The cheapest new cars you can buy in South Africa from every major brand

 ·19 Mar 2022

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has established a Committee of Ministers to assess the impact that the conflict in Ukraine will have on food and fuel prices.

The president said this when he responded to oral questions before the National Assembly on Thursday.

He said the government is determined to take steps to cushion South Africans with regard to the various price pressures that they are facing.

“As a government, we are deeply concerned about the continued rise in prices, particularly arising from the conflict that is ensuing between Russia and Ukraine and we are aware that food prices are going to go up but not only for us, but for many other countries around the world,” he said.

The president said a number of countries are repositioning themselves and taking steps to mitigate against the rising prices. He said the government is also looking at this.

“We have set up a committee of ministers that is going to look at precisely what the impact of the conflict is going to have on us as South Africans when it comes to fuel, when it comes to food prices and all this is being given consideration.

“As a compassionate government, we will find a way of addressing this as well,” he said. “We are using all of the levers at our disposal as government to cushion South Africans from the effects of the rising cost of living.”

For motorists in particular, record fuel prices is a shock with each visit to the filling station. “Though it’s hard to know where it will end, some analysts say that a petrol price of R40 per litre is not inconceivable in an extreme scenario,” said Ernest North, co-founder of Naked Insurance.

“Given that fuel is one of the biggest running expenses for your motor vehicle, drivers should consider fuel efficiency and costs when deciding which car to buy or even whether to retain their existing vehicle.”

With the South African Reserve Bank expected to raise interest rates several times during the year and fuel prices on the rise, people should be thinking carefully about how this will affect the affordability of the car they’d like to buy, said North.

“We encourage car owners to consider their unique scenario of car ownership cost, based on their actual car financing and monthly travel details.”

The shift in vehicle ownership reflects in new vehicle sales. The top 10 most sold vehicles monthly is littered with entry-level models, including the VW Polo Vivo, Toyota Starlet, Suzuki Swift and Renault Kwid.

According to Osman Arbee, the chief executive officer of Motus, the reason for this shift is that banks are more willing to fund consumers looking at these lower-price vehicles – while premium car sales continue to suffer due to increased production costs and a weaker rand.

New arrivals to the ‘entry-level’ car market such as the Suzuki Celerio for only R174,900, is indicative of this particular market segment becoming more competitive among car brands.

International brands such as Haval and Mahindra arriving in South Africa has shown that entry-level cars at affordable prices are in more demand than ever.

BusinessTech looked at some of South Africa’s major car brands and their cheapest options:


Volkswagen

  • VW Polo Vivo Trendline
  • Starting at R232,500


Mitsubishi

  • Xpander
  • R309,995


Volvo

  • Volvo XC40
  • From R654,500


Suzuki

  • Celerio
  • R174,900


Subaru

  • Impreza
  • Starting at R422,000


Nissan

  • NP 200
  • Starting R199,900


Toyota

  • Agya
  • Starting from R186,700


Jeep

  • Renegade Sport
  • Starting from R429,900


Kia

  • Picanto
  • Starting from R193,995


Audi

  • A1 Sportback
  • Starting from R456,500


Ford

  • Figo
  • Starting from R216,300


Mini

  • Cooper, Hatch 3-door
  • Starting from R420,000


BMW

  • 1 Series
  • Starting from R585,500


Hyundai

  • Atos
  • Starting from R180,900


Isuzu

  • D-Max Singlecab
  • Starting from R328,400


Mazda

  • Mazda 2
  • Starting from R284,800


Honda

  • Amaze Trend Manual
  • Starting from R209,100


Renault

  • Kwid 1.0 Dynamique
  • Starting from R108,400


Haval

  • Jolion City
  • Starting from R309,900


Datsun

  • Go 1.2 Lux
  • Starting from R196,700


Mercedes – Benz

  • A-Class Hatchback
  • Starting from R602,860


Alfa Romeo

  • Giulia
  • Starting from R1,014,900


Mahindra

  • KUV100 NXT
  • Starting from R162,999


Peugeot

  • Peugeot 108
  • Starting from R219,900


Fiat

  • Fiat 500
  • Starting from R223,900


Porsche

  • Macan
  • Starting from R1,019,000


Jaguar

  • Jaguar E-PACE
  • R1,017,900


Land Rover

  • Discovery Sport
  • R1,043,100


Read: New electronic driver’s licence to be introduced in South Africa: Mbalula

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