Most fuel-efficient SUVs in South Africa

Cost-effective travel
Range Rover P460e HSE – 0.9l/100km
Volvo XC60 T8 Twin Engine AWD Plus Dark – 1.6l/100km
BMW X5 xDrive50e – 1.9l/100km
Jaguar F-Pace P400e AWD R-Dynamic SE – 2.4l/100km
Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid – 2.4l/100km
Land Rover Defender 110 P400e X-Dynamic HSE – 2.8l/100km
Toyota RAV4 2.5 Hybrid GX-R E-Four – 4.8l/100km
Kia Sportage 1.6CRDi LX – 4.9l/100km
Lexus NX 350h EX – 5.0l/100km
Haval H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury – 5.2l/100km
Mercedes-Benz GLC220d coupe 4Matic – 5.5l/100km
Mazda CX-5 2.2DE AWD Akera – 5.7l/100km
Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.0T Veloce Q4 – 5.7l/100km
Audi Q5 40TDI quattro – 6.2l/100km
VW Tiguan 2.0TDI 4Motion R-Line – 6.6l/100km
Honda CR-V 1.5T Executive – 6.7l/100km
Proton X90 1.5T Standard – 6.8l/100km
Opel Grandland 1.6T – 7.0l/100km
Peugeot 3008 1.6T Active – 7.0l/100km
Isuzu mu-X 1.9TD LS – 7.0l/100km
Chery Tiggo 8 Pro 1.6TGDI 290T Executive – 7.2l/100km
Nissan X-Trail 2.5 Visia – 7.4l/100km
Hyundai Tucson 2.0D Elite – 7.4l/100km
Ford Everest 2.0 BiTurbo XLT – 7.5l/100km
Subaru Forester 2.0i S ES – 7.6l/100km
Citroen C5 Aircross 1.6T Feel – 7.9l/100km

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Fuel prices are a major headache for South African consumers right now, and it’s an issue that is only expected to get worse before the end of the year.

Petrol is currently sitting at a maximum of R24.54 per litre as of September 2023, while diesel costs R23.29 per litre, and both of these will likely increase further in the coming months owing to the rise of international oil prices, and the worsening rand/US dollar exchange rate.

Picking a fuel-efficient set of wheels is therefore more important than ever, though this can be a somewhat complex process owing to the wide array of models on the market.

Hybrids are the obvious choice here, but there are a few different types of electrified engines, including mild, range-extender, and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) – the latter of which allows for fully-electric driving for a limited range, usually in the ballpark of 100km or less.

The problem is that hybrids are expensive, with PHEVs in particular being reserved for high-end brands that typically go for more than R1 million.

Looking at SUVs, which are becoming the new favourite vehicle body type for the majority of local motorists, the most efficient model in the country is the Range Rover P460e PHEV, but its incredibly low 0.9l/100km heavily relies on the notion that its users travel on electricity for the vast majority of their day-to-day trips.

The most frugal car to not feature any form of hybrid assistance is the new Kia Sportage diesel, which boasts a usage of 4.9l/100km.