The Swiss Federal Council is driving the alignment of climate targets in transport with EU standards. The government has now sent the corresponding draft revisions for the CO2 Act and the Energy Act into the official consultation procedure (known as the Vernehmlassung). The aim is to align the requirements for new vehicles from 2030 with the EU Commission’s forthcoming Auto Package. However, requirements for the period from 2035 onwards are explicitly not part of this legislative package – it thus excludes the EU discussion about a “phase-out of the phase-out of combustion engines”.
Significant adjustments in the commercial vehicle sector
The proposal includes notable changes in the commercial vehicle sector: for light commercial vehicles, i.e. vans or transporters, the CO2 targets are being relaxed compared to previous decisions. The target value from 2030 is increasing from the originally planned 90.6 to 108.7 g/km.
For heavy commercial vehicles, i.e. trucks, Switzerland is instead tightening the requirements. Instead of the previously planned 30 per cent emission reduction, the proposal demands a 45 per cent reduction from 2030. Swiss transport companies are already well on their way to meeting this quota: according to figures from the automotive association ACEA, the share of electric trucks in new registrations in Switzerland in the first half of 2026 was 26 per cent (trucks over 16 tonnes gross vehicle weight). Additionally, a funding programme launched in early 2026 to install truck charging infrastructure has been so well received that the budget was doubled in October from 20 to 40 million francs.
No realignment of CO2 target values for passenger cars
For passenger cars, the legal CO2 fleet target values from 2030 remain unchanged, as these are already harmonised with the strict EU requirements in Switzerland. Following the reduction to an average of 93.6 grams of CO2 per kilometre (WLTP) since 2025, the target value for passenger cars from 2030 remains unchanged at 49.5 g/km. Switzerland is also making good progress here: in October, 34.9 per cent of new passenger car registrations were electric (DE). However, importers will benefit from an administrative simplification: compliance calculations for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles are to be made more flexible by allowing target achievement to be measured over a three-year average (2030 to 2032) rather than strictly annually.
Switzerland to adopt EU vehicle label
In addition to fleet targets, vehicle labelling is a focus. The current Swiss energy label is to be replaced by the future uniform EU vehicle label. Since the EU standard primarily assesses classification based on local CO2 emissions, pure electric cars will in future consistently fall into the best efficiency class, A. Previously, many electric vehicles under the Swiss system only achieved category B due to the inclusion of the base electricity mix. Additionally, manufacturers will in future be able to supply the label ex-works, reducing import efforts.
Although the automotive package in Brussels may still undergo revisions, the Federal Council is already initiating the legislative process to avoid missing deadlines for implementation. The consultation period for submissions runs until 18 February 2027.
imticker.ch (DE), admin.ch (DE)
