Car advertising website Cars.co.za has published a report on the costs of owning and operating a petrol car in South Africa versus a diesel equivalent.

The report looked at the cost of two models within a specific range and compared the cost and fuel consumption for the life of the vehicle’s service/maintenance plan.

The idea was to compare whether or not diesel, which is traditionally more expensive vehicles to purchase, worked out cheaper in the long-term using current fuel prices (R13.72 per litre for petrol vs R11.71 for diesel).

Surprisingly the results were fairly evenly split with both diesel and petrol cars being the cheaper option, depending on the manufacturer and model.

BusinessTech looked at some of the current best selling cars in the country, using the same methodology.


Volkswagen Polo 1.2 turbo petrol vs 1.4 turbo diesel

Volkswagen Polo 1.2 turbo petrol

Volkswagen Polo 1.2 turbopetrol Volkswagen Polo 1.4 turbodiesel
Price R276 300  R286 400
Fuel economy   5.1L/100km   4.1L/100km
Range   882km  1 098 km
Service plan  45 000 km   45 000 km
Fuel cost  R31 500  R21 596
Cost to run R307 800  R307 996
 R196 cheaper to run

 

Toyota Fortuner 2.7 auto vs 2.4GD-6 auto

Toyota Fortuner

Toyota Fortuner 2.7 auto Toyota Fortuner 2.4GD-6 auto
Price  R438 000  R474 200
Fuel economy   10.5L/100km  7.9L/100km
Range   762 km  1 013 km
Service plan  90 000 km  90 000 km
Fuel cost  R126 638  R83 230
Cost to run  R567 638  R557 430
 R10 208 cheaper to run

 

Toyota Corolla 1.3 Esteem vs  1.4D-4D Esteem 

Toyota Corolla

Toyota Corolla 1.3 Esteem Toyota Corolla 1.4D-4D Esteem 
Price R263 900 R297 300
Fuel economy 6L/100km 4.5L/100km
Range 917 km 1 222 km
Service plan 90 000 km 90 000 km
Fuel cost R74 088 R47 426
Cost to run R337 988 R344 726
R6 738 cheaper to run

 

Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente vs 1.5TDCi Trend

Ford EcoSport

 Ford EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente Ford EcoSport 1.5TDCi Trend
Price R252 900 R283 900
Fuel economy 6.5L/100km 4.6L/100km
Range x x
Service plan 60 000 km 60 000 km
Fuel cost R53 508 R32 320
Cost to run R306 408 R316 220
R9 792 cheaper to run

 

Ford Fiesta 5-door 1.4 Ambiente vs 1.5TDCi Ambiente

Ford Fiesta

Ford Fiesta 5-door 1.5TDCi Ambiente
Price R226 400 R247 900
Fuel economy 5.7L/100km 3.6L/100km
Range x 1 111 km
Service plan 60 000 60 000
Fuel cost R46 992 R25 294
Cost to run R273 392 R273 194
 R198 cheaper to run

 

Toyota Hilux 2.7 petrol vs 2.4 turbodiesel

Toyota Hilux

Toyota Hilux 2.7 petrol Toyota Hilux 2.4 turbodiesel
Price R385 800 R442 700
Fuel economy 10.6L/100km 7.1L/100km
Range 755 km 1 127 km
Service plan 90 000 km 90 000 km
Fuel cost R130 840  R74 811
Cost to run R516 640 R517 511
R871 cheaper to run