Minimum Amounts of Coverage

The insurance has to guarantee a minimum amount of cover of CHF 5 Mio. per event, whatever the number of victims and the type of claim - personal injury and damage to property (art. 3 par. 1 of the legal ordinance on vehicle insurance VVV). In case of passenger transportation per individual car or per bus, the minimum amount of cover per event is fixed at CHF 10 Mio. if the vehicle is designed for 10 to 50 passengers. The minimum amount of cover ist fixed at CHF 20 Mio. if the vehicle is designed for more than 50 passengers (art. 3 par. 2 VVV). These minimum amounts of coverage are applicable since 1.1.2005.

The vast majority of Swiss vehicle holders benefits from a much higher contractual cover in MTPL of at least CHF 100 Mio. (source: Federal Office of Roads).

Higher indemnities than the minimum sum in Switzerland may be granted if the vehicle that caused the accident originates from a country which prescribes a higher amount of coverage. The same applies if the insurance policy stipulates a higher coverage for the vehicle that caused the accident and a corresponding express warranty has been given from abroad for the compensation (art. 40 par. 3 VVV).

According to , The member states must prescribe the following minimum amounts of coverage (art. 9 of the Directive 2009/103/EC of 16.9.2009; also called Codified MID):

• In the case of personal injury, a minimum amount of cover of EUR 1 Mio. per victim or EUR 5 Mio. per claim, whatever the number of victims.

• In the case of damage to property, EUR 1 Mio. per claim, whatever the number of victims.

As stipulated in , The minimum amounts of MTPL coverage shall be reviewed in line with the European Index of Consumer Prices (EICP) every five years after 11th June 2005 or the end of any transitional period (art. 9 (2) of the Codified Directive 2009/103/EC). On 10th May 2016, the reviewed amounts, replacing those valid since 9^th December 2010, were published in the Official Journal of the European Union (COM(2016)0246final). As a result of the review, the amounts increase from EUR 1.12 million to EUR 1.22 million and from EUR 5.6 million to EUR 6.07 million respectively. In Liechtenstein, the reviewed minimum amounts of cover enter into force on 31^st December 2016. For Member States which are in a transitional period, having introduced only the half level of the stipulated amounts so far, the review should be carried out according to the rule: every five years after the end of any transitional period with a six months' delay.

Outside the EEA, there is no general international law provision prescribing minimum amounts of cover for MTPL insurance. These amounts of cover may vary in a significant way from country to country.