There are still 11 different family-sized hatchbacks you can buy in South Africa, but they aren’t cheap.
The hatchback market has been slowly dying over the last few years owing to various factors, from pricing and household downsizing to the rise of the competing crossover body style.
Nowhere is this more clear than with models suitable for family use, which are categorized as C-segment vehicles within the industry.
The advantage of this category is that C-segment hatches are generally still seen as affordable purchases in other markets, and they offer more space than their smaller B-segment counterparts while still being compact enough to be easy to drive in an urban setting.
A fan-favourite example is the Ford Focus – the bigger sibling to the Fiesta – though both have been pulled from South Africa with the latter having been discontinued worldwide as of 2023.
Other options that have been erased from local catalogues include the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Kia Cerato, Opel Astra, and Peugeot 308, which are the C-segment equivalent to the Mito, Rio, Corsa, and 208, respectively.
Rising costs have played a big part in the large hatch’s decline, as automakers are now struggling to sell them at a competitive rate, hence the scrapping of so many nameplates.
In other cases, the manufacturer has opted to continue selling a model exclusively in its high-performance hot hatch form, as it is easier to justify a hefty price tag for these units as they are not intended to be volume sellers.
This is why you cannot find a regular VW Golf, Hyundai i30, Renault Megane, or Honda Civic in South Africa anymore, as you now need to spend more than R700,000 to grab a Golf GTI or Golf R, i30 N, Megane RS, or Civic Type R.
Less affected by the pricing issue are premium brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi, which continue to sell the 1 Series, A-Class, and A3, though even these have become prohibitively expensive for motorists relative to the average salary.
The result of all these factors is that there are only two “affordable” family hatchbacks in South Africa – the Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla – but you can still expect to pay a minimum of R477,600 or R536,500 for these options.
A disappearing style
These are all of the C-segment hatchbacks that you can still buy in South Africa.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
Mazda 3
- Starting price – R477,600
Toyota Corolla
- Starting price – R536,500
Audi A3 Sportback
- Starting price – R682,100
BMW 1 Series
- Starting price – R691,716
VW Golf GTI
- Starting price – R816,100
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Starting price – R821,491
Hyundai i30 N
- Starting price – R848,900
Toyota GR Corolla
- Starting price – R849,400
Renault Megane RS
- Starting price – R949,999
VW Golf R
- Starting price – R972,200
Honda Civic Type R
- Starting price – R1,021,600
Join the discussion