Long-term rental or buy?
A rental has a fixed monthly price. A car you own costs a lot at the start and then gets cheaper every year. This tool shows the total cost of both over time, and the moment when buying breaks even.
Total cost over time
Each point is what you would have spent if you stopped at that moment. For the owned car this is everything you paid minus what you could sell it for.
Show the numbers per year
| After | Buy (net) | Rent | Difference | Car value |
|---|
Where the money goes
Totals over the compared period. The value lost is never more than the purchase price: once the car is worth almost nothing, only the bills and the lost return keep adding up.
| CHF | Buy | Long-term rental |
|---|---|---|
| Value lost (price minus what the car is still worth) | ||
| Monthly fees | ||
| Upfront payments | ||
| Extra kilometres | ||
| Insurance and vehicle tax | ||
| Service, repairs and tyres | ||
| Lost investment return | ||
| Total |
How it works
- Fuel or electricity, parking, the motorway vignette and cleaning cost the same in both cases, so they are left out.
- The owned car loses value fast in the first year, then by a fixed percentage of its remaining value each year. Drive a lot? Use a higher value loss.
- Service and repair costs grow each year as the car gets older. The rental always uses a new car, so its costs restart with every contract.
- Money is not free: every franc paid earlier could have earned the investment return. This is added to both options, so buying with a big payment up front carries its real cost.
- The rental fee is assumed to stay the same when you renew. Payments happen at the start of each month.
- Kept for a long time, the owned car still costs its insurance, tax and service, and the money already spent keeps missing its investment return, even when the car itself is worth almost nothing. The table “Where the money goes” shows each part.
Questions and answers
Is long-term car rental cheaper than buying?
For a few years, often yes: a car subscription includes insurance, tax, service and tyres, and you avoid the big value loss of a new car in its first years. If you keep a car for many years, buying usually wins. This tool shows the month from which buying costs less.
How much is the car tax in Switzerland?
Each canton sets it, by weight, engine size or power. For a Skoda Octavia 2.0 TSI, the TCS lists about CHF 314 a year in Geneva, CHF 338 in Zurich, CHF 457 in Bern, CHF 515 in Ticino and CHF 669 in Vaud (2026).
Which costs does the comparison leave out?
Fuel or electricity, parking, the motorway vignette and cleaning. They cost the same whether you rent or buy.