Cheapest automatic car in every segment in South Africa

New cars are rarely released without an automatic transmission in their line-up.

While automotive purists prefer the freedom, control, and feel of a manual transmission, the majority of consumers lean towards the user-friendly, comfort-oriented automatic options.

In fact, this is the reason why many premium manufacturers no longer offer manual gearbox variants in their cars.

For example: The latest generation of the BMW 3-Series is only available with eight-speed automatic transmissions.

Vehicles fitted with these gearboxes typically have higher asking prices, too – as the cheapest passenger car in South Africa becomes R19,000 more expensive if you would like the automatic specification.

The market

To see how much a vehicle with an automatic transmission sells for, we turned to TopAuto Car Prices to find the cheapest option in every major category.

These vehicles are divided into the segments below.

Crossover

Suzuki S-Presso 1.0 GL+

• Price – R168,900
• Power – 50kW/90Nm
• Warranty – 3-year/100,000km warranty, 2-year/30,000km service plan, and AA roadside assistance.

Hatchback

Renault Kwid 1.0 Expression

• Price – R172,900
• Power – 50kW/91Nm
• Warranty – 5-year/150,000km mechanical warranty.

Sedan

BAIC D20 1.5 Fashion

• Price – R209,990
• Power – 85kW/148Nm
• Warranty – 5-year/120,000km warranty, 3-year/45,000km service plan, and 5-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assistance.

MPV

Datsun Go+ 1.2 Lux

• Price – R220,500
• Power – 57kW/104Nm
• Warranty – 6-year/150,000km warranty.

SUV

JMC Landwind 5 2.0T Lux

• Price – R224,995
• Power – 140kW/250Nm
• Warranty – 3-year/100,000km warranty, 5-year/100,00km service plan, and 24-hour roadside assistance

Convertible

Fiat 500C TwinAir Rockstar

• Price – R300,900
• Power – 63kW/145Nm
• Warranty – 3-year/100,000km warranty and service plan.

Double Cab Bakkie

Mahindra Pik Up 2.2CRDe S11

• Price – R389,999
• Power – 103kW/320Nm
• Warranty – 4-year/120,000km warranty, 5-year/90,000km service plan, and 4-year/120,000km roadside assistance.

Single Cab Bakkie

Ford Ranger 2.2TDCi Hi-Rider XL

• Price – R436,500
• Power – 118kW/385Nm
• Warranty – 4-year/120,000km warranty, 6-year/90,000km service plan, and 3-year/unlimited kilometre roadside assistance.

Extended Cab Bakkie

Isuzu D-Max 250 Extended Cab Hi-Ride

• Price – R440,600
• Power – 100kW/320Nm
• Warranty – 5-year/120,000km warranty, 5-year/90,000km service plan, and 5-year/120,000km roadside assistance.

Estate

Mini Cooper Clubman

• Price – R548,010
• Power – 100kW/220Nm
• Warranty – 5-year/100,000km Mini Motorplan.

Coupe

BMW 220i Coupe Sport Line

• Price – R655,078
• Power – 135kW/270Nm
• Warranty – 5-year/100,000km BMW Motorplan.