I am moving to Basle and I am trying to find the cheapest option to lease a car.

My family owns a company in Germany, so I was thinking about leasing a car through that. Does anyone know if I can reside in Switzerland (be a resident) and drive with German EU plates on a permanent basis?

This is ok in EU countries - you can see German plates all across the continent.

Any input would be great.

No, you can't. Sorry.

That would be illegal, your insurance might be annulled.

How do these guys get away with it?

They don't..

http://forum.gtspirit.com/18-speeder...ted-t8029.html

No Swiss residents?

You are not allowed to do this, even within EU countries. The car would need to be officially imported to the country where you are resident if you use it there most of the time. I think the last point is actually how you can get away with it if you claimed that the car was used in Germany most of the time. Still, if you have a serious accident there could be issues with insurance (German insurance will not cover if they find out that you drive the car in Switzerland all the time). Plus, you're actually trying to evade Swiss import duties and taxes which is a crime and can get you serious fines.

I know people who do this for years and get away with it (even know a guy in Spain who has been driving with invalid US plates for 10+ years). However, there's quite some risk involved, so would not recommend it.

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No you cant. If you become a resident in Switzerland you have a grace period of 12 months after which time you will be expected to formally register your car here and use Swiss plates. As far as I am aware that is the law all over Europe regardless of the EU. If for example you move to France you will also be expected to register your car in France and have French plates, the same goes for the UK.

But leasing in Switzerland seems pretty good value to me. The interest rates are very low and car prices are good compared to other costs in Switzerland.

Have you ever looked at prices in Germany - http://auto.sixt.de/neuwagen-leasing/BMW/Z4

Interest rates in CH are low, but the leasing companies make a killing since they still charge high prices. I've worked with banks and have seen that leasing here is indecently profitable for them..... total lack of competition.

No, I have Italian friends that live in Italy but have cars or motorcycles with German plates that they bought in Germany.

Tom

I have Italian friends that drive 220 on the highway even though 130 is the official speed limit. Doesn't make it legal.....

Not true. In Germany you have only 6 months to exchange a non-EU/EEA license (eg a Swiss one) upon becoming resident, not a year. See here: http://germany.angloinfo.com/countri.../exlicence.asp

"The foreign driving licence of a resident foreigner becomes invalid in Germany when the holder has been resident for six months. After this time a German licence must be acquired"

Regarding a vehicle, sometimes the initial 1 year period of staying on local plates from the previous EU/EEA country of residence can be extended for one additional year.

Finally special conditions apply to professional drivers and vehicles where registration is required in a shorter period. See here: http://www.stva.zh.ch/internet/siche...w/AWumzug.html

You could live across the border in Germany in Lörrach and lease a German car. You would, of course, have to pay German taxes though.

Switzerland isn't in the EU, so strike that, but if you are resident in one EU country and move to another, you still have a period of time to convert to the matriculation system of that country. If you are a permmie resident, you can wing it, but then you have to ensure that the car is legal in it's country of origin, which is hassle, it could prove problematic with insurance, and you wouldn't be entitled to reclaim the VAT I don't think, so how much would you actually save?

So in short no would be the answer I believe.

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How do you know if a Frenchman has been in your garden.... your rubbish is gone, your dog is pregnant.... but at least your cabbages are pest free

Well I have just been quoted 35,000chf for a brand new Volkswagen 1.6 tdi blue motion with just about every accessory imaginable and 2,000chf extra for the credit charges to pay for it over 4 years. 37,000 chf works out as approx 28,000 euros.

As we all know just about everything in Switzerland costs at least 50% more, but clearly cars do not. The same car in France is coming in at approx 25,000 euros.

And it is relative as well. People earn more in Switzerland so everything costs more. So again my point is that in terms of cost of living in Switzerland and wages etc, buying/leasing a car is actually quite good value!

Ok everyone - not going to lease a car from Germany

What is required to lease within Switzerland? I assume there's down-payment... is there even such a thing as credit checks? or do I need to show my contract from work ?

You need your residence permit and proof of income. The amount of downpayment will determine how much you will still owe to the dealer. How much will be your monthly payment and period of lease, what will be residual value of the car - all the info you can get from a dealer. Also get more info on the insurance from: www.comparis.ch