Your most frequently asked questions about car sharing

Yes. The tariff also includes liability and fully comprehensive insurance with an excess of CHF 1,000.00

Yes. You can drive Swiss E-Car vehicles in all neighbouring countries. The only stipulation is that you must be a resident in Switzerland or in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

The range of electric vehicles varies greatly depending on individual driving style and temperatures. We aim to maximise the range of our vehicles so that 300 km is realistic in winter on a fully charged battery.

Yes, only quieter and more zippier. Please always be alert to other road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists, as they cannot always hear you.  Press the gas pedal gently when moving off, as electric vehicles deliver instant maximum torque producing immediate acceleration.

Regenerative braking takes some getting used to for most users, as the vehicle decelerates as soon as you take your foot off the pedal.

Swiss E-Car journeys are billed by credit card. Enter your credit card details when you make your first booking.

The location function (via bluetooth) must be activated for the Swiss E-Car app to work. On Android devices, bluetooth is linked to location sharing.

The location function must therefore be activated. This is not due to the app, but to the operating system. This requirement does not apply to iOS devices.

Yes, most of our vehicles are equipped with an e-vignette. A few vehicles still have a vignette sticker.

First close the app and then delete the cache. If the problem persists, check whether the latest version of the app is installed. An update may be available. An internet connection is also required. If the problem persists, contact the Swiss E-Car team on +41 62 834 21 35.

Registering with Swiss E-Car is easy. There are two options available:

The quickest way: You download the ‘Swiss E-Car’ app from the relevant app store (Google Play or Apple App Store) and register.

Alternatively, you can also register on the portal and create a user account. You will, however, need the Swiss E-Car app to use the vehicle.

You must fulfil the following requirements:

• Have a smartphone (to use the Swiss E-Car app)
• Live in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein
• Have a driver’s licence that was issued or is recognised in Switzerland, which has neither been revoked nor lost at the time of rental
• Have a valid credit card with a sufficient card limit for the use of the platform in question

Have a Swiss E-Car account (see also no. 2 ‘Registration’)

Unfortunately not. We need a copy of the front and back of your driver’s licence to create your user account. This data and documents must be verified before we can confirm the user account and you can use the car. This can take up to two working days. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

With Swiss E-Car, you only pay when you book a vehicle. With every booking, the corresponding costs are charged to your credit card.

Open the Swiss E-Car app or log in via the portal. Select the chosen location and book the chosen time slot. Then press ‘Continue’. Depending on the location, different vehicle classes are available. Select the chosen vehicle class.  Select the credit card for payment. Confirm that you are in possession of a valid driver’s licence and finalise the booking by pressing the ‘Book’ button.

No, the vehicle is locked by an active immobiliser. Please log in to the portal or via the app and book the chosen vehicle. Then you can open the vehicle easily via the app.

You can unlock the car at the earliest 30 minutes before the booking starts. Then the official allocation is made by the system. Please note that early access does not mean “free” time.  The booking time starts when you start the booking and ends when you press the ‘End hire’ button in the app.

Yes. Your bookings appear in the app under ‘Bookings’. If you click on a booking in ‘Bookings’, you can edit or cancel it. Please note certain deadlines: In the event of a cancellation, we will charge a fee, depending on when it is made (see ‘Fair play and fees’).

Changes or cancellations made more than 24 hours before you start your drive are free of charge. If the change is made up to 6 hours before the start of the drive, we will charge a change or cancellation fee in accordance with the ‘Fair play and fees’.

Your booking will remain active for 60 minutes. This means that you can collect your vehicle up to 60 minutes late. After that, the booking will be cancelled out of fairness to other users. While a booking is active, the vehicle cannot be rented by another user. If the booking is then not availed of, the vehicle is, therefore not used, which would be a shame for us and for those who might have wanted to book. If you know that you are going to be more than 60 minutes late, we kindly ask that you adjust your booking in advance accordingly. To prevent your booking from expiring, you can start it (check in) and collect the vehicle later. Please note, however, that the rental period and price will be calculated from the start of the booking.

Failure to cancel the reservation is considered not fair play. As the vehicle was reserved and therefore not available to other users, we will charge an appropriate fee (see ‘Fair play and fees’).

Yes, you can hand over the rented vehicle to an additional driver if they fulfil the same requirements and conditions as you (see T&C §3 §8 and §15).  An additional driver shall no be party to the rental agreement. This means that you, as the hirer of the vehicle, must comply with the rental agreement and the provisions contained in the T&C.

The additional driver must remain in the vehicle for the entire journey. Please note that sharing your log-in details with others is not allowed.

An internet connection is required to start the booking process. A bluetooth connection is sufficient to open the vehicle. Some settings are necessary, see no. 3.9.

There are different settings that need to be enabled depending on the operating system in order for the app to work properly:

iOS: settings => apps => Swiss E-Car => location at least ‘when using the app’ or ‘always’, bluetooth active

Android: settings => apps => Swiss E-Car => app permissions => allow nearby devices

Yes. The vehicle is opened/closed with your mobile phone via bluetooth. If you encounter any problems, contact our Swiss E-Car Help Centre.

A charging station with a connector (type 2) is installed at the E-Car Sharing vehicle car park. The vehicle will always be connected to the charging station when you collect it. You must open the vehicle first so that the connector can be removed.

Open the Swiss E-Car app and the current booking under ‘Bookings’ Open the vehicle by pressing the green ‘Open’ button
Remove the charging cable and place the connector in the holder on the charging station

Check the condition of the vehicle (for cleanliness, any damage, etc.) Report heavy soiling or damage directly via the app. Alternatively, send an email with a photo to info@swissecar.ch.

After you have opened the vehicle and removed the charging cable, start the vehicle by placing your right foot on the brake, pressing the ‘Start/Stop button’ and moving the gear lever on the steering wheel or in the centre console to the appropriate position (D/B for forward or R for reverse).

Open the vehicle as described above. If you stow things in the boot, etc., the vehicle may not start immediately. In this case, the period between opening and starting the vehicle was too long. Simply press the ‘Open’ button again and then start the vehicle as usual (press the brake pedal and engage the gear (or press the ‘Start’ button).

It might be that the charging flap has not yet been unlocked by opening the vehicle. Or the charging connector automatically locks again after a certain period. Open the vehicle again via the app, then you can remove the charging connector.

Before you set off, you will be asked about any damage. Should you find any, please report it via the app. Any existing damage will be displayed.  Alternatively, you can also report the damage by email. Please mention that the damage was already present before the start of the journey.

If necessary (depending on the severity of the damage), contact the Help Centre.

To avoid any misunderstandings, please note that the payment provider ‘Stripe’ blocks CHF 50 in addition to the expected reservation amount for each booking. What does that mean? Suppose you book a vehicle for 2 hours (= CHF 18): in this case, an amount of CHF 68 will be reserved on your credit card. It will not be posted.

Only after the journey has been completed, will the amount actually incurred be charged. In the example above, this is CHF 18.  The reservation of CHF 50 serves to bill any fines and/or time overruns accordingly.

Your bookings (including past bookings) are displayed in the app. You will see each of your journeys billed individually on your credit card statement. This means that you will not incur any additional costs.

Yes, you can extend the booking via the smartphone app. Provided no one else has already booked the vehicle. To extend the current booking, click on the 3 dots in the top right-hand corner of your booking and select ‘Extend booking’.

Yes. The best way to change or end your booking is directly via the Swiss E-Car app. It is good to plan ahead, also in the interests of fair play.

Contact the Swiss E-Car Help Centre. The number can be found in the vehicle. You will then be given the roadside assistance number via the insurance company. Please note that if the customer is at fault, we will pass on the towing costs accordingly and charge a handling fee (see ‘Fair play and fees’).

In the event of a stopover, simply engage the parking brake by pressing ‘P’ (park) and press the ‘Start-Stop’ button. You can close the vehicle and open it again later via the app.

‘Close’ and ‘End rental’ are different processes.  Use ‘Close’ if you are only parking the vehicle temporarily and intend using it again later.

Something unexpected can always arise. Do try, however, to return the vehicle on time. Allow for an extra half hour when booking if necessary. In the event of a delay (traffic jam, breakdown, etc.), please get in touch with our Help Centre.

If no one has reserved the car after your time, you can extend the booking via the app. If the booking cannot be extended, we will coordinate the bookings that follow.

Optimise the range by using driving mode ‘B’ on the gear lever (instead of driving mode ‘D’ to activate regenerative braking. As soon as you apply the brakes or take your foot off the pedal, the battery is charged with driving energy. Do not be alarmed the first time you take your foot off the pedal, as regenerative braking causes the vehicle to decelerate sharply compared to a combustion engine vehicle or even driving mode ‘D’.

Our vehicles are equipped with a type 2 charging socket. This allows you to use both the standardised type 2 connector for AC charging and a CCS connector for DC rapid charging. Almost all charging stations are equipped with a type 2 connector so that you can easily charge your vehicle in Switzerland and neighbouring countries. The CCS plug is available at rapid-charging stations, especially on motorways.

You can use any public charging station that has a Type 2 connector or a DC (CCS connector).

There are several online maps that provide a good, sometimes, very good overview:

https://swisscharge.webapp.virtaglobal.com/
www.ich-tanke-strom.ch  (an overview of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (from almost all operators) in Switzerland. It shows the availability of charging stations in real time)
https://www.goingelectric.de/stromtankstellen/
https://www.gofast.swiss/standorte
https://www.plugsurfing.com/map

Our tariffs include the electricity costs for charging the vehicle at the designated location (home charging station). You are responsible for charging en route as well as for the associated costs.

If intermediate charging is required while travelling, this can be done via a public charging station AC (type 2) or DC (CCS connector).
If the charging station does not have a charging cable including a connector, a charging cable can be found in the ‘engine compartment’ or in the boot of the vehicle.
You are responsible for charging en route as well as for the associated costs.

Please find out about available charging options en route before embarking on long journeys. More information on this can also be found at:

https://swisscharge.webapp.virtaglobal.com/
www.ich-tanke-strom.ch  (an overview of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (from almost all operators) in Switzerland. It shows charging stations availability in real time)
https://www.goingelectric.de/stromtankstellen/
https://www.gofast.swiss/standorte
https://www.plugsurfing.com/map

Open the electric vehicle charging flap. Then take the charging cable from the charging station and plug it securely into the charging socket. If there is no charging cable at the charging station, take the charging cable out of the boot and plug it into the car and the charging station. Follow the instructions displayed at the charging station.

You are responsible for charging en route as well as for the associated costs.

Yes. Swiss E-Car is a station-based car sharing scheme with electric vehicles. This presupposes a reserved parking space and a corresponding charging infrastructure. The vehicles must therefore always be returned to their original location and plugged into the charging station.  Be sure to plug the charging cable back in so that the next user can also get into a fully charged vehicle.

Call the Help Centre on +41 62 834 28 28 an. And together we will find a solution.

Please leave the car clean and take all personal belongings with you. Also check that the charging cable is plugged in correctly and that the vehicle is charging. Charging must always be activated with the card in the vehicle. Lastly, check that the car is locked.

Returning the vehicle:

1. Park the vehicle in the e-car sharing parking space, engage the parking brake by pressing P "Park"
2. plug in the charging connector of the E-Car Sharing charging station in the vehicle
3. Start charging at the charging station with the card placed in the centre console
4. Check the charging process – the charging station is displaying a blue battery or blue LED
5. Ensure that the card is returned to the vehicle (centre console)
6. Close the vehicle via the app and end the booking.

All points are also summarised in the instructions.

Once the car has been returned to its location and connected to the charging station, you can close the vehicle via the Swiss E-Car app and end the booking by clicking the ‘End booking’ button.  Always return the charge card to the car.

Yes. Unlike with interim parking, a network connection (WiFi or data connection) and an active bluetooth connection are required to end the booking.

As with starting a booking, a connection to the server and therefore to the Internet is required.

Open the charging flap and plug the charging cable from the charging station securely into the charging socket. Some charging stations have a small button that you press to release the cable. Activate charging at the charging station with the card stored in the car (centre console). Blue LEDs light up or a blue battery indicator lights up at the station. Check the car display to be sure the car is actually charging.

Ensure that the charging cable is connected correctly and that the vehicle is charging.

If you have activated charging with the card at the charging station, you will hear a ‘click’. This tells you that the charging station has started to charge. On most vehicles, the light at the charging socket on the vehicle lights up green. On some vehicles, it lights up blue. The display in the vehicle also always shows that charging has been activated.

Vouchers can be purchased by private individuals as well as by companies/cities/municipalities.

Yes. You determine the number of vouchers and their value. That way, you purchase the appropriate voucher for the relevant purpose.
If you buy several vouchers, you will receive a CSV file with the codes for each voucher with the invoice. These codes can then be shared and redeemed accordingly.

Vouchers can currently only be purchased by credit card.

Vouchers are valid for 3 years from the date of purchase.

No. You do not need to be a registered user to purchase a voucher. An account with Swiss E-Car is, however, required to redeem the voucher.

Once the voucher code has been entered and activated in the personal account, the amount is available to the user in the "Wallet" section.
Please note that regardless of the amount of the voucher, a valid credit card must still be provided as security when making the booking.

If you have caused any damage, please call the Help Centre on +41 62 834 28 28, and report the damage in the Swiss E-Car app under ‘Booking’. Click on the 3 dots at the top right-hand corner and select ‘Report damage’.  We greatly appreciate your support.

If you break down, call our Help Centre on +41 62 834 28 28. We will give you the telephone number of the roadside assistance through the insurance company. Depending on this, we may need to take further steps to coordinate subsequent bookings.