Fresh from a year that saw the petrol price hit record highs, the first hike of 2023 awaits South African motorists on Wednesday … and it is only February.
After getting some relief at the start of January, fuel prices go up at midnight with the main culprit an increase in the price of brent crude oil. Much to the relief of cash-strapped consumers is that the hike is only a marginal one compared to the horror show that went on for most of 2022.
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Both grades of petrol went up by 28 cents, while diesel (50ppm) now costs nine cents more per litre. 93 octane petrol now costs R21.38 per litre Inland and 95 octane R21.68, with the wholesale price of diesel R21.32 a litre.
We have picked six vehicles and worked out how much it will cost to fill them from completely empty and how much the cost per kilometre works out to for each.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GA – R684
One of the cars that will be the least affected by the petrol price hike, the Celerio will only cost R8.96 more on Wednesday than it did to fill in January.
Suzuki claims it will only sip 4.4 litres of petrol for every 100km, which makes it possible for the Celerio to travel all of 727km on its 32-litre tank. This works out to 94 cents per kilometre.
Renault Kiger 1.0 Life – R855
As from Wednesday, it will cost R11.20 more to fill the 40-litre petrol tank of one of South Africa’s favourite compact SUVs.
According to Renault, this Kiger will sip 5.3 litres for every 100km, which makes a range of 755km possible. This means that every kilometre will work out to R1.13.
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BMW X3 sDrive20i – R1 409
Owners of this premium SUV will now pay an additional R18.20 to fill its 65-litre tank from completely empty.
According to the German carmaker, this locally-built X3 offers fuel consumption of 7.3 litre for 100km. With a range of 890km, every kilo will work out to R1.58.
Toyota HiAce 2.7 Ses-fikile 16-seater – R1 496
The minibus taxi is South Africa’s most popular form of transport and the tried and trusted Toyota HiAce 16-seater has stood the test of time in Mzansi.
From Wednesday, it will cost R19.60 more to fill the 70-litre tank of the petrol-version of this van. Toyota claims it will sip 14.3 litres for every 100km, which works out to R3.05 for every kilometre.
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Mahindra Pik Up double cab S11 Karoo – R1 824
Equipped with a 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine, this no-frills bakkie will only cost R7.20 more to fill in February.
The cost of every kilometre works out to R1.98 (based on retail price of R22.80 per litre) if you take Mahindra’s claimed fuel consumption of 9.3 litres per 100km into consideration. This works out to a range of 860km on its 80-litre fuel tank.
Nissan Patrol 5.6 V8 LE – R3 035
Owners of this 5.6-litre guzzler will be some of the hardest hit by the fuel price hike as it will cost R39.20 to refill it to 140-litre capacity which is main up of a 100-litre main tank and 40-litre reserve.
A kilometre works out to R3.12 if you take Nissan’s claimed fuel consumption of 14.4 litres per 100km into consideration which will give a range of 972km.
To see how the local petrol price fluctuated over the last year, visi the Automobile Association of South Africa’s website.
