Features / 9 August 2025 / Staff Writer

South Africa is running out of sub-R200,000 cars

In two short years, South Africa’s lineup of sub-R200,000 cars has dropped by more than half of what it used to be, leaving the country with a mere four options on the market in 2025.

This leaves South African car buyers on a budget with few options, as factors like the closure of ArcelorMittal, inflation, VAT hikes, and other economic pressures push the barrier to entry ever higher.

These factors have caused car prices to skyrocket. For example, the Kia Picanto’s price tag rose by over 55% in just four years.

It cost R167,995 in 2020 and had risen to R260,995 by 2024. Kia has since introduced a more affordable model, but the trend is clear.

The prices of other vehicles have also continued to rise, as South Africa ran out of sub-R200,000 sedans altogether by the end of 2023.

In 2023, there were 10 cars available under the R200,000 mark, with the cheapest being the Suzuki S-Presso at R165,900.

The Mahindra KUV100, Suzuki Celerio, Renault Kwid, Suzuki DZire, Suzuki Swift, Hyundai Atos, Toyota Agya, Mahindra Bolero, and Proton Saga all sat below R200,000.

Buyers could even get the top-spec version of several of these models for under R200,000, giving South Africans like first time car buyers, parents, graduates, and frugal spenders several options if they were looking to buy a new car on a budget.

In fact, just a year earlier, this list included the BAIC D20, the Datsun Go, and the Kia Picanto, as well as two bakkies – the Nissan NP200 and Mahindra Bolero.

The prices of many of these vehicles have risen considerably, and several have been discontinued locally or altogether. The Nissan NP200, Hyundai Atos, Datsun Go, Mahindra KUV100, Toyota Agya, and BAIC D20 are no longer available.

Currently, the only options left for South Africans who can’t afford to, or don’t want to spend more than R200,000 on a new vehicle are the Toyota Vitz, the Renault Kwid, the Suzuki S-Presso, and the Suzuki Celerio.

It is worth noting that there are several workhorse, non-passenger vehicles available below the R200,000 price tag.

These are light commercial vehicle’s (pick-ups), including the Suzuki Super Carry 1.2, Foton Truckmate TM3 1.5, and Ashok Leyland Dost 1.5TD.