High fuel prices significantly drive demand for electric cars in Switzerland

Demand for electric vehicles in Switzerland is rising sharply. On AutoScout24, search queries increased by 48 percent in spring 2026, direct contact inquiries by 69 percent, and completed sales by 40 percent compared to the previous year.

This accelerates a trend that had already been emerging: rising costs at the pump are prompting many car buyers to take a closer look at electric mobility. At the same time, the average purchase price of electric cars is declining, further encouraging the switch.

Search queries increase noticeably
Analysis of user activity shows a clear shift in search behavior. While searches for electric cars rose by 8 percent from mid-January to mid-February 2026 compared to the previous year, growth accelerated to 48 percent from mid-March to mid-April. Users are therefore researching alternative drive systems significantly more often than a year ago.

Contact inquiries up by 69 percent
There has also been a marked increase in concrete customer inquiries (leads). After a 19 percent rise in January/February, direct contact requests grew by 69 percent from mid-March to mid-April year-on-year. This indicates a higher willingness to purchase.

More completed sales and growing supply
The number of deleted listings – an indicator of successful sales on AutoScout24 – increased by an average of 40 percent from mid-March to mid-April compared to 2025. By comparison, growth in the weeks from mid-January to mid-February stood at 23 percent. Supply is growing in parallel with demand: dealers are responding by publishing more listings, expanding the selection available to buyers.

External factors reinforce the trend
Internal platform data aligns with current market observations. High fuel prices appear to have further increased interest in electric mobility in recent weeks. Consumers are responding directly to economic conditions. At the same time, falling average prices for electric cars are contributing to their attractiveness, as already highlighted in AutoScout24’s quarterly report in early April 2026.

“The current fuel prices are accelerating a shift in thinking among many car buyers,” says Alberto Sanz de Lama, Managing Director Automotive at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group. “The fact that both demand and completed sales of electric cars are rising significantly year-on-year shows that electric mobility is increasingly becoming an economic decision for many households.”

Matthias Bischof, Director Customer Business, adds: “Many prospective buyers have been considering purchasing an electric car for some time. At present, economic factors are providing the decisive push for concrete purchase decisions.”

Data basis
The analysis is based on daily average values of search queries, leads, and deleted listings for new and used electric vehicles on AutoScout24. The periods from 15 January to 15 February and from 15 March to 15 April 2026 were each compared with the corresponding periods of the previous year.