What it costs to drive from Pretoria to Joburg every day
While it is not uncommon for a person to live in Pretoria and work in Johannesburg, or vice versa, it is not the most fiscally responsible, as it adds thousands of rand per month to their petrol bill.
Following the latest round of petrol and diesel price increases, Gauteng residents are paying up to R30.25 per litre for 95-octane petrol, and over R33.29 per litre for 0.005% diesel.
Switching to lower grades does not help very much either, since 93-octane petrol sells for R29.88 per litre and the wholesale price of 0.05% diesel is R31.95 per litre.
Below is a breakdown of how much more it costs to fill a standard 30-litre, 50-litre, and 80-litre fuel tank with petrol 95 and 0.005% diesel in Gauteng this month.
Petrol 95
| Tank capacity | September price | October price | Cost difference (increase) |
| 30 litres | R807.60 | R907.50 | R99.90 |
| 50 litres | R1,346.00 | R1,512.50 | R166.50 |
| 80 litres | R2,153.60 | R2,420.00 | R266.40 |
Diesel 50ppm
| Tank capacity | September price | October price | Cost difference (increase) |
| 30 litres | R901.50 | R998.70 | R97.20 |
| 50 litres | R1,502.50 | R1,664.50 | R162.00 |
| 80 litres | R2,404.00 | R2,663.20 | R259.20 |
A full tank does not determine the true cost of travelling between the two cities, which, taking their central business districts as start and end points, are 60km apart.
Driving that distance twice daily quickly adds up to thousands of rand spent on petrol and diesel, especially in less-efficient vehicles, not to mention more frequent maintenance and tyre replacement.
What it costs to drive from Pretoria to Joburg and back
Driving between Gauteng’s two biggest cities for work every day for 20 days a month adds up to 2,400km every month, depending on the areas they work and live in.
Below is a breakdown of what the average motorist commuting between Johannesburg and Pretoria every day can expect to spend on petrol and diesel, depending on their vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
Petrol 95
| Fuel efficiency | Fuel needed | Monthly spend |
| 5.0l/100km | 120 litres | R3,630.00 |
| 6.0l/100km | 144 litres | R4,356.00 |
| 7.0l/100km | 168 litres | R5,082.00 |
| 8.0l/100km | 192 litres | R5,808.00 |
| 9.0l/100km | 216 litres | R6,534.00 |
| 10.0l/100km | 240 litres | R7,260.00 |
Diesel 50ppm
| Fuel efficiency | Fuel needed | Monthly spend |
| 5.0l/100km | 120 litres | R3,994.80 |
| 6.0l/100km | 144 litres | R4,793.76 |
| 7.0l/100km | 168 litres | R5,592.72 |
| 8.0l/100km | 192 litres | R6,391.68 |
| 9.0l/100km | 216 litres | R7,190.64 |
| 10.0l/100km | 240 litres | R7,989.60 |
The equation gets even worse for some motorists, particularly those who live or work in the north of Pretoria and have to make use of the Stormvoël and Zambezi ramp toll plazas located on the Stormvoël and Sefako roads.
These motorists add over R500 per month to their daily commute, since these toll gates demand R12.50 to pass through the Stormvoël ramp plaza and R15.00 for the Zambezi ramp plaza.
For years, residents who use these plazas have appealed for discounts or credit concessions for frequent local users.
However, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed residents will continue to pay in full, with no plans currently in place to credit or discount tolls for frequent local users.
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