Electric cars continue to gain ground in Switzerland

In 2022, 17.3% of all new cars sold in Switzerland were 100% electric, while 8% were plug-in hybrid models, according to Swiss eMobility. Keystone/gaetan Bally

Around one in four new cars purchased last year in Switzerland were either 100% electric or plug-in hybrid models.

The country’s best-selling model was an electric car: the Tesla Model Y, the Swiss eMobility association reported on Monday.

In 2022, 17.3% of all new cars sold were 100% electric, while 8% were plug-in hybrid electric models, which feature electric and fuel engines. This represents a 5% overall increase compared to 2021.

According to the association’s latest figures, around half of all newly registered vehicles still have just combustion engines – 37.8% were petrol-driven, while 11.7% were diesel.

Despite the growing number of electric car owners, Switzerland fell behind Germany to eighth place in a European electric car ranking. The association said this was probably due to more limited availability of charging stations.

Although it slipped down the table, the national public charging network continued to grow last year, according to Swiss eMobility’s 2022 annual report. There are now 12,560 charging points nationwide, 35% more than the previous year.

The highest number of new electric vehicles was registered in central Switzerland, which also corresponds to the highest number of charging stations per head of population. In absolute numbers, canton Zurich had the most electric car owners.