Cheapest hybrids in South Africa

South Africans looking to save money on fuel can choose from several hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) with highly efficient fuel consumption figures, starting from R486,100 for the Toyota Corolla Cross.

The Japanese carmaker dominates the affordable HEV space in South Africa, with four of the ten cheapest models coming from the manufacturer.

MyBroadband compared the most affordable hybrid vehicles in South Africa, including only traditional hybrids, which use an internal combustion engine to charge a battery that powers a secondary electric motor.

This excludes models like the Suzuki Grand Vitara 1.5 GLX Auto Hybrid or Toyota Fortuner 48V hybrid, as they only incorporate a starter generator motor to boost starting fuel efficiency and acceleration.

With prices starting at R486,100, the Toyota Corolla Cross 1.8 Hybrid XS was the cheapest “true” hybrid South Africans could buy at the time of our analysis.

Toyota claims that the assistance from the 1.3kWh battery reduces this model’s combined consumption to 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

Its drivetrain produces 90kW and 142nm of torque plus more from the electric motor, propelling it from zero to 100km/h in 12 seconds.

The Toyota Corolla Hatch 1.8 Hybrid XS is the next-most affordable hybrid model in South Africa, with a starting price of R536,500.

Two other Toyota-branded hybrids feature in the list — the Toyota Corolla 1.8 XS Hybrid sedan and the Toyota RAV4 2.5 Hybrid GX-R e-Four.

The former is priced at R549,300 and consumes roughly 3.9ℓ/100km, while the RAV4 starts at R748,700 and consumes 4.8ℓ/100km.

The Corolla Hatch features the same powertrain as the Corolla Cross, providing similar power and torque stats.

However, its smaller size means it consumes just 4.0ℓ/100km and accelerates from a stop to 100km/h in 9.1 seconds.

The Honda Fit 1.5 Hybrid is the third most affordable hybrid car sold in South Africa, and it offers the lowest consumption figure of all the options listed.

The Fit Hybrid starts at R544,900. Its drive train produces 90kW and 253nm of torque, propelling it from zero to 100km/h in 9.4 seconds.

With the help of the 0.8kWh battery, the Honda Fit 1.5 Hybrid’s claimed consumption figure is just 3.7 litres per 100km.

Chinese carmaker Haval also produces two hybrid cars that are among the ten cheapest in South Africa: the Haval Jolion 1.5 HEV Luxury and the H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury.

The Jolion starts at R549,950 and consumes approximately 5.0ℓ/100km, while the larger H6 1.5T HEV Ultra Luxury starts at R679,950 and consumes 5.2ℓ/100km.

The list also features a newcomer to the South African market: the GWM Tank 300 2.0T HEV Super Luxury 4×4, which launched in February 2024.

The GWM Tank 300 HEV starts at R875,200 and has the highest consumption figure of the lot at 8.5ℓ/100km.

Below are the ten most affordable hybrid electric vehicles in South Africa, along with their basic specifications and pricing.