Automotive Sales Advisor with
federal patent

Two profiles are admitted to the exam:

• Profile A : Certificat fédéral de capacité (CFC) or equivalent qualification, and at least 2 years' professional experience in car sales in Switzerland.
• Profile B : Without a CFC, but with at least 7 years' professional experience, including 4 years in car sales in Switzerland. 

In both cases, it is necessary to have acquired the required module certificates or to have the corresponding equivalence certificates.

This course is aimed at any professional working in car sales in Switzerland who would like to have their skills recognised and enhanced by a federal qualification. More specifically:

• Sales advisers already working in a dealership or general garage, who want to formalise their expertise and progress to first salesman, sales manager or promoter. UPSA
• Employees of car importers or multi-brand distribution networks
• Used car dealers wishing to broaden their range of skills
• People undergoing retraining in the automotive sector, with professional experience validating the access prerequisites
• Anyone who wants to offer their clients optimum solutions as a financial adviser and mobility consultant in a fast-changing sector

The final examination is conducted under the aegis of UPSA.

The sessions take place once a year, generally in summer (July-August).
The next training session in French-speaking Switzerland will start in August 2026.
The exam is held in a designated national centre in Switzerland (historically Berne for the German-speaking part, with the possibility of sessions in French-speaking Switzerland depending on the year). Registrations for the exam are made several months in advance, with a minimum of one month's notice. deadline generally set in February of the examination year, to be confirmed with UPSA.

This course can be fully customised (content, format, language). Contact us for a free quote.

The course is priced at CHF 12 900., excluding federal examination fees.

The good news is that the Confederation can reimburse up to 50 % of your training costs. Since 2018, the Confederation has reimbursed 50 % of the costs of courses preparing for a federal certificate, up to a maximum of CHF 9,500, provided that the candidate sits the federal examination after the course. Entitlement to the subsidy is independent of the examination result. 

In concrete terms, for a course costing CHF 12,900, you can receive a reimbursement of CHF 6 450.00, bringing your net investment to CHF 6 450.00.

Qualifying conditions:

• Attend a course on the SEFRI list of preparatory courses, pay the course fees yourself and be legally resident in Switzerland at the time of taking the exam.
• The grant application is submitted after passing the federal examination, by submitting invoices and proof of payment via the SEFRI online portal.

For more information on the federal grant:  here.

You should also bear in mind that the price of the exam is not included in the preparation. It depends on the examination centre, and costs around CHF 2,000.

Part 1: Practical situations : sales simulations (role-play with a panel of judges), management of a critical incident (problem situation to be resolved), simulated customer interview.

Part 2: Action simulation : written and oral case studies based on real-life professional situations (mini-cases, letter trays).

Part 3: Professional interview : discussions with the jury on professional practice and skills acquired. 

The exam does not include any classic academic theory; it primarily assesses the the ability to act in real-life situations. Preparation through practical training, simulations and mock exams is therefore crucial.