The average commuting motorist in South Africa would save roughly R60 per day driving an electric car at current fuel prices

[mylesillidge]

R1,800 per month saved driving an electric car in South Africa with petrol prices at R28.06 per litre

At current fuel and electricity prices, many typical South African commuters could spend 67% less per month using an electric vehicle than driving a regular petrol car.

The rapid increase in fuel prices has spurred record EV sales in South Africa for two consecutive months: March and April 2026.

 

[Goosfrabba]

What about us extraordinary commuting motorists?

 

[Hanno Labuschagne]

What about us extraordinary commuting motorists?

The more you drive, the more you save Except maybe not ideal if you are driving over 300km per day

 

[handyman007]

What if you have a paid up vehicle and now have to finance a new electric vehicle?

 

[Hanno Labuschagne]

What if you have a paid up vehicle and now have to finance a new electric vehicle?

That would be dumb. Unless the annual cost of fuel, servicing, and insurance is greater than the financed cost of the EV with those components.

 

[My_King]

Soooo, you are telling me that I need to go into debt again and pay interest every month for a kak looking car:



Of course I can just steal power from my work to charge it.

EDIT : Not steal, charge, charge at work.

 

[ThinkCentre]

At a starting price of R339 900, compared to a much cheaper petrol car, is there really a saving?

 

[_TrXtR_]

So what does it cost to have an ev for 30 years though?

 

[Grubscrew]

Eskom says WAT!

 

[bwana]

Eskom says WAT!

Shouldn't they say WATT?

At a starting price of R339 900, compared to a much cheaper petrol car, is there really a saving?

And it would only take 16 years to pay off from the daily savings alone (assuming a 5 day work week).

 

[treeman]

Soooo, you are telling me that I need to go into debt again and pay interest every month for a kak looking car:

View attachment 1913024

Of course I can just steal power from my work to charge it.

EDIT : Not steal, charge, charge at work.

these AI photos are not just the Geelyt E2..it looks really good and well priced, had one for 3 weeks now. The Geely E2 features a design that incorporates the 0.618 Golden Ratio

 

[PhireSide]

these AI photos are not just the Geelyt E2..it looks really good and well priced, had one for 3 weeks now. The Geely E2 features a design that incorporates the 0.618 Golden Ratio

Snails also incorporate the golden ratio.

What are they trying to say?

 

[My_King]

these AI photos are not just the Geelyt E2..it looks really good and well priced, had one for 3 weeks now. The Geely E2 features a design that incorporates the 0.618 Golden Ratio

Soooo, you are telling me that I need to go into debt again and pay interest every month for a kak looking car.

Can't I just keep my current paid off car? R1800 saving per month. I rather not have debt again with interest.

 

[mpdjhb]

It was only a matter of time before Trump managed to fsck up his "drill baby drill" and anti-green plans by causing oil prices to spike and people to go green.

 

[My_King]

It was only a matter of time before Trump managed to fsck up his "drill baby drill" and anti-green plans by causing oil prices to spike and people to go green.

k

 

[Grubscrew]

Shouldn't they say WATT?


And it would only take 16 years to pay off from the daily savings alone (assuming a 5 day work week).

they can't say watt... they don't have a t to spare less than an extra watt

 

[Sapphiron]

Lets compare price for for if you have to buy a new car.

lets use the BYD Dolphin as it is closest to the average size car. Its R540k

A similar equipped ICE car is R300k (using a top spec Suzuki Swift)

financing the R240k difference monthly is R5570 over 60 months.

so the petrol price needs to go up another 150% before it starts to make sense (and only when you need to replace your car)

EDIT: corrected to R240k difference, Thanks Purrr

 

[purrr]

Lets compare price for for if you have to buy a new car.

lets use the BYD Dolphin as it is closest to the average size car. Its R540k

A similar equipped ICE car is R300k (using a top spec Suzuki Swift)

financing the R140k difference monthly is R3300 over 60 months.

so the petrol price needs to go up another 50% before it starts to make sense (and only when you need to replace your car)

R240k difference.

 

[Herr der Verboten]

R1,800 per month saved driving an electric car in South Africa with petrol prices at R28.06 per litre

At current fuel and electricity prices, many typical South African commuters could spend 67% less per month using an electric vehicle than driving a regular petrol car.

The rapid increase in fuel prices has spurred record EV sales in South Africa for two consecutive months: March and April 2026.

that's nice

 

[BigAl-sa]

Petrol vs electric: Does a budget electric car make more sense than petrol in 2026? - Buying a Car

The year is 2026, and the South African budget car market has officially changed. For decades, budget meant one thing: a sensible, petrol-sipping hatchback. But the morning light in your garage now reveals a fascinating dilemma. We have two budget-friendly hatchbacks, one petrol, one electric...

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