Premium shock: every second person will pay more in 2026!
For many Swiss drivers, car insurance will become more expensive in 2026: according to a representative survey by Comparis, 45% say that premiums will rise. Surprisingly, a good half are not reacting.
Car insurance premiums have risen significantly from 2025 to 2026. This is shown by a representative survey of 1026 car owners who have taken out car insurance conducted by the internet comparison service Comparis. Almost every second insured person will pay more in the new year. For more than a third of insured persons with higher premiums, these rose by more than CHF 100 from 2025 to 2026. There is also a regional difference in the larger premium increases: significantly more car owners in French-speaking Switzerland than in German-speaking Switzerland had to accept a premium jump of over CHF 200.
Premiums are rising even though most people have driven accident-free
«The majority of the premium increase is not due to self-inflicted factors,» explains Comparis financial expert Harry Büsser. He deduces this from the fact that almost every second insured person received a premium increase from their insurance company, but at the same time 80 percent of those surveyed stated that they had not had a claim in the past year. Despite the premium shock, only a fraction of respondents (6 percent) changed their car insurance provider. The move was clearly worthwhile for many of those who switched: more than one in two people who switched were able to reduce their premium by at least CHF 200.
High loyalty to insurance
The Comparis survey shows that in Switzerland there is even a pronounced switching inertia: 30 percent of respondents have been with the same insurer for more than 10 years, 50 percent for at least six years. People with a lower level of education are more likely to remain loyal for many years than those with a higher level of education. «Loyalty is likeable, but it's rarely a savings model when it comes to insurance,» explains expert Büsser. «Competition only works if consumers regularly check whether the price-performance ratio is still right. Insured persons who don't do this are probably paying unnecessarily high prices.» The survey also shows that there are large differences in premiums between policyholders. While eight percent of respondents pay less than CHF 500 per year, eleven percent pay CHF 1,600 or more. There is a broad middle ground in between.
Knowledge gap: One in three people do not know their right of termination
The Comparis survey also brought to light a major knowledge gap: 30 percent of respondents do not know that they can cancel their policy without notice in the event of a premium increase. «Those who are unaware of their special right of termination often automatically remain customers,» says Büsser. «This prevents competition between insurers from fully developing.» The willingness to switch is surprisingly low, although the figures clearly show: «Those who take action can make significant savings,» concludes Büsser. And: although repairs at a brand garage (contract garage) can often be more expensive than at an independent garage, 44 percent of those surveyed go to a contract garage for repairs. Almost the same number, namely 43 percent, go to an independent garage.
