The salary you need to afford South Africa’s cheapest 7-seater SUV

You will need to earn at least R42,000 per month to afford a seven-seater SUV in South Africa on a finance plan, according to a calculation by TopAuto.

Citroën recently updated the Aircross for South Africa, adding new features for the 2026 model year.

The Aircross is the most affordable SUV to feature up to seven seats, as the top-end Max specification can be bought with two additional seats in the back.

Prices for the Citroën range from R294,500 for the base Plus, up to R388,900 for the Max with the extra seats.

The Plus is fitted with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a five-speed manual gearbox, which produces 60kW and 115Nm, and averages 6.2l/100km.

The Max, on the other hand, has a 1.2-litre turbo motor with 81kW and 205Nm, which is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Despite the added power, this version achieves an almost identical economy stat of 6.3l/100km.

New equipment added by the update comprises keyless entry and start, cruise control with a speed limiter, an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

This is in addition to the SUV’s standard kit, which includes a leather multifunction steering wheel, front and rear USB ports, a 12V socket, a 7-inch TFT instrument cluster, a manual aircon with rear vents, electrically adjustable side mirrors, a six-speaker stereo, and a 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It also has two airbags, electronic stability control, hill assist, ABS, tyre-pressure monitoring, rear parking sensors, and a reverse camera.

Each purchase comes with a standard 5-year/100,000km warranty and a 4-year/60,000km service plan.

What you need to earn

We can use the following formula to work out the monthly payments on the new Citroën:

• Car price – R294,500/R388,900
• Payment term – 60 terms (5 years)
• Interest – 10.25%
• Deposit – 0%
• Balloon – No balloon payment
• Extras – No optional extras

According to this, you’ll need to pay at least R6,388 per month for the Plus, and up to R8,406 per month for the Max seven-seater.

Financial experts then recommend that you do not spend more than 20% of your gross monthly salary on vehicle payments.

This means you’ll need to earn anywhere from R31,940 per month to R42,030 per month to afford the Aircross on a finance plan.

Note that this figure does not account for insurance, fuel, and maintenance, which must all be factored into your budget.