How much it costs to bulletproof your car in South Africa
As crime continues to run rampant across South Africa, an increasing number of companies now offer motorists bullet-resistant armour packages designed for everyday cars.
One of these companies is SVI Engineering, which offers an innovative configurator on its website that gives users an accurate picture of what it would cost to install several grades of armour on their preferred car.
SVI offers these packages for single and double-cab bakkies, medium and large SUVs, sedans, and minibuses – with prices ranging from R588,000 to just over R1.2 million, depending on the car and type of armour.
South Africa has experienced a massive jump in hijacking activity since pre-pandemic– and the situation has only deteriorated even further over the last 12 months.
The latest crime figures presented by police minister Bheki Cele on Friday (17 February 2023) paint a bleak picture of safety and security in South Africa.
Aside from violent crime escalating and murder, in particular, claiming 74 lives a day over 2022, the country has seen crime levels increase across the board.
In the 2019 calendar year, South Africans reported 17,777 carjackings, averaging around 49 vehicles hijacked every day. By the end of 2022, this number had escalated to 23,025 carjackings – a 30% increase, averaging 63 cars stolen a day.
As a result, more factory-backed armouring packages are going on sale each year, showing there is undoubtedly a significant demand for this safety-focused product from local customers, and this is no surprise when you consider South Africa’s crime statistics – especially car-focused crimes like hijackings.
Types of armour
According to SVI’s pricing configurator, two types of armour are available to the everyday motorist – B4 and B6 armour.
These options come in both discreet and non-discreet styles, with the latter being cheaper as it does not try to hide the armour.
B4 offers protection against handguns up to and including the .44 Magnum, made possible through lightweight kevlar sheets that are cut and bonded to the sheet metal areas, multi-layer armoured glass, and targeted protection for parts such as the engine vitals and firewall, said SVI.
In contrast, B6 brings resistance against full-metal-jacket with lead core rounds from assault rifles such as the AK47, R5, and R1.
This installation comprises even thicker glass panes, steel plates in the body panels, and suspension upgrades to accommodate the additional mass.
Pricing
The tables below show the prices for SVI’s armouring solutions for its various car segments, according to their configurator.
The prices are for B4 and B6 discreet armouring packages, as non-discreet options are customarily only taken for security and commercial uses.
The prices listed below exclude the cost of the vehicle itself.
Sedan
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R690,000 |
| Roof armour | From R31,000 |
| Floor armour | From R40,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R778,000 |
Single-Cab bakkie
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R370,000 – R580,000 |
| Roof armour | From R24,000 – R40,000 |
| Floor armour | From R30,000 – R32,000 |
| Run-flat tyres | From R37,000 |
| Bullbar and grille | From R33,000 |
| Steel canopy | From R75,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R588,000 – R812,000 |
Minibus
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R860,000 |
| Roof armour | From R50,000 |
| Run-flat tyres | From R37,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R964,000 |
Double-Cab bakkie
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R500,000 – R760,000 |
| Roof armour | From R31,000 – R60,000 |
| Floor armour | From R40,000 – R50,000 |
| Run-flat tyres | From R37,000 |
| Bullbar and grille | From R33,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R658,000 – R957,000 |
Medium SUV
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R630,000 – R810,000 |
| Roof armour | From R37,000 – R60,000 |
| Floor armour | From R44,000 – R70,000 |
| Run-flat tyres | From R37,000 |
| Bullbar and grille | From R33,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R798,000 – R1,027,000 |
Large SUV
| Type of armour | Price |
|---|---|
| 360-degree cabin armour | From R670,000 – R940,000 |
| Roof armour | From R44,000 – R85,000 |
| Floor armour | From R50,000 – R95,000 |
| Run-flat tyres | From R37,000 |
| Bullbar and grille | From R33,000 |
| PA system | From R17,000 |
| Total | From R851,000 – R1,207,000 |
Read: Price hikes for gun ownership in South Africa – this is what it costs
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