I'm planning of buying a car out here but haven't yet exchanged my UK driving license for a Swiss one - do I need to have a Swiss license before I can get Swiss car insurance? Also do I need to have a Swiss driving license before I can drive a car with Swiss plates?

I am planning on exchanging my license but would like to sort out a car asap.

No and no. You get the insurance when you get the car and have a year to exchange licenses.

Now that I have my Swiss license, I will check with my agent to see if it should go down. The premiums were much larger than in the US, but I attributed that to a new, more expensive car than home. And Switzerland, of course

@iloveny - your post disappeared, but my insurance agent (AXA Winterthur) said the premiums will go down only with a Swiss passport, not just a license.

I am using AXA as well, I was being told if you have a European passport, the premium will go down, and the sales man could give you the discount up to 30%. But if you are in Catogary group 4, insurance company can't do that much, this is what I was being told. Is this legal to do so? Price based on nationalities?

Yes it is entirely legal. Insurance companies assess the risk and produce the premiums according to their perception of the risk of an average citizen of that country. Take the test here and the premiums can change though...

Hi thanks for the answer. Does that mean the Insurance company can actually change the policy if they would like to give discount? Those are not certain. Right? all of those '' nothing more I can do'' is just the sales man's words, indeed he could change it. Or?