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

South Africans in need of a seven-seater SUV will need to earn at least R40,000 per month to afford one on a finance plan, according to a calculation by TopAuto.

The most affordable SUV that fits the bill is the new Citroen C3 Aircross, which made its debut this July at a starting price of R344,900.

Crucially, the French crossover is also available with a “5+2” seating arrangement that adds another two chairs in the back for only R10,000 extra, making the Aircross the cheapest seven-seater in the country with a price tag of R354,900.

For this sum, you can expect a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 81kW and 205Nm, which is transmitted to the front wheels.

A six-speed gearbox is used to negotiate power to the axle, resulting in an average fuel consumption of 6.3l/100km.

Appearance-wise, the C3 features LED daytime running lights and 17-inch alloy wheels with the option of a two-tone roof in Cosmo Blue, Platinum Grey, or Polar White.

The equipment list comprises 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.

Additionally, the Citroen is fitted with two airbags, electronic stability control, hill assist, ABS, tyre-pressure monitoring, rear parking sensors, and a reverse camera.

Also worth noting is that the crossover’s boot has space for 511 litres of luggage when the extra seats aren’t deployed.

Each purchase comes with a  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 Citroen:

• Car price – R344,900/R354,900
• Payment term – 60 terms (5 years)
• Interest – 11.75%
• Deposit – 0%
• Balloon – No balloon payment
• Extras – No optional extras

According to this, you’ll need to pay at least R7,724 per month for the C3, or up to R7,946 per month if you want the seven-seater variant.

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 between R38,620 per month and R39,730 per month to afford the Aircross on a finance plan in South Africa.

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