Knowledge · Automated driving
Automated driving in Switzerland: what is allowed, who is testing and what matters when buying
Since 1 March 2025, Swiss law sets out when a car may take over the driving task itself. This page has two parts: first, what this means for you when buying and on the road; then law, authorities, organisations and projects in detail. Every statement carries its source.
The essentials in three sentences
- The law allows three kinds of automated driving: the motorway pilot, driverless parking in designated areas and driverless vehicles on approved routes.2
- According to ASTRA, no vehicle has been approved for it yet; what you can buy today is level 2 assistance, and your hands stay on the wheel.83
- On public roads, only trials approved by ASTRA run without a driver, 4 are under way; in the Furttal passengers have been riding since 28.09.2026, with a safety driver at the wheel.1020 With nobody on board at all, two staff shuttles have been running on the Zurich Airport grounds since early September 2026.21
Part 1: For buyers
Assistance or automation: the level decides
Manufacturers and the press speak of «levels» according to the SAE scale. Swiss law on automated driving starts at level 3; systems up to level 2 count as assistance and are not covered by the new ordinance.4
| Level | What the system does | What you do | Status in Switzerland |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 2, assistance | steers, brakes and accelerates in certain situations | monitor at all times, hands on the wheel | allowed, do not let go of the wheel3 |
| Level 3, motorway pilot | drives itself on motorways with separated carriageways | may let go, stay ready to take over | allowed since 01.03.2025, no vehicle approved28 |
| Parking without a driver | parks on its own in an approved area | get out beforehand | allowed, no area approved28 |
| Level 4, driverless | drives with nobody at the wheel on an approved route | ride along; an operator supervises remotely | on public roads trials only110 |
What this means when buying
- There is no approved motorway pilot in Switzerland. According to ASTRA, no such vehicle has been approved.8 Mercedes and BMW are dropping their level 3 systems, according to electrive; the reports rely on Handelsblatt and Automobilwoche, and the manufacturers did not confirm it there.2526
- If a manufacturer advertises «hands-off», the rule here is still: hands on the wheel. The Traffic Rules Ordinance forbids letting go of the steering. The exception is the parking assistant: if the system provides for it, you may let go and even get out, but you supervise the manoeuvre.3
- Tesla FSD (Supervised) is level 2 assistance. The Dutch approval authority RDW approved it on 10.04.2026, valid only in the Netherlands, and states explicitly that it is not an autonomous system.23 In Switzerland it is not approved; according to Blick, no application had been filed with ASTRA as of 20.08.2026.24
- If a motorway pilot comes to market, the dealer must brief you. Anyone who sells, rents or leases such a vehicle commercially explains its intended use, has you sign for it and keeps the confirmation for five years.2
- Training is catching up. Since 1 July 2025, assistance and automation systems have been part of the driving test, and from 1 January 2027 they are also part of the traffic awareness course.86
Who is liable when the system drives
Towards an injured party, the keeper remains liable as before, and payment comes from the compulsory liability insurance.1 The insurer then establishes who caused the accident: if the motorway pilot was active, it can take recourse against the manufacturer; in manual driving it is the driver, and with poor maintenance the keeper.811
Whether the system was active is shown by the driving mode recorder. Every vehicle with an automation system must have one; it cannot be switched off and records only while the system is active. As keeper you have access; police and courts may read it out after an accident.12 Even with the motorway pilot active, sleeping, leaving the seat and activities with objects in your hands are forbidden; anyone who breaches these duties is punished under Art. 90 SVG.24
Part 2: For specialists, authorities and associations
This part gives the legal references, the procedure and the parties involved in detail.
The legal basis
- Road Traffic Act (SVG), Art. 25a–25h, in force since 01.03.2025: the Federal Council decides when the driver is released from their duties. Driverless vehicles run only on routes set by the canton of registration and under the supervision of an operator (Art. 25c). The driving mode recorder is mandatory (Art. 25e–25g). Trials are approved by ASTRA (Art. 25h). Keeper liability under Art. 58 is unchanged.1
- Ordinance on Automated Driving (VAF), SR 741.59, of 13.12.2024: three vehicle types (Art. 2), duties with the motorway pilot (Art. 23), briefing on sale (Art. 22). Parking areas are approved by the canton, which may delegate this to the municipalities (Art. 31). The operator works in Switzerland (Art. 34). Operating areas for driverless vehicles are applied for with the canton of registration, which consults the municipalities and involves ASTRA for national roads (Art. 43–45).2
- Type approval: a Swiss type approval requires a whole-vehicle approval from the EU (Art. 12 para. 2 VAF). The relevant rules are EU Implementing Regulation 2022/1426 and the UNECE regulations, UN R157 for the motorway pilot.24
- Deferral: for three years after entry into force there is no right to have applications for parking areas and operating areas assessed (Art. 51 VAF). Counted from entry into force, this ends on 01.03.2028.2
- Assistance: systems up to level 2 are governed by the Traffic Rules Ordinance, Art. 3 paras. 3 and 3bis.3
The view of the Confederation and ASTRA
The Federal Council adopted the ordinance on 13.12.2024.5 ASTRA writes: «Currently no automated vehicle has yet been approved for Swiss roads», and there are no car parks for automated parking.8 Vice director Lorenzo Cascioni told the ACS in an interview that there had been «no requests from manufacturers yet».11 The directives for approving operating areas of driverless vehicles have applied since 01.01.2026.9
The overview of pilot trials, as of 18.06.2026, lists 4 ongoing and 16 completed trials; the first ran in 2015 with Swisscom in Zurich. All ongoing projects run as trials under Art. 25h SVG. ASTRA does not mention any regular operation approved under the VAF.10
The international framework
Switzerland takes over EU type approval and applies the UNECE regulations. On 24.06.2026 the UNECE World Forum WP.29 adopted a first global regulation for automated driving systems, according to the European platform for connected and automated driving.29 We could not retrieve the UNECE document itself. Whether and from when Switzerland applies the regulation has not been published.
Who is involved in Switzerland
| Body | Type | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Council and UVEK | Confederation | issue the ordinance, adopted on 13.12.20245 |
| ASTRA | Confederation | approves trials, issues the directives for operating areas, keeps the overview of trials7910 |
| FOT (BAV) | Confederation | partner of AmiGo Ostschweiz22 |
| Cantons | Cantons | set routes, approve operating areas and parking areas12 |
| SAAM | Industry association | Swiss Association for Autonomous Mobility, the platform of those involved: transport operators such as SBB, PostAuto and VBZ, the cantons of Zurich, Geneva, Fribourg and Nidwalden, ETH, ZHAW and other universities, TCS, ACS, auto-schweiz, VöV, plus companies such as Swisscom, Planzer, Uber, WeRide and Baidu Apollo. Its president is Council of States member Hans Wicki. Publishes the roadmap 2026–2040 and supports the cantons in setting up approval procedures16171819 |
| bfu | Swiss Council for Accident Prevention | commented on the ordinance, see outlook12 |
| ACS and TCS | Associations | positions see outlook; the TCS is a partner of AmiGo131422 |
| Bern University of Applied Sciences | University | drew up minimum requirements for remote supervision with HEIA-FR on behalf of ASTRA and tested them at the Vauffelin test site15 |
| Swiss Transit Lab | Operator | leads iamo Furttal, ran line 13 in Schaffhausen until 28.02.202510 |
From auto-schweiz, the public transport association VöV, the insurance association SVV and the universities ETH, EPFL, ZHAW and HSLU we found no dated position, or the page could not be retrieved. The consultation report, which lists positions question by question, is currently returned with an error at the known ASTRA address.
Ongoing projects
The 4 trials that ASTRA lists as ongoing, with the status reported by the operators.
| Project | Sponsors | Area | Approved | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iamo Furttal | Swiss Transit Lab, cantons ZH and AG, SBB; technology WeRide | nine municipalities in ZH and AG | 05.11.2025– 30.11.2029 | public service since 28.09.2026 with three vehicles and a safety driver at the wheel, daily 1 to 5 pm, CHF 4.70 plus 0.38 per km; driverless minibuses only after ASTRA clearance2010 |
| AmiGo Ostschweiz | PostAuto (Swiss Post Move AG); technology Baidu Apollo Go | 16 municipalities in SG, AR and AI | 28.05.2026– 30.06.2029 | test drives with safety drivers since 01.06.2026, no passengers yet; regular service with passengers planned from 20272210 |
| Arbon bus line | Technische Gesellschaft Arbon; Karsan bus with Adastec technology | Arbon old town, nine stops | 29.07.2025– 31.07.2028 | automated up to 30 km/h, 20 seats; three steps towards remote supervision only10 |
| LOXO Bern | LOXO AG with Planzer | City of Bern | 02.09.2024– 31.10.2026 | goods delivery with a converted VW ID. Buzz Cargo; no extension of the approval has been published10 |
Announced, but not approved: Uber wants to launch a robotaxi service in the Zurich area with WeRide and Rydera, subject to approval according to moneycab.27 Waymo Switzerland GmbH has been entered in the commercial register in Zurich since 05.08.2026, with ride-hailing using autonomous vehicles as its purpose.28 ASTRA does not list any Waymo trial.10
Away from public roads: at Zurich Airport, two staff shuttles have been running on a fixed route across the airport grounds since early September 2026, with no safety driver on board and monitored from a remote control room; the technology comes from WeRide. The airport’s announcement does not name an approving authority.21
Outlook
First the dates that are fixed, then assessments by bodies outside the administration.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 31.10.2026 | The trial approval for LOXO in Bern expires.10 |
| 01.01.2027 | The traffic awareness course covers driver assistance and automation systems.6 |
| 2027 | PostAuto plans regular AmiGo service with passengers, provided all safety requirements are met.22 |
| 01.03.2028 | The deferral under Art. 51 VAF ends; from then on, applications for operating areas and parking areas have a right to be assessed (counted from entry into force).2 |
| 01.03.2030 | By then at the latest, ASTRA presents the evaluation of the ordinance (Art. 50 para. 7 VAF, counted from entry into force).2 |
Assessments from outside the administration
Here are assessments by associations, universities, insurers and manufacturers, with sender and date. They reflect the sender’s view. On a new topic in particular they can influence how authorities decide, which is why they are listed here.
| Sender | Date | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| SAAM | 03.08.2026 | no operating area has yet been approved under the VAF; ASTRA’s directives are not legally binding, and each canton decides how far to apply them; from 01.03.2028, 26 administrations must assess such applications, and supporting the cantons in this is one of SAAM’s priorities19 |
| SAAM | 05.05.2026 | roadmap 2026–2040, drawn up with members and the Confederation according to SAAM: by 2030 50 robotaxis, 20 on-demand shuttles, 10 regular buses, at least 15 goods vehicles and level 3 vehicles on motorways; by 2035 2’000 robotaxis, by 2040 20’000. SAAM itself calls the target values an example18 |
| bfu | 31.01.2024 | welcomes the ordinance in principle, but sees «clear safety risks» in vehicles with a takeover request and is «extremely critical» of the extension to 130 km/h12 |
| ACS | undated | «supports the development of new technologies in principle», calls for protection of personal data and drivers’ own responsibility13 |
| TCS, Zurich section | 20.01.2026 | distinguishes privately used vehicles from driverless mobility services and points to reservations among the population14 |
The list is updated monthly.
Sources
Fedlex versions with their date. Marked with *: secondary source, the statement has not been checked against the original document.
- Fedlex: Strassenverkehrsgesetz (SVG), Art. 25a–25h und 58, Stand am 1. Juli 2026, 01.07.2026
- Fedlex: Verordnung über das automatisierte Fahren (VAF), SR 741.59, Stand am 1. Januar 2026, 01.01.2026
- Fedlex: Verkehrsregelnverordnung (VRV), Art. 3, Stand am 1. Oktober 2026, 01.10.2026
- UVEK: Erläuterungen zur Verordnung über das automatisierte Fahren, 13.12.2024
- Bundesrat: Bundesrat ermöglicht automatisiertes Fahren, 13.12.2024
- Bundesrat: Bundesrat verbessert Verkehrssicherheit: Assistenzsysteme neu Teil der Ausbildung, 19.12.2025
- ASTRA: Automatisiertes Fahren, retrieved 20.10.2026
- ASTRA: Verordnung über das automatisierte Fahren, retrieved 20.10.2026
- ASTRA: Führerlose Fahrzeuge, retrieved 20.10.2026
- ASTRA: Übersicht über laufende und abgeschlossene Pilotversuche, 18.06.2026
- ACS: Interview mit Lorenzo Cascioni, Vizedirektor ASTRA, retrieved 20.10.2026
- bfu: Vernehmlassung: Verordnung über das automatisierte Fahren, 31.01.2024
- ACS: Fahrassistenzsysteme werden Pflicht, retrieved 20.10.2026
- TCS Sektion Zürich: Selbstfahrende Mobilität, 20.01.2026
- Berner Fachhochschule: Mobility 4.0: Mindestanforderungen an die Fernüberwachung, 31.03.2025
- SAAM: Startseite mit Vorstand, retrieved 21.10.2026
- SAAM: Members, retrieved 21.10.2026
- Swiss Association for Autonomous Mobility: Automated Mobility in Switzerland: Time to Shift into Gear! (Roadmap 2026–2040), 05.05.2026
- SAAM: Robotaxis in Switzerland: what the current framework allows, 03.08.2026
- Kanton Zürich: Im Furttal startet der Passagierbetrieb mit selbstfahrenden Fahrzeugen, 24.09.2026
- Flughafen Zürich AG: Zurich Airport: Automated shuttle buses now operate without a safety driver on board, 09.09.2026
- PostAuto: Meilenstein für automatisierte Mobilität in der Schweiz, 12.06.2026
- RDW: RDW explanation of European type-approval Tesla with provisional validity in the Netherlands, 10.04.2026
- Blick: Blick testet neues System in Zürich: Wie gut funktioniert Teslas Full Self-Driving? *, 20.08.2026
- electrive: Mercedes macht wohl Pause mit Fahrassistenz nach Level 3 *, 12.01.2026
- electrive: Nach Mercedes: Auch BMW verzichtet auf Level 3 *, 23.02.2026
- moneycab: Uber plant Robotaxi-Start in Zürich *, 17.06.2026
- Zefix: Handelsregister: Waymo Switzerland GmbH, UID CHE-404.150.149, SHAB vom 05.08.2026, 05.08.2026
- CCAM / connectedautomateddriving.eu: UNECE adopts first-ever global rules allowing fully autonomous vehicles *, 08.07.2026
