Many newer cars sold in Switzerland no longer come with a spare wheel: instead you get a puncture repair kit (a sealant bottle and a compressor) or a space-saver. Each option has limits — better to know them before you get a flat.
The full-size spare
The most reassuring, but increasingly rare. It assumes you can fit it safely — never on the hard shoulder of a motorway. Check its pressure now and then: a flat spare in the boot is no use at all.
The space-saver
Smaller and lighter, it gets you going but caps your speed (often 80 km/h) and distance. It's a way to reach somewhere safe, not to finish the journey.
The repair kit
The sealant seals a small hole in the tread and re-inflates the tyre long enough to reach a professional. Its limits: useless on a sidewall cut, a big hole or a burst tyre, and it coats the inside of the tyre, sometimes complicating a clean repair afterwards.
When nothing is enough
Damaged sidewall, blow-out, kit overwhelmed: the tyre has to be replaced. A mobile service comes and fits the new tyre (in pairs) where you are, with no need to have the car towed. The rule stays the same throughout: make it safe first, handle the tyre after.