How much it costs to drive from Johannesburg to Durban at R25 per litre

Fuel prices have risen dramatically in South Africa since the start of the year, with petrol 95 reaching a record high of R26.74 in July.

Following a small reduction this month, inland motorists are still paying R25.42 for every litre of petrol, a 25% jump in less than a year from when fuel surpassed R20 per litre for the first time in December 2021.

This means that now more than ever, fuel prices are one of the biggest costs to consider when planning a road trip.

TopAuto looked to see how much it would currently cost to make the drive from Johannesburg to Durban based on the country’s current fuel prices.

What it costs

The most common route between Joburg and Durban is the N3 highway, which is approximately 570km long.

Using Sandton as our starting point, the journey will take just over six hours and a total of 591km before reaching our destination at Durban’s beachfront promenade.

To calculate fuel consumption, we used a Toyota Urban Cruiser as it is currently one of the most popular crossovers in South Africa and should provide a good benchmark for a small family car.

The mini-SUV’s 1.5-litre engine produces 77kW and 138Nm and is available in both manual and automatic specifications with a combined fuel cycle listing of 6.2l/100km.

This means that, for our journey, we will use roughly 36.6 litres of petrol, which at R25.42 per litre of petrol 95, works out to a fuel spending of R930.37.

However, there are other road-going costs involved, including the various toll gates found along the N3.

There are five toll gates on the Johannesburg-Durban route along the N3, and this is what the current tariff rates are, according to the toll’s website:

• Mooi – R58
• Wilge – R77
• Tugela – R82
• De Hoek – R56
• Marianhill – R13.50

The sum total of these toll gates amounts to R286.50, with Gauteng’s e-tolls adding another R13.68.

Totaling everything up means that, as of August 2022, it costs at least R1,230.55 to make a one-way trip between Johannesburg and Durban using a Toyota Urban Cruiser.

For a return trip, the result is that South African motorists can now expect to R2,461.10 when making the journey to and from the coast to the big city.