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More cars with alternative driving systems on Swiss roads

More and more cars with alternative drive systems on the market
More and more cars with alternative drive systems on the market Keystone-SDA

In Switzerland, the number of vehicles with alternative driving systems increased in the first half of 2025. At the same time, the trend towards large SUVs is continuing despite the climate crisis.

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This is shown by an analysis by the online portal AutoScout24.

The number of adverts for vehicles with alternative drive systems on the AutoScout24 platform rose again in the first half of the year, according to a press release issued by the Swiss Marketplace Group on Friday. This development was already apparent at the beginning of the year, partly due to stricter CO2 targets in the retail sector.

Plug-in hybrids saw the strongest increase in new car sales (+15.5%), followed by mild hybrids (+12.6%) and fully electric vehicles (+8.6%). In the case of mild hybrids, the electric motor assists the vehicle when starting and accelerating.

+ Electric car sales accelerate worldwide but stall in Switzerland

AutoScout24 has identified similar developments in the used car market, where mild hybrids (+19.2%) and plug-in hybrids (+14.5%) recorded strong growth. “We have noticed that the acceptance of hybrid drive technologies is growing continuously in Switzerland,” said AutoScout24 CEO Alberto Sanz de Lama in the press release.

SUVs remain in demand

However, demand for large SUVs in particular remains high. More than 40,000 new and 150,000 used SUVs were advertised on the AutoScout platform in the first half of the year, according to the press release. This corresponds to an increase of 3.4% for new vehicles and 5.4% for used vehicles compared to the same period last year.

The SUV tax, which has been heavily discussed at times, and the debate surrounding sustainability do not appear to have dampened the appeal of this vehicle class, the experts write. In addition, minivans also recorded significant growth of 6.7% for new vehicles and 7.3% for used vehicles.

According to AutoScout24, the Škoda Fabia, the VW Golf and the VW Polo continued to lead the ranking of the most advertised new cars. The VW Golf, the Škoda Octavia and the VW Tiguan continued to dominate the used car market.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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