Features / 27 February 2026 / Warren Hawkins

The 5 cheapest sedans you can buy in South Africa right now

Compact and crossover SUVs may be at the top of the wishlist for most South African car buyers, but sedans still hold some appeal and have a place in the market.

For many years, sedans were the go-to choice for families, but that trend has since shifted, and SUVs now rule the road.

While much of this can be attributed to a greater variety in the SUV segment and competitive pricing, there is still considerable variety amongst sedans, as well as several budget options.

That being said, Suzuki does not see it this way, opting to discontinue one of South Africa’s most affordable sedans, the Ciaz.

The sedan was assembled in India until last year, when production ended, meaning its presence in the local market would eventually come to an end.

It has since been removed from Suzuki South Africa’s website, leaving only the DZire sedan, a model based on Suzuki’s best-selling Swift hatchback, to compete in the segment.

While the shape is still a popular feature in the luxury segment, affordable models have all but disappeared from South Africa’s roads over the last few years.

To counter this decline, several brands have introduced budget sedan offerings, including offerings from Chinese and even Malaysian badges.

South Africa’s most affordable sedan represents the latter. The Proton Saga is a R209,900 front-wheel drive sedan, fitted with a 1.3-litre petrol engine producing 70kW and 120Nm.

It comes as either a five-speed manual, or four-speed manual, and offers fuel efficiency figures of 7.0l/100km on average.

Compared to South Africa’s luxury sedan offerings, especially those from German carmakers Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, its spec sheet is quite rather barren.

As a budget offering the Saga features 14-inch steel rims, a multi-information driver display, electric windows, central locking, ABS, and two airbags.

Drivers can expect fabric upholstery, manual air conditioning, an Eco driving mode, rear parking sensors, and a Bluetooth sound system with two speakers.