Eco-driving for company fleets in Switzerland: savings in CHF and how to measure it lawfully

Driving the Eco-Drive way saves about 10 % of energy, whether the car runs on petrol, diesel or electricity, according to the Swiss Quality Alliance Eco-Drive, a programme backed by SwissEnergy. For a fleet of 50 diesel vehicles, that is CHF 9'200.– to 18'400.– a year in fuel, as the calculation below shows.

This guide is written for fleet, HR and finance teams running vehicles in Switzerland, including international companies new to Swiss rules. It covers what eco-driving really saves, how to train drivers, what changes with electric cars, and how to measure driving style within Article 26 of Ordinance 3 to the Employment Act, which bans systems designed to monitor employee behaviour. Voltaback telematics produces an eco-driving score without a tracking box, and the company never receives drivers' locations.

Key points in 30 seconds

• Savings: about 10 % of energy according to Eco-Drive. For a business case, plan on 5 to 10 %.
• On 50 diesel vehicles: CHF 9'223.– to 18'444.– of fuel a year and 10.6 to 21.3 tonnes of CO2 avoided (diesel at CHF 2.27 per litre, TCS Swiss average of 20 August 2026).
• Electric cars: smaller savings in francs, but decisive gains in range, especially in winter and in the Alps.
• Legal frame: a driver behaviour score is allowed if it serves safety and cost control, stays proportionate and employees are informed beforehand.
• Score: a tool to improve, never to sanction.

Sources: Eco-Drive; TCS press release, 20 August 2026.

What is eco-driving?

Eco-driving is a set of driving techniques that cut fuel or electricity use, CO2 emissions, vehicle wear and accident risk. In Switzerland it is widely known as Eco-Drive, the name of the programme run since 1999 by the Quality Alliance Eco-Drive (QAED), based in Stans, with support from SwissEnergy (EnergieSchweiz / SuisseEnergie).

It does not mean driving slowly. It means driving smoothly and with anticipation: shift up early, keep revs low, brake less, hold a steady speed. Journey times barely change.

In a company, eco-driving rests on three pillars:

• Driver habits, learnt on a course.
• Vehicle condition: tyre pressure, servicing, unnecessary load.
• Measurement over time, using vehicle data. This is the pillar that makes the first two last.

Source: Eco-Drive, offer for companies.

Eco-driving is already part of Swiss driver training

Since 1 January 2020, the compulsory follow-up course for holders of a probationary driving licence (WAB course, also called the "two-phase" course) lasts one day of seven hours. The Federal Roads Office (ASTRA / OFROU) states that emergency braking and energy-efficient, environmentally friendly driving must be practised on it.

Younger employees who learnt to drive in Switzerland therefore know the basics. Experienced drivers, and staff who obtained their licence abroad, often never learnt them. That is usually where the biggest consumption gap sits.

Source: ASTRA, evaluation report on the one-day WAB course.

The habits that really matter

• Accelerate briskly, then shift up early: the engine works in its most efficient range.
• Anticipate and coast rather than brake: braking turns energy into wasted heat.
• Keep a steady speed, with cruise control on the motorway.
• Switch the engine off during long stops, at level crossings or in queues on the A1 near Zurich.
• Check tyre pressure once a month, on cold tyres.
• Remove roof boxes and bike racks after use: according to Eco-Drive, up to 40 % of energy is at stake.
• Lighten the load: about 0.5 % less energy per 20 kg removed.

Two of these depend on the fleet manager rather than the driver: tyre pressure and servicing. They are managed with fleet maintenance alerts.

Tip: start with a single message to your drivers, "anticipate rather than brake". It works on consumption, wear and safety at the same time.

Source: Eco-Drive, tips for electric cars.

How much does eco-driving save a company?

Eco-Drive quotes about 10 % energy savings. That is an order of magnitude for a driver who applies the techniques. Across a whole fleet and over several months, the effect fades if nobody measures it.

The municipality of Horgen (canton of Zurich) published its own results: about 9 % less fuel over one year, with the course costs recovered in under eight months. A useful benchmark, not a guarantee.

So use a cautious range of 5 to 10 % in your business case. Anything above is a bonus.

Source: Swiss Association of Municipalities, Eco-Drive in Horgen.

Worked example: 50 diesel vehicles in Switzerland

Assumptions (replace them with your own):

• 50 diesel vehicles, for example service engineers based in Zurich, Zug and Geneva, 25,000 km a year each, 6.5 l/100 km;
• diesel at CHF 2.27 per litre, Swiss average reported by the TCS (Touring Club Switzerland) on 20 August 2026, VAT included;
• diesel emission factor: 2.62 kg of CO2 per litre (Federal Office for the Environment, FOEN / BAFU, greenhouse gas inventory).

If your company reclaims input VAT (8.1 %), the net saving drops to about CHF 8'530.– and 17'060.–. That still clearly outweighs the cost of a course, which Eco-Drive providers quote on request.

Sources: TCS; FOEN, CO2 emission factors.

Gains that do not show on the fuel card

• Claims: anticipatory driving leaves more margin for the unexpected. Run the numbers with your own data: claims per year × average cost borne by you (excess, downtime, replacement car) × a cautious reduction.
• Insurance: a fleet policy premium is renegotiated on claims history. Fewer claims mean a better file at renewal, with no guaranteed reduction.
• Wear: fewer harsh braking events spare pads and tyres. We found no reliable official Swiss figure, so treat this as a safety margin, outside the business case.
• Climate reporting: every litre saved is an avoided emission, traceable in your sustainability report.

All of these feed into your fleet total cost of ownership. For a quick estimate on your own fleet, use the telematics savings simulator.

What to measure: the eco-driving score

An eco-driving score (driver behaviour score) is a rating, often out of 100, that summarises driving style from vehicle data. Methods vary, but most rely on the same indicators:

• harsh acceleration per 100 km;
• harsh braking per 100 km;
• high engine revs (combustion engines);
• share of time at high speed;
• idling time, engine running while stationary;
• real consumption, in l/100 km or kWh/100 km.

Three rules make a score fair:

• Relate events to distance: 10 harsh braking events over 3,000 km are not the same as 10 over 300 km.
• Compare like with like: a technician in Basel city traffic and a sales manager on the A1 between Geneva and Lausanne do not have the same profile. Compare each driver with their own history.
• Read trends, not single events: one harsh braking event may have prevented an accident. Only repetition tells you something.

Voltaback calculates this score from data read directly from the connected vehicle, with no box to install. It comes with mileage, consumption and alerts. The foundation is accurate fleet mileage tracking.

Eco-driving an electric car: range comes first

With electric cars, eco-driving changes in nature. Savings in francs are smaller, because a kWh charged at home is cheap. The gain in range, however, is decisive.

• Regenerative braking: lifting off before a roundabout or on a descent from an Alpine pass recharges the battery. Eco-Drive recommends using it in a measured way, especially downhill.
• Motorway speed: air resistance grows with the square of speed. With the Swiss limit at 120 km/h, setting cruise control slightly lower noticeably extends range.
• Winter in the mountains: cold raises consumption and reduces usable battery capacity. Pre-heat the cabin while the car is still plugged in: the energy then comes from the grid, not the battery.
• Eco mode: it limits power in favour of range. Sport mode does the opposite.

Cold weather distorts comparisons between drivers: someone based in the Vaud Jura uses more energy in January than a colleague in Geneva. A fair score compares under similar conditions.

Source: Eco-Drive, tips for electric cars.

Worked example: one electric car in the same fleet

Assumptions: 25,000 km a year, 17 kWh/100 km, i.e. 4,250 kWh a year. A 10 % saving equals 425 kWh (slightly more at the meter, because of charging losses).

The real gain lies elsewhere: more real-world range avoids charging stops on the road, the most expensive and time-consuming ones. Our article on electric car charging time shows what a stop costs.

Sources: ElCom, electricity prices by municipality; TCS, fast charging stations.

Measuring without monitoring: Swiss law

This is where Switzerland differs from many neighbouring countries. Article 26 of Ordinance 3 to the Employment Act (ArGV 3 / OLT 3) prohibits monitoring and control systems intended to monitor the behaviour of employees at work.

If such a system is needed for other reasons (safety, organisation, fleet cost control), it is allowed, but it must be designed so that employees' health and freedom of movement are not affected. The Federal Supreme Court has made clear that Article 26 is not a blanket ban on technical monitoring: proportionality decides.

In practice, for an eco-driving score:

• A clear purpose: cut consumption, wear and claims, not control people.
• Proportionate data: a score needs neither the vehicle's location nor the route.
• Prior information for employees, in writing, about what data is collected and why.
• Results read in aggregate at team level where possible; individual detail is first and foremost for the driver.

The revised Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP; nDSG / nLPD), in force since 1 September 2023, adds privacy by design and by default. The supervisory authority is the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC; EDÖB / PFPDT).

Finally, Article 48 of the Employment Act gives employees or their representatives participation rights on all health protection matters. If your company has a staff committee (Personalkommission / commission du personnel), involve it before launch.

Voltaback is built for this frame: the company never receives drivers' geolocation, only mileage, consumption, score and alerts. The platform complies with the nFADP and has been ISO 27001 certified since 2 December 2025. The full rules are in our guide to company vehicle tracking.

Sources: Ordinance 3 to the Employment Act, Art. 26; Employment Act, Art. 48; nFADP; FDPIC.

Eco-Drive courses for companies

The Quality Alliance Eco-Drive offers companies courses in energy-efficient driving for cars and for trucks, run by trained instructors, plus information material to raise staff awareness. Courses usually follow the same pattern: a reference drive, a theory session, then a second drive to measure the difference.

Prices depend on the provider and the format. Ask for a quote and, above all, ask for the measured consumption on both drives for each participant. That is your baseline for tracking the effect over the following 12 months.

Some municipalities and cantons have subsidised these courses in the past. Check with your canton's energy office: programmes change from year to year.

Source: Eco-Drive, offer for companies.

Rolling out eco-driving in 5 steps

1. Measure the starting point

Record real consumption per vehicle over 2 to 3 months, with exact mileage. Without this baseline, no saving can be proven.

2. Inform before you measure

A written notice to employees, consultation of the staff committee if there is one: what data, to whom, for what purpose. A plain "no location, no routes" removes most objections.

3. Target the profiles that weigh most

High-mileage drivers and vehicles whose consumption deviates most from their group. Training this 20 % first pays more than training everyone at once.

4. Train, then follow up monthly

Monthly feedback to each driver in their driver app, a quarterly review per team. Fleet telematics collects these indicators automatically.

5. Quantify and share the result

Litres or kWh saved, CO2 avoided, fewer claims. Share the result with management and with the teams.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Publishing a named ranking: it demotivates drivers who work in cities or mountains, and it drifts towards behavioural monitoring.
• Using the score for sanctions: that is exactly what OLT 3 aims to prevent, and trust disappears.
• Promising 15 % to management: present 5 to 10 %.
• Training once and never measuring: the effect fades and nobody can prove it.

Make eco-driving measurable

Training drivers is the first step. Measuring the effect month after month is what makes it pay. Voltaback is 100 % software telematics: it reads native data from more than 48 connected car brands, with no box, for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. Eco-driving score, mileage, alerts and maintenance flow into your tools, without ever sharing drivers' locations.

The fleet manager's role is described on our fleet manager page. To see which vehicles in your fleet can be connected, book a 30-minute demo.