Car costs TCS survey shows increasing financial burden for car owners

Car owners in Switzerland are facing higher expenses for parking and vehicle maintenance, as a survey by the Touring Club Switzerland shows.

A recent survey by the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) shows that the financial burden on car owners has increased in recent years. The costs of parking and car maintenance in particular have risen at an above-average rate.

The survey results show that car owners spend an average of CHF 150 per month on parking. These costs have risen by 15.4 percent over the last two decades, as announced by the TCS on Wednesday. The figures refer to parking spaces at home, at work or in public spaces.

Rising real estate prices as a cost driver

The increase in parking costs is mainly attributed to the rise in real estate prices. Parking in public spaces and parking garages has also become more expensive. Three quarters of respondents have their own covered parking space and pay an average of CHF 106 per month for it. Around 40 percent of respondents drive to work by car, with around 70 percent of them receiving a free parking space from their employer. Respondents spend an average of 22 francs a month on public parking spaces, which are subject to a charge.

Expenditure on vehicle maintenance doubled

In addition to parking costs, expenditure on vehicle maintenance has also increased. Car owners spend around 300 francs a year on cleaning their vehicles, which represents a doubling of costs over the last 20 years.

The representative online survey by TCS is based on the responses of around 1,400 car owners from German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.

SDA