7, 8 & 9 Seater Car Hire Switzerland

Swiss motorway vignette

Switzerland doesn’t have toll booths. Instead, every vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes that uses motorways needs a vignette — an annual sticker costing CHF 40. There are no daily, weekly or monthly options; even a one-day visit requires the full year sticker.

Renting in Switzerland? Your rental car will already have a current vignette fitted — confirm at the depot. Renting in Germany, France, Italy or Austria and driving into Switzerland? You’ll need to buy one before crossing the border (any service station at the border sells them) or get an e-vignette online via via.admin.ch linked to your number plate.

⚠ Fine for no vignette: CHF 200 on the spot, plus you still have to buy the vignette. Border officials scan plates automatically.

Winter tyres & snow chains

Switzerland has no legal date-based requirement for winter tyres — but the rule is that your vehicle must be safe for the conditions. In practice this means winter tyres are essential from November to March, and rental agreements almost universally require them on Swiss-registered vehicles during these months.

If you cause an accident on snowy roads with summer tyres, your rental insurance can be voided even with full CDW — and Swiss insurers may pursue you personally for damages that can run into hundreds of thousands of francs. Snow chains are mandatory only when you see a round blue sign with a chain symbol, typically on steep alpine pass roads.

✓ Most DiscoverMPVs partners automatically fit winter tyres from October to April on Swiss rentals. Confirm at booking, especially if you’re picking up before November.

Driving into Italy, France, Germany or Austria

Most Swiss rentals allow cross-border travel into EU neighbours (Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein) — but each country has its own toll system and you need to budget for them separately.

Italy uses motorway toll booths (around €15–25 per long journey). France also has toll booths on autoroutes. Austria needs its own motorway vignette (around €11 for 10 days). Germany currently has no general toll for passenger cars.

Some rental categories — premium SUVs, 9-seater minibuses, certain luxury MPVs — restrict cross-border travel to specific countries only, or require an extra fee. Always declare your intended countries at booking to avoid issues at the depot or invalidated insurance.

Alpine pass closures

Most of Switzerland’s iconic mountain passes — Furka, Grimsel, Susten, Great St. Bernard pass road, Gotthard pass road — close from late October to late May or early June. Closure and reopening dates vary each year depending on snowfall.

If your itinerary depends on a specific pass, plan for late June through early October. Outside those months, road tunnels provide year-round alternatives — the Great St. Bernard road tunnel, the Gotthard road tunnel, and several others stay open through winter for a separate per-journey fee.

Check live pass and road conditions at tcs.ch or viasuisse.ch before any mountain journey. Pass closures can also happen mid-summer after heavy weather.

Speed limits for 7-seaters

Standard 7-seater MPVs (under 3.5 tonnes) follow normal passenger car limits: 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads, 100 km/h on expressways, 120 km/h on motorways. Larger 9-seater minibuses over 3.5 tonnes are capped at 100 km/h on motorways regardless of conditions.

Switzerland enforces strictly. Speed cameras are common and fines are income-linked for residents but flat for foreign drivers — typically CHF 40–250 for minor breaches, escalating to court appearances and licence suspension for serious offences. Drink-driving limit is 0.05% BAC, dropping to 0.01% for drivers in their first three years of holding a licence.