The most budget-friendly car brand in South Africa

Suzuki is by far and away the most wallet-friendly brand in South Africa, selling a total of nine different passenger cars for less than R300,000.

There aren’t that many vehicles that still fall under this price threshold, as just under three-quarters of all the cars on sale in South Africa now retail for more than half a million rand.

Of the 53 brands currently operating within our borders, only 13 have a stake in the sub-R300,000 market, and most of these only sell a single model.

The following table shows a list of every nameplate that has at least one vehicle that falls into this bracket in South Africa:

Suzuki is the clear winner with three times as many options as the next best, which includes Kia, Renault, and Toyota.

Toyota is a bit of an outlier here, as its three budget models – the Vitz, Starlet, and Starlet Cross – are all rebadged Suzuki cars to begin with.

Suzuki also has the second-cheapest starting point with the R178,900 S-Presso, which is only beaten by the Toyota Vitz’s R178,800 by a measly R100 following a price cut to the latter.

The sub-R300,000 market is extremely important, as most South Africans in the formal sector only earn R26,800 per month on average.

Based on consumer guidelines from financial institutions, individuals who earn this much should only spend up to R250,000 on a new car, making for a difficult situation as the auto scene continues to inch ever upward.

It therefore comes as little surprise that Suzuki’s budget-conscious business strategy is paying off, as it is now the second best-selling carmaker in South Africa behind Toyota.

This title was previously held by VW, but the German brand’s selection of mid to high-end vehicles has slowly been losing market share in recent years as their prices have become less and less affordable for most households.

Bang for your buck

These are all of the sub-R300,000 Suzuki cars on sale in South Africa right now.

Click on the underlined prices for more information

Suzuki S-Presso

• Starting price – R178,900
• Number of models – 6
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki Celerio

• Starting price – R188,900
• Number of models – 3
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki DZire

• Starting price – R217,900
• Number of models – 3
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki Swift

• Starting price – R219,900
• Number of models – 7
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki Ignis

• Starting price – R237,900
• Number of models – 3
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki Baleno

• Starting price – R260,900
• Number of models – 4
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 4-year/60,000km

Suzuki Ciaz

• Starting price – R286,900
• Number of models – 4
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 2-year/30,000km

Suzuki Ertiga

• Starting price – R290,900
• Number of models – 3
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 4-year/60,000km

Suzuki Fronx

• Starting price – R298,900
• Number of models – 6
• Warranty – 5-year/200,000km
• Service plan – 4-year/60,000km