11 cars you can buy for less than R250,000 in South Africa

TransUnion has cautioned that the motoring industry is at a sensitive point in the cycle, thanks to a soft rand, potentially higher interest rates and global trade wars.

Speaking at the end of July, head of TransUnion Auto in South Africa, Kriben Reddy, said that while the current risks to the export and component import market are high due to global trade wars, he does not expect to see a major impact on car prices in the next few months.

However, he cautioned that there is likely to be a lagged effect as tariff changes in certain geographies take effect over the longer term.

According Wesbank’s data, the ‘average joe’ spends around R300,000 to finance a new vehicle, and a fraction over R200,000 (R203,284) when purchasing a second hand car.

Motorists can expect to pay between R135,000 and R175,000 for a reliable entry level vehicle – think Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i10, Honda Brio, Toyota Aygo, and Kia Picanto.

However, if you are looking for a little more grunt under the bonnet, instead of a city runner, there is still good value for money in the sub-R250,000 bracket – including a number of hatchbacks, sedans and even SUV options.

BusinessTech looked at 11 of these vehicles below.

Suzuki Baleno 1.4 GL – (68kW) R205 900

Volkswagen Polo sedan 1.4 Trendline – (63kW) R209 500

Honda Jazz 1.2 Trend – (66kW) R214 000

Mazda 2 Active 1.5L – (82kW) R219 500

All new Nissan Micra – (66kW) R233 500 

Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Ambiente – (92kW) R233 500

Volkswagen Polo Trendline – (70kW) R237 800

Renault Captur Turbo Blaze – (66kW) R239 900

Kia Rio 1.4 LX MT – (79kW) R242 495

Renault Duster 1.6 Expression – (77kW) R246 900

Honda BR-V 1.5 Trend – (88kW) R248 700

The Hyundai i20 1.4 Motion AT is priced a fraction over R250,000 (R254 900) for 74kW.

Read: These are the best-selling cars in the world in 2018 so far