South Africans planning domestic travel face rising expenses, with higher petrol prices and increased toll fees making transport costs significantly steeper than last year, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Also read: Why SA’s petrol prices should be less than R20 – but aren’t
Despite some relief over the past three months, South African motorists are still paying well over R20 per litre for petrol.
Earlier in the year, petrol prices surged by R3.00 per litre through consecutive hikes from January to May 2024, driving inflation higher during that period.
However, with an anticipated reduction of around 75 cents per litre in September, the total decrease since June will reach R3.23, offering motorists a modest but positive price swing of roughly 23 cents per litre since the start of the year.
This decline in fuel prices is already benefiting the broader economy, as headline inflation improved to 4.6% in July—exceeding market expectations.
Fuel prices have dropped for a second consecutive month, with fuel inflation decreasing from 4.6% in June to 3.6% in July.
As of August, inland petrol 95 is priced at R23.11 per litre, and 0.005% diesel is at R20.74 per litre.
While the petrol price reductions are a welcome relief, the 6.25% increase in toll fees by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), effective from 1 March 2024, has added another burden for motorists.
How much it costs
BusinessTech has analysed the travel costs to South Africa’s most popular holiday destinations using the country’s top-selling vehicles across five categories: bakkie, SUV, hatchback, sedan, and crossover.
The analysis considers both the current petrol prices and the recent toll fee increases.
The selected vehicles, representing the best-sellers in each category, were sourced from the latest new vehicle sales report provided by Naamsa.
For accuracy, the fuel consumption of each vehicle was calculated based on the manufacturer’s stated average per 100 km.
In every category, the manufacturer’s least expensive model was chosen, with the most affordable double cab selected for bakkies.
To ensure consistency, fuel costs were calculated using the August prices of 95 octane petrol (R23.11) and 0.005% diesel (R20.74).
The fuel expenses for trips to some of South Africa’s top destinations were then calculated, using Johannesburg/Tshwane as the starting point.
Finally, these fuel costs were combined with the updated toll fees, effective 1 March 2024, to provide a comprehensive overview of the total travel expenses.
Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6 double cab
- 7.1 litres/100km*
- R147/100km
Toyota Fortuner 2.4GD-6
- 6.8 litres/100km*
- R141/100km
VW Polo Vivo hatch 1.4 Trendline
- 5.7 litres/100km
- R132/100km
Toyota Corolla Quest 1.8 Plus
- 7 litres/100km
- R162/100km
Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Xi
- 6.8/100km
- R157/100km
All prices are estimated based on the manufacturer’s average fuel consumption per 100 km. They are provided for comparison purposes only and should not be considered financial advice.
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