Motoring9.06.2023

Most popular electric cars in South Africa — and what they cost

By Myles Illidge

The most popular electric car in South Africa is the BMW i3, followed by two Audi e-tron models, according to AutoTrader’s latest Car Industry report.

In terms of pricing, there is a substantial gap between the number one and two spots, with the BMW i3 retailing for R754,200 when it was still available and the RS Audi e-tron GT retailing for R3,359,400.

BMW discontinued the i3 globally in July 2022, and it should be noted that AutoTrader’s Car Industry report is based on searches and enquiries for vehicles on its platform — most of which are second-hand.

The company tracks “top searched”, “top viewed”, and “most enquired” stats for its platform.

We used its “most enquired” data to determine which electric vehicles (EVs) are most popular in the country, as this indicates when someone showed interest in buying the car.

The most enquired about electric cars on AutoTrader are as follows:

BMW i3
Audi RS e-tron GT
Audi e-tron
Tesla Model Y
Porsche Taycan
BMW iX
Nissan Leaf
Mini Cooper Hatch SE
BMW iX3
Audi e-tron GT

While the Tesla Model Y isn’t officially available in South Africa, some imported units have been listed on the AutoTrader platform, and it outperformed most of the EVs available in South Africa regarding enquiries.

MyBroadband checked AutoTrader and found that there aren’t currently any Tesla Model Ys listed.

Another interesting detail was that the Mini Cooper Hatch SE — currently the cheapest EV available in South Africa — only placed eighth.

This is interesting as, according to GreenCape’s 2022 Electric Vehicles Market Intelligence report, 74% of those who responded to its EV price survey believed electric cars are too expensive in South Africa.

The respondents said they would only pay between R200,000 and R500,000 for an electric car.

“All EV models currently in the SA market cost more than R450,000, which is out of reach of most SA vehicle buyers,” GreenCape noted.

Despite this, the second most enquired-about EV on AutoTrader carries a price tag of R3,359,400.

The uptake of EVs in South Africa has increased substantially in recent years, with sales volumes in the country only reaching 218 in 2021.

Fast-forward to 2023, and 232 EV units were sold in the year’s first quarter alone.

The most popular electric cars in South Africa, along with performance specs and pricing, are listed below.

We did not include the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model Y in our list, as they aren’t officially available in South Africa.