Auto Leasing within Switzerland

Also, when I tried to go to Europebycar.com (which is suggested in RS book, and in another thread on the transportation forum here) I received this message: "Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from europebycar.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). Learn more
NET::ERRCERTCOMMONNAMEINVALID"

I've leased through Auto Europe. There is at least one more company that does leases as well. These leases are done in France. It's possible to pick up and/or drop off in another country, but there is an extra charge for that, possibly $200 extra for either end that's outside of France. You can pick up a lease in Geneva or Basel with Auto Europe and there's no additional charge. If you only plan to be in Switzerland you might want to arrange to drop off in either of those locations. Check out www.autoeurope.com for additional information.

That sounds like a typical Norton security message (other security products are available, likely similar messages) if it is a form and the communication is not https - in other words plain vanilla http.

I'm surprised after all the hassling by Google that there are still companies using plain http. Or perhaps the link was incorrectly typed or perhaps you followed a link that really was taking you down the rabbit hole.

Did you type it in or follow a link? Did you hover over the link to be sure it was taking you where you expected to go?

we have leased a car in europe 3 times now ( with no problems at all) we picked one up at the zurich airport. very easy.
leaving the air port was not difficult either.
we use an Australian supplier
https://www.globalcars.com.au/car-leasing/
checking their web site, Zurich doesn't come up ? perhaps they have stopped that option.
they organise it direct with citroen etc
so I am guessing you should be able to find a supplier in your country. I would give them a call to check.

note that pick up/drop off options are much better in france , which 'may' be an option?

hope this helps

I just went to https://europebycar.com/ and got the same message:

Your connection is not secure
The owner of europebycar.com has configured their web site improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this web site.

I am using Firefox on Linux. So yes, the problem is at the website end, not using modern security standards.

I have leased in Switzerland some years ago, but that was for months, not 21 days. I did a Google search for "autoleasing Schweiz" and got lots of hits.
A leased car has no restrictions on crossing borders, so you could lease in France and drive across the border. You would of course need to buy a Swiss Autobahn Vignette (CHF 40).

Really appreciate all these replies. However, I'm wondering if there have been some new regulations about short term auto leasing in Switzerland, which now precludes it, because when I go online to the suggested sites (i.e. https://www.autoeurope.com/peugeot-open-europe-lease/ and the Austrian site https://www.globalcars.com.au/car-leasing/) there are no options for auto pick up or drop off any place in Switzerland. I know it was suggested that AutoEurope has a pick up/drop off site in Basel, but apparently that is no longer the case. Nothing in Switzerland is listed on that site....not Basel either. When I put Short Term Auto Leasing in Switzerland into the search engine, yes, many hits come up, but in following them, none direct to short term auto leasing...only auto leasing for 6 months or longer. So I'm still wondering if anyone knows of a short term (21 day) auto lease program CURRENTLY operating in Switzerland. Thank you.

If you fly into EoroAirport (Basel/Mulhouse) and and can drive a manual, you can rent a medium size car cheaply from AutoEurope with no deductible.
I've leased from the French side of the airport from these people in Canada: http://eurocartt.com/

I don't know where you are based but there are similar companies out there. I should imagine renting or leasing elswhere in Switzerland wil be ridiculously expensive.

Since it is so trivial to hop over to France from Geneva and Basel, among many, why not take a wee train ride into France and lease there? Basel to Mulhouse or Colmar or Strasbourg is really easy.

I'm sorry it isn't working out for you.

It is important to remember that while Switzerland is part of the Schengen Agreement, it is not part of the EU customs union and so a car, which is not a rental is subject to Swiss customs law. There has been a raft of new regulations in this respect, which I have paid no attention to since it does not concern me, but I expect it is the reason for the lack of leasing options in Switzerland.

Because of the value involved, customs penalties are for attempting to import a car into the country illegally are high. So I would suggest that you check carefully with the company before driving into Switzerland.

You're right that Basel is no longer available for pick up/drop off for a lease through Auto Europe. Geneva is still available.

Actually, this morning I did a little further investigation about auto leasing drop off/pick up through AutoEurope, and discovered that the listing for Basel, is actually the French city, Mulhouse. So, unless things change again, it is possible to pick up a leased car at the Mulhouse/Basel airport. Thank you to everyone for your responses. They were all helpful.

Basel/Mulhouse airport is on the edge of Basel, in the suburb of St Louis (which is in France). If the pick-up is in Mulhouse, that is a long way from the airport and not convenient. If it is at the airport that is good, or somewhere in St Louis then it only requires at taxi.

Where are you actually arriving in Switzerland? Or is that to-be-decided?

Chris F; Thanks for that information. The AutoEurope website lists the drop off/pick up site as Mulhouse/Basel airport, and I was wondering where that might be in relationship to the Swiss border, so I appreciate your input. To answer your question, I am planning to fly into Zurich and then back out of Zurich. It appears that taking a train from the Zurich airport to the Mulhouse/Basel airport would take nearly two hours and cost about $50. I am comparing various plans with regard to auto rental. Our entire trip will involve visiting Lucerne and Wengen for a week, Stresa and Ortisei (in Italy) for another week, Tirol, back to St. Galen and then Zurich for the third week. I'm debating whether to drive the entire route, or wether to train it to Lucerne and Wengen and then pick up a car in Interlaken after staying in Wengen, and driving the rest. In comparing costs and time I wanted to include a comparison of the cost of leasing a car for the entire 22 days, rather than renting a car for the last two weeks only (and of course paying for train tickets the first week). Hence, my questions about leasing an auto in Switzerland. Of course if we picked up the car in Basel, we not only would have to include the cost of the train back and forth to Zurich, but also the cost of parking the car in Lauterbrunnen while we are staying in Wengen. It may be that it is a toss up on costs. But anyway, that is what I'm trying to figure out. Thank you.

Zürich airport to Basel airport costs CHF 43.40. That is train to Basel station, and shuttle bus to the airport. It takes ~1h40-1h50
The airport is unusual in that it is split between France and Switzerland, The de facto border runs through the middle of the terminal. The bus from the station arrives at the Swiss end of the terminal. You would need to enter the terminal, walk through to France (border in the middle of the building), and exit the building in France. There is no road connection between the two halves, only inside the terminal.

This short-term leasing appears to be a French peculiarity. Is it possible in Germany? If yes, consider Konstanz. Nearer to Zürich airport, and with a direct train connection.

Chris F; Again more good information about Konstanz Germany, but unfortunately the AutoEurope/Peugot/Renault short term leasing sites list Munich and Frankfort as the only German options.

FYI, EuropeByCar ceased operation about a year ago.

Actually, this morning I did a little further investigation about auto leasing drop off/pick up through AutoEurope, and discovered that the listing for Basel, is actually the French city, Mulhouse. So, unless things change again, it is possible to pick up a leased car at the Mulhouse/Basel airport. Thank you to everyone for your responses. They were all helpful.

Melhouse is in France it is within the EU Customs Union...