What it costs to drive South Africa’s best-selling cars – August vs September

Following September’s unprecedented fuel price hikes, it costs anywhere from R8 to R28 more to drive 100km in one of South Africa’s top 20 best-selling cars than it did in August.

This month, fuel prices in South Africa shot up by a minimum of R1.71 per litre up to a maximum of R2.84 per litre, depending on the type and grade, subsequently pushing diesel prices into the region of R23 once more, and petrol prices over R24.

The increases were largely a result of higher average international oil prices in August and were exacerbated by a depreciating rand.

At the end of July, Brent Crude oil sat at roughly $84/barrel, and at the end of August, it swapped hands at closer to $87/barrel, this uptick being largely attributed to a voluntary output cut of around 1.4 million barrels per day by the oil-producing (OPEC+) cartel that started in June and is expected to continue into 2024.

The adverse performance in oil rates contributed anywhere from R1.35 to R2.53 per litre to local fuel prices in September.

For the period 28 July to 31 August, the average rand/US dollar exchange rate stood at R18.67/dollar, compared to R18.28/dollar the month before, which tacked on another 29.60-31.33c per litre to September’s fuel costs.

Oil prices and the rand/US dollar exchange rate are by far the largest determinants of the basic fuel price, with any changes in these inputs, whether positive or negative, ultimately having an effect on the prices displayed at the pumps.

Another unique element that added to September’s fuel cost woes was an increase of 5c per litre in the retail margins of all octane grades of petrol, which was necessary to supplement wage increases of administrative staff, cashiers, and pump attendants at filling stations.

What it costs to drive South Africa’s best-selling cars

Using the more premium petrol 95 and diesel 50ppm that now sell for R24.54 and R23.29 per litre, respectively, and the average fuel consumption across all available powertrains for a specific model, this is what it will cost to drive 100km in the best-selling cars in South Africa in September compared to August:

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