What it costs to drive from Cape Town to Joburg at R23 per litre this Easter
It will cost noticeably more to travel this April than it did one month ago, which is unfortunate timing given that the Easter weekend is only days away.
April’s anticipated fuel price hikes took effect this Wednesday, with petrol users now paying an additional R3 per litre, while diesel users were slapped with an increase of over R7 per litre.
The silver lining is that it could have been worse, as the government intervened at the last minute with an emergency relief measure to soften the blow to consumers.
The General Fuel Levy, which normally contributes R4.29 per litre to the retail cost of fuel, has been temporarily slashed by R3.
In other words, the price of petrol was originally set to increase by R6 per litre while diesel would have gone up by over R10 per litre.
While appreciable, the fact of the matter is that fuel is considerably more expensive than it was a few days ago, which isn’t great when a major holiday is right around the corner.
For those in Johannesburg or Cape Town planning to visit family in the other metro this Easter, you can expect to spend a minimum of R3,800 on petrol and and other travel expenses.
Joburg to Cape Town this Easter
Using Sandton as a general starting for motorists in Gauteng, the journey to the Mother City will cover roughly 1,413km on the N1 and take 15 hours.
Following April’s price hikes, motorists are now paying R23.36 per litre for petrol 95 at inland rates.
Factoring in the distance and the petrol price, this is how much you can expect to pay to make the trip, depending on your car’s fuel consumption:
| Efficiency | Fuel needed | One-way trip | Return trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.0l/100km | 71 litres | R1,658.56 | R3,317.12 |
| 6.0l/100km | 85 litres | R1,971.20 | R3,971.20 |
| 7.0l/100km | 99 litres | R2,312.64 | R4,625.28 |
| 8.0l/100km | 113 litres | R2,639.68 | R5,279.36 |
| 9.0l/100km | 127 litres | R2,966.72 | R5,933.44 |
| 10.0l/100km | 141 litres | R3,293.76 | R6,587,52 |
If that wasn’t enough, we also need to factor in the various toll gates on our route.
Assuming you follow the N1, there will be a total of four toll gates – Grasmere in Gauteng, Vaal and Verkeerdevlei in the Free State, and the Huguenot Tunnel in the Western Cape.
All of these locations had their fees increased by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) in February 2026.
Consequently, this is how much you will spend on each toll gate on your way to Cape Town:
- Grasmere – R27.50
- Vaal – R91.50
- Verkeerdevlei – R78.50
- Huguenot – R54.50
These fees collectively add R252 to the travel tab, or R504 if we include the return trip.
If we combine this with our fuel bill, we can see that it will cost at least R1,910.56 to drive to Cape Town with a fuel-efficient car, or upwards of R3,545.75 if you have a thirstier model.
Doubling these figures will then give us the cost of the complete trip, which works out to between R3,821.12 and R7,091.52.
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