How much it costs to drive to Cape Town, Joburg, Durban or the Kruger right now
South Africans planning to travel domestically can expect to pay more for transport costs compared to last year as they grapple with high petrol prices and increased toll costs.
Motorists still pay well over R20 per litre for petrol in South Africa despite the reprieve over the last three months.
Petrol prices shot up by R3.00 per litre in consecutive hikes from January to May 2024, causing a concomitant spike in inflation over the period.
However, with another ~75 cents per litre cut expected for September, the total price reduction since June will total R3.23, giving South African motorists a small but positive swing in prices of around 23 cents per litre since the start of the year.
Lower fuel prices are already having an impact on the national level, with headline inflation for July improving to 4.6%—a much better result than the market anticipated.
Fuel prices dropped for a second straight month in July, with fuel inflation dropping from 4.6% in June to 3.6% in July.
As of August, the inland price of petrol 95 is R23.11 and 0.005% diesel to R20.74.
While the petrol reductions are welcomed, the increased toll fees are not – the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) hiked toll fees by 6.25% from 1 March 2024.
How much it costs
BusinessTech has calculated the costs of travelling to South Africa’s most popular holiday destinations using the country’s top-selling cars in five categories, including bakkie, SUV, hatchback, sedan, and crossover.
The calculation takes into account the cost of petrol and the expected toll fee increases.
South Africa’s best-selling cars in the selected categories were selected from the latest new vehicle sales report provided by Naamsa.
We then calculated the fuel consumption of each of these cars based on the manufacturer’s provided average per 100km.
In each case, the manufacturer’s least expensive model—and for bakkies, the cheapest double cab—was considered.
For comparison purposes, 95 octane (R23.11) and 0.005% diesel prices (R20.74) as of August were used.
We then calculated the fuel costs when travelling to some of South Africa’s most popular destinations, using the City of Johannesburg/Tshwane as a benchmark.
These costs were then added to the latest toll costs as of 1 March 2024.
Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6 double cab
- 7.1 litres/100km*
- R147/100km
Toyota Fortuner 2.4GD-6
- 6.8 litres/100km*
- R141/100km
VW Polo Vivo hatch 1.4 Trendline
- 5.7 litres/100km
- R132/100km
Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Plus
- 7 litres/100km
- R162/100km
Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Xi
- 6.8/100km
- R157/100km
Estimated fuel cost
| Car | Johannesburg to Cape Town | Johannesburg to Durban | Johannesburg to Kruger National Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux | R2,058 | R838 | R606 |
| Toyota Fortuner | R1,974 | R804 | R585 |
| VW Polo Vivo | R1,848 | R752 | R541 |
| Toyota Corolla Quest | R2,268 | R923 | R667 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R2,198 | R895 | R647 |
Estimated toll cost
| Car | Johannesburg to Cape Town | Johannesburg to Durban | Johannesburg to Kruger National Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
| Toyota Fortuner | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
| VW Polo Vivo | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
| Toyota Corolla Quest | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
Estimated total cost
| Car | Johannesburg to Cape Town | Johannesburg to Durban | Johannesburg to Kruger National Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux | R2,291 | R1,165 | R892 |
| Toyota Fortuner | R2,207 | R1,131 | R871 |
| VW Polo Vivo | R2,081 | R1,079 | R827 |
| Toyota Corolla Quest | R2,501 | R1,250 | R953 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R2,431 | R1,222 | R933 |
Tolls
The routes and tolls that were taken for the above comparison were as follows:
Johannesburg/Pretoria to Cape Town
| Tollgate | Class 1 – light vehicle with or without a trailer, including motorcycles, motor tricycles and motor cars |
|---|---|
| Grasmere | R25.50 |
| Vaal | R84.50 |
| Verkeerdevlei | R72.50 |
| Huguenot | R50.50 |
| Total Cost | R233 |
Johannesburg/Pretoria to Durban
| Tollgate | Class 1 – light vehicle with or without a trailer, including motorcycles, motor tricycles and motor cars |
|---|---|
| De Hoek | R63.00 |
| Wilge | R88.00 |
| Tugela | R94.00 |
| Mooi | R66.00 |
| Marianhill | R15.50 |
| Total Cost | R326.50 |
Johannesburg/Pretoria to Kruger National Park
| Tollgate | Class 1 – light vehicle with or without a trailer, including motorcycles, motor tricycles and motor cars |
|---|---|
| Middelburg | R79.00 |
| Machadodorp | R118.00 |
| Nkomazi | R89.00 |
| Total Cost | R286.00 |
*Indicates a car has a diesel engine.
All prices are estimates and are based on the manufacturer’s average fuel consumption per/100km. Prices are for comparison purposes only and are not meant as financial advice.
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