Features / 2 July 2026 / Warren Hawkins

What R1 million buys you in every car segment

A few years ago, spending R1 million on a new car was reserved for an elite few, but this has since changed, and today there are nearly 500 cars that sell for more than that in South Africa.

Many would assume that seven-figure price tags are reserved for ultra-luxury and high-end European offerings, from brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Land Rover, or Alfa Romeo.

While this may be the case, there are also R1 million vehicles offered by badges that are considered attainable, or everyday family vehicles.

Interestingly, the vehicles sold in South Africa with a maximum retail price of R1 million all originate from Asian carmakers, including Kia, Toyota, and Subaru.

Two Kias, including the Korean automaker’s new Tasman bakkie and the seven-seat Sorento SUV, are joined by Toyota’s GR Corolla performance hatchback and Subaru’s WRX sedan.

The latter is the cheapest of these, if cheap is the word to use for these vehicles, with a price tag only R1,000 less than the R1 million threshold.

For this price, buyers can expect a high-performance sedan that has been in our market since 2022, emblazoned with the WRX moniker, short for World Rally eXperimental.

The fifth-generation, race-inspired Subaru is fitted with a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged Boxer engine delivering 202kW and 350Nm.

This power is sent to all four wheels via Subaru’s Performance Transmission, or Sport Lineartronic CVT (continuously variable transmission), which provides 50% faster shifts than the previous iteration.

While Subaru never released the performance figures for the WRX, unofficial testing found the sedan accelerates from 0-100km/h in just over six seconds, and can reach a top speed of around 240km/h.

The two Kias – the Tasman and Sorento – share an identical price tag of R999,995, which is as close to R1 million as any vehicle in South Africa sells for.

Interestingly, both of these are fitted with turbocharged 2.2-litre diesel engines, with outputs of 148kW and 440Nm for the Sorento, and 154kW and 440Nm for the Tasman.

Both are also fitted with an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, sending power to all of the wheels in the bakkie’s R1 million derivative and to the front wheels of the SUV in this case.

In their respective guises, the Tasman and Sorento maintain average diesel consumption figures of 7.8l/100km and 6.0l/100km.

South Africa’s R1 million hatch – the Toyota GR Corolla in manual guise – is the only one on this list over the threshold, albeit by only R5,100.

That being said, many would argue that its performance warrants the fee, as its 1.6-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine generates an impressive 210kW and 400Nm.

Mated to the six-speed manual transmission – which sends this power to all four wheels – the hot hatch boasts a 0-100km/h acceleration time of under five seconds, and a top speed of 230km/h.

With its focus very much on performance, the Japanese auto giant fitted the GR with a mechanical handbrake, rebound springs on the front and rear shock absorbers to reduce inner wheel lift during aggressive driving, and Torsen limited-slip differentials.

South Africa’s R1 million car in each major segment

Each segment’s R1 million vehicle serves a very different purpose and market, with the only overlap potentially coming from the Toyota and Subaru.

Despite this, each has earned its place at the top of its respective segment, whether that be for performance or comfort.

Below are the hatchback, sedan, SUV, and bakkie priced closest to seven figures in South Africa. Click on their underlined prices to learn more about each model.

Subaru WRX 2.4T TS ES

Price – R999,000
Power – 202kW/350Nm
Fuel consumption – 8.5l/100km
Warranty – 5-year/150,000km warranty + 3-year/75,000km maintenance plan

Kia Sorento 2.2CRDi EX+

Price – R999,995
Power – 148kW/440Nm
Fuel consumption – 6.0l/100km
Warranty – 5-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty + 6-year/90,000km maintenance plan