My Smile.car insurance verdict
Smile.car is, in my case, the best frugal car insurance in Switzerland. It offers the usual car insurance coverages: accident insurance (partial and full coverage) and liability insurance. It’s 100% online. And most importantly: it’s the cheapest car insurance in Switzerland for my situation, with customer service that proved itself when I actually needed it.
PROS:
- Cheapest offer in Switzerland (same conditions as competitors)
- Free choice of repair shop for claims
- Entirely online
- Responsive customer service via chat (instead of waiting on a hotline for hours)
CONS:
- 100% online (some readers find this problematic, I know)
- No English website or app (support has no problem answering in English though)
MP recommendation
I recommend Smile if you have a Mustachian profile: a reasonable used car, partial coverage only, and you don’t want to overthink your insurance. That’s been my case since 2020, including after a claim, and I haven’t found anything better.
If you want to compare all the options yourself, I wrote a full comparison of car insurances in Switzerland.
My criteria for optimizing my car insurance
If you’ve been reading me for a while, you know how much I hate 95% of insurance companies.
Whether it’s your car insurance or your liability insurance, most insurers put a lot of effort into selling fear and over-insuring the Swiss.
And all of this because of the insurers’ unhealthy individual bonus system.
I’m speaking from experience, because I was more than over-insured for my car insurance back in 2013, right when I started my FIRE (“Financial Independence, Retire Early”) adventure in Switzerland!
And don’t even get me started on the mixed 3a pillars tied to life insurance because I might lose it 🤯
Anyway, when an insurance company like Smile (formerly Smile.direct) comes along and disrupts the juicy market of unscrupulous insurers, it feels good!
Especially since it lets you pick your insurance options in a really granular and transparent way on its website.
For my part, here’s what I choose:
- Liability insurance
- Partial coverage only (no full coverage given the value of my car)
- And I uncheck all the fear-mongering options:
- No bonus protection (I prefer to save and be cautious, and self-insure)
- No “plus” glass breakage insurance for small headlight chips
- No total compensation (on a used and frugal car, it doesn’t change much anyway)
- No insurance for personal items in the car (we don’t leave stuff lying around, that’s it ;))
- No passenger accident insurance (they’re already insured through their own employer)
- No breakdown assistance (I self-insure)
- No road legal protection (same thing, I self-insure)
- No gross negligence option
If you want to see my full comparison with the competition, I cover that in my dedicated guide: best car insurance in Switzerland.
Who is Smile (formerly Smile.direct)?
Smile.direct is a Swiss insurtech startup that was created to disrupt the quiet and old-fashioned business of insurers since… 1994 already! And they did it by selling their insurance by phone (every era has its revolution ^^).
Then they went digital with the rise of the internet in 1999.
They digitized and optimized all their processes to reduce their costs to a minimum and offer ultra-competitive premiums.
It’s the same strategy as the neo-bank neon free or the best online broker Interactive Brokers: they make money by being the best and relying on the volume of customers.
As opposed to most other insurance companies in Switzerland that rely on shady marketing…
With a strategy like “300% customer satisfaction at every level”, it can only work in the long run!
Proof: in 2014, they became part of the Helvetia group, which was getting worried about this player stealing their leading position. Luckily, from what I’ve read, Smile is still as autonomous as before, and that’s great for us!
Smile insurance customer reviews and ratings
On top of the price, I always try to get information about a new product that has a mobile app by looking at its reviews and ratings on the Apple and Google App Stores.
Because unhappy customers will often use this channel to share their frustration.
This is what reassures me about Smile.car’s claims handling when I look at their ratings:
How much does my Smile car insurance cost in 2026?
Since we’re here to talk about money, here’s what I pay to insure my frugal Toyota with Smile.car:
Smile.car car insurance details for the MP family (you'll notice it's under Mrs MP's name to pay less ;))
When I think back to paying CHF 1'680 in 2013 before becoming a Mustachian…
Now we’re down to CHF 448.70 per year. And that’s after negotiating: Smile wanted to raise my premium this year, I threatened to leave, and they kept the same price as last year. Quick tip: if your insurer announces a price increase, call and negotiate. It works.
Over a decade, by investing this difference in the stock market each year, we’re talking about savings of CHF 17'852!
Smile car insurance claim: my experience
A couple of years ago, I got a chip in my windshield. The kind of thing that happens to everyone, a rock on the highway.
Result: I was able to go to my trusted mechanic (free choice of repair shop with Smile, which is a real plus for me), the process was simple and fast, and the garage got paid without any issues.
And most importantly: Smile didn’t raise my premium after this claim. That’s the kind of detail that matters when you’re choosing an insurer. Of course, if you file multiple claims every year, I doubt it would be the same story.
For the claim declaration, it’s 100% online and really straightforward:
If it’s a more complex case than a windshield, you can also contact Smile.direct by phone (the number is on their website).
How to sign up with Smile
It’s 100% online and takes about 10 minutes:
- Go to the Smile website (*)
- Enter your vehicle and driver information
- Choose your coverages (liability + partial coverage is enough for a Mustachian)
- Click to confirm your quote
- You receive your insurance policy by email
No appointment, no advisor trying to sell you useless add-ons. Exactly how it should be.
Smile car insurance FAQ
Here are the questions I get the most from blog readers.
Who is behind Smile?
Smile (formerly Smile.direct) has been part of the Helvetia group since 2014. It’s not a startup that might disappear tomorrow, but they’ve kept their independence and their 100% online model.
Does Smile offer free choice of repair shop?
Yes. This is actually one of their advantages over some competitors like Simpego, who require you to use their partner network of garages (or charge you extra on your annual premium if you want to go elsewhere).
What’s the deadline for switching car insurance in Switzerland?
The cancellation period is usually 3 months. Many insurers add an automatic annual renewal clause. So if you don’t cancel before September 30th, you’re locked in until the end of the following year.
Does Smile have a mobile app?
Yes, available on iOS and Android. You can manage your policy, file a claim, and contact customer service directly from the app.
Does Smile have an English website or app?
No. The website and app are French and German only. Support answers in English without any issue.
Does Smile also cover motorcycles or bikes?
Smile also offers motorcycle and bicycle insurance.
Conclusion
Since 2020, I’ve been a Smile customer for my car insurance. After several years and a claim handled without any hassle, I can confirm it’s the cheapest, AND their service holds up too.
If you want to switch to them to save on your car insurance, you can follow this link to get CHF 50 cashback (*):
PS: if you’re a neon or VIAC customer, go through their marketplace instead because their partner offers are even better than mine ;)
(*) This symbol indicates where my article contains affiliate links. If you follow one or more of them, you won’t see any difference compared to a standard link, but the blog will receive an affiliate commission. Thank you for this. As usual, I only write about and review things I use in my daily life, or trust.