Save R2,000 travelling from Pretoria to Pietermaritzburg

Motorists in South Africa’s capital who need to travel to Pietermaritzburg for whatever reason can save up to R2,000 by driving instead of flying.

Granted, flying from Pretoria really means departing from OR Tambo International Airport (ORTIA) in Johannesburg, but flying to Pietermaritzburg does not mean landing at King Shaka International Airport.

As a result, those travelling from Pretoria will have an additional 50km drive to get to the airport, depending on where in the capital they stay, before even boarding the flight.

Luckily, once they arrive at Pietermaritzburg Airport, they will have avoided the 100km drive from King Shaka International.

That being said, only one airline – domestic carrier Airlink – currently operates on this route and offers several flights, allowing travellers to fly between Pretoria and the Midlands any day of the week.

TopAuto used Google Flights to determine what it would cost to fly to Pietermaritzburg if you plan to go before the end of the month, and found tickets as low as R1,580.

Below are the best results for each day of next week, booked on Thursday, 20 August. These figures are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change based on the time and day you book:

Monday only had one flight available, which was also the second most expensive of the week, while Friday offered flyers the cheapest fares. Flights later in the day were also more expensive than early morning departures.

For those who will need to return to South Africa’s richest province, these were the cheapest return ticket results for each day:

Return flight prices seem to be cheaper across the board, except for Sunday’s flight. Flying earlier in the week also seems preferable to later on.

Those travelling between Pretoria and Pietermaritzburg who prefer flying will need to fork out at least R3,211 for the cheapest flights, or as much as R4,449 if they only fly on Sundays.

Of course, flying saves hours on the road, as well as added toll fees and the frustration of roadworks and slow-moving traffic. However, driving can save some motorists a few rands.

How much you’ll save driving instead

Driving the approximately 535km between the two cities should take motorists around 5 hours and 45 minutes, depending on traffic, roadworks, and the number of times they stop.

As someone who needed to do this trip earlier in the month, I opted to drive instead of flying, thanks to the savings and not having to buy multiple plane tickets, as my car has ample seating for a family of three.

Those who, like me, choose to drive instead of flying can expect to pay R25.58 per litre of 95-octane petrol in Gauteng, thanks to the slight decrease at the start of the month.

Factoring in the distance and the current inland petrol price, this is how much you can expect to pay to make the trip, depending on your car’s fuel consumption:

While these totals already represent a major financial undertaking, the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) increased toll fees in February.

These will add R331 to your trip to and from Pietermaritzburg, should you pass through all four plazas – De Hoek, Wilge, Tugela, and Mooi River – along the way.

This total is broken down as follows:

• De Hoek – R67.00
• Wilge – R94.00
• Tugela – R100.00
• Mooi River – R70.00

Considering all of these factors, driving from Pretoria to Pietermaritzburg can cost as little as R1,015.30 either way, or as much as R1,699.50, totalling between R2,030 and R3,400 for a round trip

Compared to flying, only driving a vehicle with poor fuel consumption is more expensive than the cheapest flight prices. However, driving a frugal vehicle saves travellers as much as R2,400.