Where a motorhome is cheapest
It all turns on 3500 kilos. Above it a federal charge of 650 francs applies in nearly every canton – and in some, the cantonal tariff changes on top.
Worked out with 2800 cm³, 96 kW, 2900 kg kerb, gross weight 3500 or 3600 kg
The tax data is not available right now.
The 3500-kilo line
A motorhome is not a vehicle kind in its own right. The federal technical-requirements ordinance treats it as a passenger car, then splits passenger cars at 3500 kg into “passenger car” and “heavy motor vehicle”. Most of the jump across that line is not cantonal at all, though: above 3.5 tonnes the federal flat-rate heavy-vehicle charge falls due, 650 francs a year, the same in every canton. It arrives on the same invoice as the cantonal tax, which is why almost nobody recognises it as a separate item – the amounts below include it. On top of that, a few cantons switch tariff as well. Choosing between 3500 and 3600 kilos at purchase is therefore also choosing that charge – every year the vehicle stays registered. It is exactly why so many motorhomes are plated at precisely 3500 kg.