Features / 7 August 2025 / Michael Taylor

Every hybrid car you can buy under R600,000 in South Africa

There are only seven different hybrid cars that can be bought for less than R600,000 in South Africa.

While hybrid technology has come a long way in the span of only a few years, there are still only a handful of brands that have elected to introduce their most fuel-efficient models in our market.

This is especially true of affordable models, as there are only two hybrids that retail for less than half a million rand.

This includes the recently-launched Chery Tiggo Cross CSH, and the Toyota Corolla Cross, both of which are classified as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

HEVs, otherwise known as traditional hybrids, feature a small battery and electric motor that can drive the car at low speeds to improve efficiency.

The Chery, for example, achieves a frugal economy figure of 5.4l/100km, while the Cross has an even lower stat of 4.3l/100km.

In total, there are six different HEVs that you can buy for less than R600,000, provided you make a distinction between the Toyota Corolla Sedan and Corolla Hatch models.

If you want a more advanced plug-in hybrid (PHEV), the good news is that there is a single model within our price threshold.

The vehicle in question is the Chery Tiggo 7 CSH, which goes for R599,900.

While this is undeniably a lot of money, it is a lot cheaper than what you would have need to pay for a PHEV at the start of 2025.

A few months ago, the entry-level PHEV was the R1,050,000 BMW X1 xDrive30e, but South Africa now has access to new models like the Tiggo 7 CSH and the R639,900 BYD Sealion 6, which have lowered the barrier to entry by hundreds of thousands of rands.

As a reminder, PHEVs feature a much larger battery and more powerful e-motor, allowing them to function as an electric vehicle for short distances, typically under 100km.

The advantage of a PHEV is that owners can use it as an electric car for shorter trips around town while still having the range of a petrol model for longer journeys.

The downside is that they are much more expensive than HEVs, since you are essentially paying for a car with two drivetrains.