All the full-electric cars you can buy in South Africa – with pricing
In 2023, there will be more than a dozen electric vehicles (EVs) that forward-looking individuals can choose from, with several new models having launched last year.
The brands that entered the South African market with new models recently included Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.
“In the first three months of 2022, South Africa sold over 1,400 electric vehicles. This is more than 2020 and 2021 combined,” said the chief executive of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert.
However, despite the positive sales, Herbert said there are notable challenges facing EV adoption in South Africa – including a lack of infrastructure, range anxiety, and affordability.
An unreliable energy supply poses a unique challenge in South Africa, which is far behind in development. The country also lacks charging points along long-distance routes, said Herbert.
This low number of sharing stations means that South African motorists are particularly concerned that their EV will not make the range of long driving trips, added Herbert.
With EV adoption and infrastructure in its infancy in South Africa, the current EVs on offer are also priced as luxury cars – with pricing that is out of reach for most of South Africa.
As of February 2023, only one wall-fed car on the market is priced at less than R1 million, namely the Mini Cooper SE, with its asking price of R742,000.
On the other end of the scale, the most expensive EV model is the Audi RS e-tron GT – which costs over a whopping R3 million.
Despite these challenges, Herbert said that there are just as many solutions – adding that the change to EVs is not a matter of ‘if’ but a ‘when.’
Herbert explained that affordability would increase once more models are made available, while price parity with petrol-engine vehicles is expected by 2025. The government’s Green Paper is also gaining traction and may re-look at the 25% import tax currently imposed on EVs.
Regarding infrastructure, he noted that Jaguar is installing 82 charging ports in major hubs and popular holiday routes in South Africa, while ZimiCharge, a third-party app, looks to branch into ports – with 10,000 planned.
Herbert said that range anxiety had also been a priority for manufacturers, with their latest models already showing great improvements, such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS and the BMW i7, which offer a 782 km and 625 km range, respectively.
Listed below are all the fully-electric cars currently on sale in South Africa.
MINI Cooper SE
- Starting Price: R742,102
- Power: 135 kW/270 Nm
- Maximum range: 217 km
Volvo XC40 Recharge
- Starting Price: R1,075,000
- Power: 170 kW/330 Nm
- Maximum range: 423 km
Mercedes-Benz EQA
- Starting Price: R1,174,000
- Power: 140 kW/385 Nm
- Maximum range: 429 km
BMW iX3 M Sport
- Starting Price: R1,306,400
- Power: 210 kW/400 Nm
- Maximum range: 460 km
Mercedes-Benz EQB
- Starting Price: R1,379,000
- Power: 215 kW/520 Nm
- Maximum range: 423 km
BMW i4 M50
- Starting Price: R1,637,900
- Power: 400 kW/795 Nm
- Maximum range: 465 km
Mercedes-Benz EQC
- Starting Price: R1,679,000
- Power: 300 kW/760 Nm
- Maximum range: 437 km
BMW iX
- Starting Price: R1,735,000
- Power: 240 kW/630 Nm
- Maximum range: 425 km
Audi e-tron 55
- Starting Price: R1,745,000
- Power: 300 kW/664 Nm
- Maximum range: 440 km
Porsche Taycan
- Starting Price: R2,179,000
- Power: 300 kW/345 Nm
- Maximum range: 431 km
Jaguar I-Pace
- Starting Price: R2,249,000
- Power: 294 kW/696 Nm
- Maximum range: 470 km
Mercedes-Benz EQS
- Starting Price: R2,620,500
- Power: 245 kW/565 Nm
- Maximum range: 782 km
Audi e-tron GT
- Starting Price: R2,715,000
- Power: 350 kW/630 Nm
- Maximum range: 488 km
BMW i7
- Starting Price: R2,825,000
- Power: 400kW/745 Nm
- Maximum range: 625 km
Audi RS e-tron GT
- Starting price: R3,359,400
- Power: 440kW/830Nm
- Range: 472km
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