{"id":633847,"date":"2022-10-23T15:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T13:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=633847"},"modified":"2022-10-21T11:13:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T09:13:49","slug":"the-cheapest-electric-cars-you-can-buy-in-south-africa-right-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/motoring\/633847\/the-cheapest-electric-cars-you-can-buy-in-south-africa-right-now\/","title":{"rendered":"The cheapest electric cars you can buy in South Africa right now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the past two years, there has been a noticeable drive to bring electric vehicles (EVs) onto the South African market. In 2022, there are now over a dozen battery-powered cars that forward-looking individuals can choose from.<\/p>\n

According to Citing EV-volumes.com, the Electric vehicle market share in South Africa showed significant improvement in 2021, with sales rising to 218 from 92 in 2020 – showing a trend of the growing popularity of EVs.<\/p>\n

While the word \u2018cheap\u2019 isn\u2019t necessarily the best term to describe the cars on this list compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts, they are the cheapest in their category.<\/p>\n

GreenCape revealed in its\u00a02022 Electric Vehicles Market Intelligence report<\/a>\u00a0that 74% of those who responded to its EV price survey were only willing to pay between R200,000 and R500,000 for an electric car.<\/p>\n

This presents a challenge as pricing for almost all EVs are above R500,000 – except for one.<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, the cheapest EV car on this list is not as expensive as one might think. The Eleksa CityBug retails for R230,000 and costs around R15 to fully charge, said the company.<\/p>\n

However, the CityBug is only powered by a 9kWh battery, and 4kW electric motor mounted to the rear axle, producing a blistering speed of up to 55km\/h.<\/p>\n

As a result, some South African CityBug owners still rely on a petrol- or diesel-powered car when travelling long distances that involve a fair bit of highway travel, reported<\/a> TopAuto.<\/p>\n

For those looking for an all-in-one EV that will stand in good stead for all forms of travel, manufacturers such as Mini, Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all have great EV offerings available in South Africa \u2013 although they\u2019ll require you to dig a little deeper into your pockets compared to the CityBug.<\/p>\n

Not so long ago, prospective EV buyers only had Mini, Jaguar, and Porsche to choose from. This has now changed, showing there is a positive move towards introducing a greater EV variety and more affordable options from which South Africans can choose.<\/p>\n

Here is a short list of EVs you can buy right now in South Africa across the available brands:<\/p>\n

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Eleksa CityBug \u2013 <\/strong>R230,000<\/a><\/p>\n