Insurance check Switzerland: What you need and what to cut in 2026
Health insurance, household contents insurance, personal liability insurance, car and motorcycle insurance, life insurance, travel insurance and more - the list of possible cover options is long. Switzerland probably has more insurance products than any other country in the world. Swiss residents spend around ten percent of their income on insurance. You can get cover for almost any situation imaginable. The Swiss appetite for security means insurance companies do enormous business here. But which insurance policies are actually worth it? A proper insurance check can bring some much needed clarity.
Table of contents
- Why you should do an insurance check
- Which insurance policies should you review?
- Where can you get your insurance checked?
- Found better options? Your next steps
- Conclusion
Why you should do an insurance check
Precisely because Swiss residents tend to take out a lot of insurance policies, it can sometimes be hard to keep track of everything. That alone is reason enough to do a regular insurance check and stay on top of your different policies, their prices and their conditions. A proper review helps you cut through the insurance jungle and get some clarity.
On one hand it shows you where there are still gaps in your cover. On the other hand it helps you spot whether you might be over-insured, which is definitely something to avoid. Over-insurance happens when you are paying for two policies that cover the same risk - for example taking out an income protection policy when your pension fund already includes that cover.
There are also some insurance products that are generally not worth having because they simply do not pay off in the long run. Phone insurance is a good example - it tends to benefit the sales person far more than the phone owner.
On top of that, an insurance check shows you whether you could be getting better terms on your existing policies. As our life circumstances change, so do our insurance needs - and that can have a direct impact on costs.
The bottom line: doing an insurance check once a year keeps you in control, closes gaps in your cover, avoids over-insurance and saves you money.
Which insurance policies should you review?
As a rule it is worth reviewing all of your insurance policies - that is the only way to get a complete picture. The mandatory insurance policies in Switzerland are health insurance, motor vehicle insurance, accident insurance (if not covered by your employer) and in most cantons building insurance. A regular premium comparison is especially recommended for health insurance since premiums can change with your income.
Beyond the mandatory policies, it is strongly advisable to have personal liability insurance and household contents insurance in place.
Here is exactly what I recommend:
| Mandatory | Must haves, but not mandatory | Nice to haves | No goes |
| Professional liability insurance (mandatory for certain professions such as lawyers) | International health insurance (if you travel and your regular health insurance does not cover you abroad) | Supplementary health insurance (depending on personal situation) | Device insurance |
| Building insurance (if you own property) | Disability insurance ** | Travel cancellation insurance (must have if you travel frequently and have no cover through your credit card) | Mixed life insurance |
| Health insurance | Personal liability insurance | Phone insurance | |
| Animal owner liability insurance (mandatory for certain dog breeds) | Legal protection insurance | Valuables insurance | |
| Motor liability insurance (if you own a car) | Term life insurance ** (must have if there is financial dependency between partners, children or through property) | ||
| Partial comprehensive insurance (for cars older than 4 years) | |||
| Fully comprehensive insurance (especially for new cars up to 4 years old) |
** Only a complete financial planning analysis can determine whether you need these insurance policies or not. As part of my services as a certified financial planner I offer personal financial planning analyses for private individuals.
Cancellation deadlines for individual policies usually fall on different dates. Most insurance providers set their cancellation deadline at the end of the year. For basic health insurance you need to submit your cancellation before 15 November for example. Supplementary and car insurance policies generally require cancellation before 30 September or 30 November. Other policies have individual deadlines or a notice period of several months.
💡 Tip: Do your insurance check in summer, before the cancellation deadlines kick in.
Where can you get your insurance checked?
Now let's get practical. There are several ways to do an insurance check. If you want to gather information yourself first, the platform Comparis is a good starting point. You can compare various insurance types such as life insurance, legal protection and travel insurance, and get a feel for the market. Bear in mind though that the selection on Comparis is limited to their partner providers, so it is worth using Google alongside it for broader research.
- For checking health insurance I recommend the official government platform priminfo, which lists all health insurers.
- For checking non-life insurance, financescout24 is a useful option.
Important: Both platforms operate similarly to brokers, meaning they earn commissions and are therefore not 100% impartial - they also only list providers they have agreements with. As always: if you are not paying for advice or a check, you are probably the product. Do not assume you are getting fully independent guidance. Use these platforms to get a first overview, then approach insurers directly to request and compare quotes.
Advantages and disadvantages of the different insurance check options
| Category | Combinvest | Caveo | Digital comparison tools (e.g. Comparis) | Other brokers (e.g. VZ, Fina) | Insurance companies (e.g. AXA, Swiss Life) |
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| Disadvantages | 3a product selection limited to insurers |
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| Best for you if... | You want a professional insurance check with a personal advisor | You want an insurance check first and then want the flexibility to book advice separately | You want to get a first online overview of providers and conditions | You value personal advice | You already hold multiple policies with the same provider and want to benefit from combination discounts |
Found better options? Your next steps
Once you have done your insurance check you can start making improvements. The platforms mentioned above often help with cancellations and setting up new policies. What matters most is not letting the topic slide again in the future. Once you have a clear picture of your insurance situation it becomes much easier to revisit and stay on top of it going forward.
Conclusion
Doing an insurance check - for many people it feels like a chore they keep putting off. But with the tools mentioned above it is actually pretty straightforward. My recommendation is not to rely on just one platform but to use several sources so you can form your own informed view. In the end you are not just saving a good number of francs - you are also investing in your own health and security.
