Yesterday, December 2, 2016, the Swiss Federal Council adopted a report recommending the e-vignette.
The Swiss freeway vignette was introduced in 1985 and since then must be clearly visible on the windshield if you want to drive on the 1st and 2nd class national roads, i.e. the freeways and motorways. Incidentally, the "temporary" vignette cost CHF 30.00 for the first ten years and CHF 40.00 since 1995. The people have so far rejected a further increase.
Now this adhesive vignette, which is particularly difficult to remove in winter, is to be replaced by an electronic solution. Drivers would pay a fee in advance and activate their vehicle plates. During checks, which can be carried out manually or by scanning the license plates in traffic (video control), it would then be checked against the central database whether the license plate has been activated.
The Federal Council assumes that the new system could be introduced cost-neutrally or even with reduced costs.
What does the e-vignette mean for classic car and youngtimer drivers?
Basically, the new solution will make life easier, especially for classic car owners who currently use several vehicles with a collective number or interchangeable license plates. This is because the fee would of course only have to be paid once for each license plate. However, because the number of interchangeable license plates is considerable in Switzerland, this simplification could also lead to an increase in the vignette price to, for example, CHF 59.00 per year. However, this would still be cheaper for owners of two or more vehicles on one license plate, but possibly more expensive for classic/young-timer drivers with only one car per license plate.
The Federal Council is also considering the introduction of short-term vignettes, which could save costs for sporadic highway use. However, for reasons of efficiency, a price below CHF 20.00 is warned against, meaning that a 7 or 10-day vignette would be quite expensive.
Incidentally, a more favorable tariff is being discussed for trailers and motorcycles.
Is it coming and when will the e-vignette arrive?
The adopted report speaks of a possible introduction date in 2023. Before then, changes to the law are necessary and, of course, the infrastructure would also have to be set up. The creeping introduction of "mobility pricing", data protection issues and the problem of checks and fines for vehicles passing through are cited as counter-arguments. Overall, however, the electronic vignette should have a good chance of being implemented. But let's take a look.
The full report can be viewed on the federal government's public website (at the bottom under Documents).