bonus.ch finds auto insurance premiums vary sharply by age, nationality and location

bonus.ch says Swiss auto insurance premiums can swing by as much as CHF 8,072 depending on age, nationality and place of residence. The Lausanne comparison site’s latest survey shows some young foreign drivers pay several thousand francs more than older Swiss drivers for similar coverage. Why it matters: - bonus.ch’s latest survey shows Swiss drivers can face major premium gaps for the same level of cover. - The biggest differences can hit young drivers, foreign nationals and people living in higher-priced ZIP codes. - The findings matter because insurance costs can rise by thousands of francs based on risk factors that overlap in one profile. What happened: - bonus.ch ran its annual survey of Swiss car insurance premiums at the end of May 2026. - The comparison covered major insurers and used three sample profiles aged 18, 30 and 70. - The analysis measured how age, nationality and place of residence change auto insurance pricing. The details: - An 18-year-old Swiss driver can pay up to CHF 2,513 more than a 70-year-old Swiss driver for the same full coverage. - In full casco insurance, the younger driver was priced at CHF 3,586 versus CHF 1,073 for the older driver. - In liability coverage, the gap reached 296%, or CHF 2,126 versus CHF 536. - Even in the smallest age-related case, the difference was still CHF 512, equal to an 84% increase. - A 70-year-old Swiss driver paid about 2% more on average than a 30-year-old Swiss driver. - Some insurers charged older policyholders up to 53% more than 30-year-olds. - Other insurers offered premiums up to 17% below those for a 30-year-old. - A 18-year-old driver with a C permit and Kosovan background paid 63% more on average than a Swiss driver of the same age. - For full casco at the same insurer, that nationality gap reached CHF 5,054, with premiums of CHF 7,958 and CHF 2,904. - The largest same-insurer nationality gaps came close to tripling, with annual premiums of CHF 3,147 versus CHF 1,061. - At ELVIA, the smallest observed difference was 19% for partial casco, equal to CHF 253. - A young Kosovan driver paid almost four times as much on average as a 30-year-old Swiss driver for comparable cover at the same insurer. - In the most extreme case, full casco cost CHF 7,958 for the 18-year-old Kosovan driver and CHF 1,358 for the 30-year-old Swiss driver, a gap of CHF 6,600. - For basic liability cover, the spread was nearly sevenfold, with CHF 3,147 versus CHF 466. - bonus.ch also found that location can drive premiums up by more than CHF 500 between the cheapest and most expensive zones. - Across the eight largest insurers in Switzerland, location-based price differences ranged from 14% to 53% for the same insurer. - The study says other pricing factors include driving experience, gender, annual mileage and vehicle characteristics such as value, model and color. - A comparison from last year used a more sporty Audi Q3 35 TFSI S line; this year’s model was a family-oriented VW Tiguan Allspace 1.5 TSI Basis. - In the most extreme cases, the vehicle comparison produced differences of nearly CHF 7,500. - When risk factors are combined, the price impact grows quickly. - A young Kosovan driver living in Lugano was compared with a 30-year-old Swiss driver living in Köniz. - At the most expensive insurer, the full-casco gap for a VW Tiguan Allspace reached CHF 7,632, with premiums of CHF 8,946 and CHF 1,314. - With a slightly sportier vehicle model, the gap rose to CHF 8,072, with premiums of CHF 9,476 and CHF 1,404. - bonus.ch says insurers adjust tariffs often, sometimes week to week, as market trends and claims costs change. - The company says digital tools let insurers implement those changes quickly and give consumers more chances to save through comparison. - bonus.ch says its comparison tool can evaluate offers in seconds and that the platform records more than one million premium simulations each year. - The detailed results are available in the full report . - The premium comparison tool is available here . Between the lines: - The data suggest Swiss auto insurance pricing is highly segmented, with multiple risk factors stacking on top of one another. - The sharpest increases appear when age, nationality and location all point in the same direction for insurers’ risk models. - The results also suggest that shopping around can matter materially, because the same profile can be priced very differently by different carriers. What’s next: - bonus.ch says insurers will keep adjusting prices as claims costs and market conditions evolve. - Drivers are likely to see continued volatility in premiums, especially for profiles insurers classify as higher risk. - The comparison site will continue pushing consumers toward price checks as a way to limit costs. The bottom line: - In bonus.ch’s latest view of the market, Swiss auto insurance is not priced evenly: age, nationality and address can add thousands of francs to the bill.