Cars you can buy on the average government salary in South Africa

The average government employee can spend approximately R372,000 on a new car in South Africa.

This is because a typical public servant earns roughly R41,200 per month – well above the national average of R26,800 per month, including the private sector.

This considerable difference is nothing new, as public sector salaries have consistently exceeded the national wage by over R10,000 since 2019.

The National Treasury attributes this significant pay gap to the government’s historical efforts to attract and retain skilled professionals in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, social welfare, and security.

Over the last 30 years, this has manifested in extensive reforms to the state’s remuneration policies, with highly competitive salaries and a wide array of benefits covering everything from pensions to medical and housing subsidies, bonuses, and allowances, writes BusinessTech.

The result is that the average government employee is now in the top 10% of income earners in South Africa, according to the World Inequality Database.

When it comes to buying a car on a finance plan, the general rule is that you should not spend more than 20% of your monthly income on instalments, provided you stick to the best practices outlined by financial experts.

With a salary of R41,200 per month, this means you shouldn’t commit more than R8,240 to vehicle repayments.

Assuming that a government employee takes out a 60-month plan at the current interest rate of 11.25%, with no deposit or balloon plan, they will be left with a car-buying budget of around R372,000.

Perks of the job

These are the cars that you can afford on a finance plan with the average government employee salary in South Africa in 2025.

Click on the underlined prices for more information.

Hyundai i20 1.4 Executive

• Starting price – R349,900
• Power – 73kW/133Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.9l/100km

Peugeot 208 1.2 Active

• Starting price – R349,900
• Power – 55kW/118Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.8l/100km

Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GL

• Starting price – R358,900
• Power – 77kW/138Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.0l/100km

Toyota Urban Cruiser 1.5 XR

• Starting price – R359,700
• Power – 77kW/138Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.1l/100km

Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5T LiT Auto

• Starting price – R359,900
• Power – 108kW/210Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.7l/100km

Renault Kiger 1.0 Turbo Intens Auto

• Starting price – R359,999
• Power – 74kW/160Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.4l/100km

Omoda C5 1.5T 230T Style

• Starting price – R364,900
• Power – 115kW/230Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.9l/100km

VW Polo 1.0TSI

• Starting price – R366,500
• Power – 70kW/175Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.3l/100km

Kia Sonet 1.5 LX

• Starting price – R366,995
• Power – 85kW/144Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.6l/100km

Renault Clio 1.0 Turbo Intens

• Starting price – R367,999
• Power – 74kW/160Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.7l/100km

Nissan Magnite 1.0 Turbo Acenta Auto

• Starting price – R370,500
• Power – 74kW/152Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.0l/100km

Haval Jolion 1.5T City Plus

• Starting price – R370,950
• Power – 105kW/210Nm
• Fuel consumption – 8.1l/100km

Honda Elevate 1.5 Comfort

• Starting price – R371,000
• Power – 89kW/145Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.7l/100km

Mazda 2 1.5 Dynamic Auto

• Starting price – R371,300
• Power – 85kW/148Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.0l/100km

Citroen C3 Aircross 1.2T Max 7-seater

• Starting price – R371,900
• Power – 81kW/205Nm
• Fuel consumption – 6.3l/100km

Opel Corsa 1.2T Lite

• Starting price – R374,900
• Power – 74kW/205Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.7l/100km

Mahindra XUV 3XO 1.2T AX5L

• Starting price – R374,999
• Power – 82kW/200Nm
• Fuel consumption – 5.6l/100km