Which safety systems are mandatory — and since when?

Switzerland adopts the EU’s technical requirements. The safety and assistance systems prescribed in the EU are thereby also decisive for vehicles newly registered in Switzerland.

• ESP (electronic stability programme): prescribed in the EU by Regulation (EC) 661/2009 for new passenger-car types from 2011 and for all new passenger cars from November 2014.
• eCall (in-vehicle emergency call system based on the 112 emergency number): mandatory under Regulation (EU) 2015/758 for new passenger-car and light commercial vehicle types from 31 March 2018.
• Further assistance systems (e.g. emergency braking and lane-keeping assist, intelligent speed assistance): under the EU safety regulation 2019/2144 for new types from 6 July 2022 and for all new vehicles from 7 July 2024.

For these systems, the VTS refers directly to the relevant EU regulations (in particular 2015/758 for eCall and 2019/2144 as the general safety regulation).