South African small business owners have a wide range of options when it comes to delivery vehicles, bakkies, and panel vans to choose from, especially in the budget segment.
Small to medium businesses are the backbone of the local economy, employing around 60% of the South African workforce, and contributing towards 30 to 40% of the country’s GDP.
To make this happen, business owners often need to rely on affordable transport, especially for short-distance deliveries or carrying small quantities of daily or weekly stock.
This has given rise to the popularity of crew cab panel vans and light-duty vehicles (LDVs).
These are essentially converted hatchbacks and MPVs with larger cargo carrying capacities, but with the same mobility as a smaller vehicle.
Earlier this month, VW announced the return of the Polo Vivo Xpress due to a growing demand for these vehicles.
“There has been a noticeable growing demand in the entry delivery vehicle segment in the South African market over the past few years,” the German automaker noted.
Competing with the Wolfsburg-based brand’s offering locally are several well-known rivals, all vying for dominance in this unique segment.
The cheapest option in the segment is the Nissan Magnite 1.0 Move, a R229,900 panel van that offers its drivers ample load capacity of 250kg which is very impressive given the Magnite’s size.
In terms of performance, it has been fitted with the same 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor and five-speed manual transmission found in other Magnite derivatives.
This configuration is good for power outputs of 53kW and 96Nm, allowing the front-wheel drive panel van to keep its fuel consumption low at 5.9l/100km.
By comparison, South Africa’s most affordable ‘true’ panel van, the R230,900 Suzuki Eeco sports a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor and a five-speed manual transmission.
It produces 59kW and 104Nm, and is capable of carrying a very impressive 615kg payload, with an averga fuel onsumption of 5.4l/100km.
The cheapest panel vans in South Africa
With several affordable options to choose from, South Africa’s small business owners may have a challenge on their hands when it comes to making the purchase.
These are the most affordable panel vans and crew cabs in South Africa right now:
Click on their underlined prices for more information.
1. Nissan Magnite Move
- Starting price – R229,900
- Fuel economy – 5.9l/100km
- Power – 53kW/96Nm
- Load capacity – 250kg/690 litres
2. Suzuki Eeco
- Starting price – R230,900
- Fuel economy – 5.4l/100km
- Power – 59kW/104Nm
- Load capacity – 615kg
3. Hyundai Grand i10 Cargo
- Starting price – R249,500
- Fuel economy – 5.5l/100km
- Power – 49kW/94Nm
- Load capacity – 508kg/1210 litres
4. Kia Picanto LS Panel Van
- Starting price – R249,995
- Fuel economy – 5.1l/100km
- Power – 49kW/95Nm
- Load capacity – 350kg/909 litres
5. Renault Triber Express
- Starting price – R249,999
- Fuel economy – 5.5l/100km
- Power – 52kW/96Nm
- Load capacity – 542kg/1,500 litres
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