Switzerland Motorhome 2026: the CHF 40 Weight Cliff
Motorhome & Campervan Guide
Switzerland puts a hard edge at 3.5 tonnes, and a motorhome sits on one side of it or the other with no middle ground. Below the line you pay CHF 40 once a year, use the motorway at 120 km/h and are treated exactly like a car. Above it, the vignette does not apply at all, the vehicle falls under the Swiss heavy vehicle charge, and the limit drops to 80 km/h on every road outside built-up areas — motorway included. Check your plated weight before anything else.
Motorhome Speed Limits in Switzerland
| Road type | Up to 3.5 t | Over 3.5 t |
|---|---|---|
| Built-up areas | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Outside built-up areas | 80 km/h | 80 km/h |
| Motorway | 120 km/h | 80 km/h |
Speed enforcement in Switzerland is dense, automated and expensive, and the penalty scale rises steeply with the excess. At the upper end the Raserdelikt provisions carry vehicle confiscation and a custodial sentence, which is not a European norm. Set the cruise control and leave it there.
Road charges: the vignette and what replaces it
Up to 3.5 tonnes. One annual vignette, CHF 40, covering all national roads with green motorway signs. It is valid for 14 months — from December of the preceding year to the end of January of the following one — so a vignette bought for the current year is still good next January. Since August 2023 you can buy it as an e-vignette linked to the number plate instead of an adhesive sticker; both cost the same. Buy it at the border, at Swiss customs, at petrol stations, at post offices or online.
Driving a Swiss motorway without one costs CHF 200 plus the CHF 40 you should have paid.
Over 3.5 tonnes. The vignette does not apply. A motorhome above that weight is covered by the Swiss heavy vehicle charge, bought from the same official Via portal that issues the e-vignette. Sort it before you enter, not at the roadside.
Two tunnels charge separately whatever you weigh: the Great St Bernard and Munt la Schera. Neither is covered by the vignette.
Wild Camping and Overnight Parking
Rules are set canton by canton rather than nationally, which makes a single answer impossible.
- Overnight stops above the treeline are broadly tolerated in the mountain cantons.
- Nature reserves, protected areas and land near buildings are prohibited more or less everywhere.
- Several cantons prohibit overnight stays in vehicles outright, and enforcement in tourist valleys has tightened.
The reliable alternative is the Stellplatz network — roughly 200 sites nationally — plus TCS campsites. Expect CHF 15 to 30 a night, which is dearer than neighbouring countries and reflects Swiss prices generally.
Size and Weight Restrictions
- The high passes close in winter: the Furka, Grimsel, Susten and Klausen among them, typically from October or November until late May or June depending on snow.
- Several passes carry width restrictions around 2.3 m and weight limits that catch larger motorhomes even in season.
- The car-carrying rail shuttles — Furka, Lötschberg, Vereina, Simplon — are the practical alternative when a pass is closed, and they take motorhomes within stated dimensions.
- Historic town centres frequently have posted width and weight limits.
Gas and LPG Availability
Autogas is not widely available in Switzerland and should not be part of your plan. Carry full bottles in, and refill in France, Germany or Italy where the network is far better. Swiss bottle fittings also differ from neighbouring standards.
Waste Disposal and Service Points
Service points are standard at TCS-affiliated campsites and are provided at some motorway rest areas. Facilities are generally excellent where they exist; the constraint is price rather than availability.
Winter
Switzerland sets no winter tyre obligation and no seasonal dates. What applies instead is the general duty to keep the vehicle in a roadworthy condition, and tyres worn below the 1.6 mm minimum draw a CHF 100 fine.
The absence of a rule is not an argument for summer tyres on an alpine road. Four millimetres of winter tread is the working figure for a heavy vehicle here, and snow chains are required on specific roads when the sign is displayed — the sign is the instruction, not the calendar. Studded tyres are permitted only under restrictions, including a lower speed limit and a ban on motorway use, so for most motorhome touring they are the wrong tool.
Emergency Numbers
| Service | Number |
|---|---|
| Police | 117 |
| Ambulance | 144 |
| Fire | 118 |
| European emergency number | 112 |
Recommended Apps
- Park4Night
- TCS Camping
- CamperContact
More Resources
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Frequently Asked Questions
Up to 3.5 tonnes a motorhome follows car limits: 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 outside them and 120 on the motorway. Above 3.5 tonnes it is limited to 80 km/h on every road outside built-up areas, motorways included.
No. The vignette applies to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Above that weight the vehicle falls under the Swiss heavy vehicle charge instead, which is bought through the same official Via portal as the e-vignette.
Either. The adhesive sticker still exists and the e-vignette, linked to the number plate, has been available since August 2023. Both cost CHF 40 and both run for 14 months, from December of the previous year to the end of January of the next.
A CHF 200 fine plus the CHF 40 vignette you should have bought. Checks are made at the border and on the network.
No. Switzerland sets no winter tyre obligation and no seasonal dates. What exists instead is a general duty to keep the vehicle roadworthy, and tyres worn below the 1.6 mm minimum draw a CHF 100 fine. Four millimetres is the sensible winter working figure.
It is decided canton by canton. Overnight stops above the treeline are generally tolerated, but nature reserves, protected areas and land near buildings are out, and several cantons prohibit it outright. Check locally rather than assuming.
No. The high passes — among them the Furka, Grimsel, Susten and Klausen — close for the winter and reopen from late spring depending on snow. Several have width or weight restrictions that affect larger motorhomes even in summer.