What your car’s fuel consumption is costing you on a 100km trip
Every 100km of driving will take at least R85.88 out of your wallet, according to a calculation by TopAuto.
The cost of fuel continues to be a painful topic for households trying to make ends meet in South Africa, which isn’t helped by the fact that the start of the holiday season was met with hikes at every petrol station.
As frustrating as these increases are, motorists will typically grit their teeth and pay for the final number they see at the pump, but it’s helpful to know how much fuel, and therefore money, you are actually using on an average trip to better visualize what your commuting habits are costing you over the long term.
The cost of driving 100km in South Africa
The latest fuel price adjustments came into effect on Wednesday, 4 December, with both grades of petrol going up by 17c per litre.
Consequently, motorists are now required to pay up to R21.47 per litre for petrol 95, depending on whether you live inland or near the coast.
The following table shows how much money a 100km trip will cost based on the current fuel price, as determined by your car’s fuel efficiency.
| Fuel consumption | Petrol cost |
|---|---|
| 4.0l/100km | R85.88 |
| 5.0l/100km | R107.35 |
| 6.0l/100km | R128.82 |
| 7.0l/100km | R150.29 |
| 8.0l/100km | R171.76 |
| 9.0l/100km | R193.23 |
| 10.0l/100km | R214.70 |
| 11.0l/100km | R236.17 |
| 12.0l/100km | R257.64 |
| 13.0l/100km | R279.11 |
Sadly, you need a consumption of under 5.0l/100km to be able to get a return of more than 1 kilometre per rand spent, which is a feat that is only achievable by a very small number of vehicles – most of which are expensive hybrids.
Most passenger cars average between 6.0l and 8.0l/100km, so South Africans are typically paying between R128.82 and R171.76 for every 100km they travel.
Another way to illustrate what the current fuel price is costing people is to look at the tab for refilling a whole tank, which you can see in the table below.
| Fuel consumption | Petrol cost |
|---|---|
| 30 litres | R644.10 |
| 40 litres | R858.80 |
| 50 litres | R1,073.50 |
| 60 litres | R1,288.20 |
| 70 litres | R1,502.90 |
| 80 litres | R1,717.60 |
Even the smallest tank size costs R644.10 to top up right now, which is exacerbated by the fact these tanks will require more frequent refills than larger ones.
On the extreme end of the scale, large bakkies and SUVs are costing well over R1,500 to fill to the brim, making a car journey an expensive prospect in South Africa.
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