore

Maintenance package – Pacchetto di manutenzione

Monthly payment – Pagamento mensile

Option to Purchase – Possibilità di acquisto

Residual value – Valore residuo

"So responsive and a pleasure to deal with"

– Neil from Britain, Toyota C-HR

"I highly recommend ExpatRide for anybody looking for a car after making the big move!"

– Andreas from Denmark, Audi A4

”The service we received was amazing! Out of everything we've had to do with our move overseas, getting our new car was the easiest and most stress-free."

We are ready to assist!

    • Start process before or after arrival to Switzerland
    • Competitive interest rates
    • We can source any make and model
    • Personal Car Shopper Service (free service) - saves time and hassle with visiting dealers
    • Assistance throughout the term in regards to registration, renewals, etc