The Audi electric car which lost R1,500,000 in value after 1 year and 5,000km

Buying a new Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro in South Africa in 2025 cost over R3,500,000. Today, you can buy a low-mileage 2025 model for R1,999,999.

The Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro was launched in South Africa in 2022, billed as a high-end electric sports car that offered well over 400kW of power and a range of luxury features.

At launch in the country, the price of a new Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro was R3,300,000.

In 2025, this went up to R3,527,400 – making it one of the most expensive cars you could buy in South Africa.

In 2026, however, you can buy an Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro for substantially lower than what it was sold for new from the dealership.

A 2025 Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro with just over 5,000km of use is being sold for R1,999,999, based on an AutoTrader listing from Audi Centre Sandton.

This works out to a drop in value of over R1,500,000 in one year.

The “non-RS” Audi e-tron GT Quattro has suffered a similar fate. When it launched in 2022, a new one sold for R2,715,000.

Today, you can buy a 2025 Audi e-tron GT Quattro – with 11,000km on the clock – for R1,499,900.

This represents a drop in value of over R1,200,000.

Documented trend

The depreciation of the Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro is not unique to South Africa.

Multiple international publications have documented how the electric Audi has been one of the fastest-depreciating cars in recent years.

“A persistent problem with electric cars… is the steep financial risk caused by rapid depreciation,” stated a TopSpeed report.

“The issue hits luxury EV buyers the hardest, as these high-end electric models often lose over half of their original value in just three years.”

In a specific case in the US, a 2025 Audi RS e-tron GT Quattro with 21km on the clock was listed for R900,000 below the suggested retail price. This represented a 30% drop in value.

Audi is also not alone as a brand when it comes to electric cars dropping in value in South Africa.

MyBroadband recently reported on a GWM dealership offering only 24% of the original price of a GWM Ora 03 to buy the car. The Ora 03 in this case was a used GT model with 36,000km on the clock.

The Ora 03 was launched in South Africa in November 2023, with a starting price of R686,900.

In September, a MyBroadband journalist stated they investigated what the Ora might sell for on the used market.

“Our two nearest GWM dealers in Pretoria would not even make us an offer,” stated the MyBroadband report.

“We did not expect much, but we were surprised when GWM Haval Centurion only offered R200,000, less than a quarter of the car’s price brand new.”

When compared to popular non-electric vehicles like the Toyota Hilux, the difference in value retention is stark.

The Toyota Hilux retains 65% to 70% of its original value after three years, thanks to strong demand, reliability, and brand sentiment.