What it costs to drive to South Africa’s most popular holiday destinations this December – petrol and tolls
South Africans planning to travel domestically over the December festive season can expect to pay less for petrol compared to the beginning of the year, although toll costs increased.
Motorists still pay around R21 per litre for petrol in South Africa, despite the reprieve from the mid-year hikes and a minor increase for December.
As of 4 December, despite a minor increase, fuel prices have decreased since the start of the year, with petrol prices dropping by 4.5%. Diesel, meanwhile, has decreased by a notable 6.8%.
Kicking motorists, however, is increasing toll fees, which the Department of Transport updated in March 2024 – hiking tolls by 6.25%.
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, hatchbacks, 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 each car’s fuel consumption 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, inland 95 octane (R21.47) and 0.005% diesel prices (R19.33) as of December 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.
*Diesel cars.
Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6 double cab
- 7.1 litres/100km*
- R137/100km
Toyota Fortuner 2.4GD-6
- 6.8 litres/100km*
- R131/100km
VW Polo Vivo hatch 1.4 Trendline
- 5.7 litres/100km
- R122/100km
Suzuki Swift
- 4.6 litres/100km
- R99/100km
Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Xi
- 6.8/100km
- R146/100km
Estimated fuel cost
| Car | JHB to Cape Town | JHB to Durban | JHB to Kruger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux | R1,918 | R782 | R564 |
| Toyota Fortuner | R1,834 | R748 | R540 |
| VW Polo Vivo | R1,708 | R697 | R503 |
| Suzuki Swift | R1,386 | R565 | R408 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R2,044 | R834 | R602 |
Estimated toll cost
| Car | JHB to Cape Town | JHB to Durban | JHB to Kruger |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Suzuki Swift | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R233.00 | R326.50 | R286.00 |
Estimated total cost
| Car | JHB to Cape Town | JHB to Durban | JHB to Kruger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux | R2,151 | R1,109 | R850 |
| Toyota Fortuner | R2,067 | R1,075 | R826 |
| VW Polo Vivo | R1,941 | R1,023 | R788 |
| Suzuki Swift | R1,619 | R892 | R694 |
| Toyota Corolla Cross | R2,277 | R1,160 | R888 |
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