The affordable electric cars launched in South Africa in 2024

The electric-vehicle (EV) scene is slowly but surely gaining ground in South Africa, as automakers gradually introducing new products as part of the ongoing global transition to cleaner transport.

One of the biggest drawbacks of EVs in our market is that there are very few entries that can be described as affordable, and most of the ones that use the term are stretching the definition of the word at best.

Luckily, South Africa did receive a handful of EVs in 2024, some of which have managed to lower the cost of entry to battery-powered cars by a significant amount.

A small but growing segment

By far the cheapest EV to go on sale this year was the Yuehu S5 – the first entry from a new Chinese automaker called Dayun.

The S5 only costs R399,900, making it by far and away the most affordable electric passenger in the country, but there is a catch.

The Yuehu only has a small front-mounted electric motor with an output of 35kW and 105Nm, giving it a top speed of 100km/h.

This means it is unable to travel at the maximum speed limit of 120km/h in South Africa, which is likely to be a drawback for several road users.

Then again, EVs are primarily intended for high-density urban environments, so there is still value in what the Dayun brings to the table with its 31.7kWh battery and 330km of range.

The second-cheapest model to appear in 2024 came from a more recognizable Chinese brand – BYD – which already has a presence in South Africa with the Atto 3 crossover.

Its new semi-affordable option is the Dolphin hatchback, which clocks in at R539,900.

This is a significant hike of R140,000 over the S5, but the Dolphin packs a much more potent e-motor with either 70kW/180Nm or 150kW/310Nm, depending on the specification, which is much more on par with comparable combustion vehicles and allows it to reach a top speed of 150km/h.

It’s also sold in Standard and Extended Range trims with either a 44.9kWh or 60.48kWh cell, letting it travel for between 340km and 427km.

Another “affordable” EV worth mentioning is the Volvo EX30, which opened pre-orders in late 2023 but only officially went on sale this year.

It’s certainly not cheap at a starting rate of R791,900, but this is a remarkable reduction of R316,100 compared to the Swedish firm’s previous entry-level EV – the XC40 Recharge – making it one of the most accessible electric SUVs alongside the Atto 3.

Lastly, there’s the new Mini Cooper SE, which is also a premium model by any metric but is still one of the only sub-R1 million electric hatchbacks in the nation.

Beyond these options, the remainder of the EVs launched in the past 12 months include the BYD Seal, which is the cheapest electric sedan currently in showrooms, but which nonetheless still commands at least R1 million.

A more extreme example is the BMW i5, which is the flagship of the current 5 Series and asks customers to part ways with R2.1 million.

One other interesting case to bring up is VW, which brought the new ID.4 Pro to South Africa this year.

However it is not currently on sale and its pricing has not been disclosed, as the manufacturer is busy running tests with the media, dealerships, and select clients to determine the viability of introducing its ID. range of electric products here.

If all is well, the ID4 should officially launch in 2025, but its price is sure to be closer to something like the Volvo EX30 or BMW iX1, so for now the list of affordable EVs in South Africa is still relatively sparse.