How we estimate

The upgrade tool gives rough, honest estimates. Here's every number we use and where it comes from. Your own costs will differ.

Your current car

• Specs and claimed fuel use for 93 of SA's most common petrol and diesel models (143 engine versions) come from cars.co.za's new-car specs, checked 2026-10-17. Each result links to the exact spec page. For each engine we use the middle-priced version as typical. Models without a published fuel figure are left out.
• We use today's model specs for older years. If your car is an older generation, its real figures may differ.
• Cars no longer sold new (Etios, Figo, Sandero, NP200 and others) and the "Other" option use the median claimed fuel use and price of similar cars on sale today (same type, similar engine). We say so on the result.

Fuel and electricity prices

• 95 petrol: R30.25/L inland, R29.38/L coast. Diesel (0.05% sulphur): R31.95/L inland, R31.08/L coast. Official prices from 2026-10-07 (BusinessTech, quoting the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources). Diesel prices are wholesale, so the pump price can differ a little.
• We pick coast prices if you're within about 60 km of a coastal city (Cape Town, Durban, Gqeberha, East London, Richards Bay, Mossel Bay, George, Knysna, Saldanha, Port Shepstone); you can change this.
• Electricity: R3.00/kWh (our round figure for a home tariff), plus 10% for charging losses.

Real-world fuel use

SA claimed figures come from the lab test in SANS 20101 / UN R101, the older NEDC cycle (CAR magazine). Cars use more on the road: the ICCT found a gap of about 39% for NEDC cars in Europe (2017 data) and about 33% in its 2024 study. We add 30% to every claimed figure, for your car and for the hybrids, plug-ins and EVs alike, so the comparison is fair. Where a plug-in hybrid's battery-empty fuel use isn't published we use our own 6 L/100km estimate, without the extra 30%.

Kilometres a month

If you don't enter your own, we use the RTMC's average kilometres per vehicle in your province, scaled to cars (motorcars averaged 15 458 km a year and bakkies 19 757 km, against 17 275 km for all vehicles: RTMC Road Traffic Report 2006, the latest with a provincial split we could find). That gives about 1 150 km a month in Gauteng and 1 800 km in Mpumalanga. Cars.co.za puts the typical figure higher, at about 21 000 km a year (source), so enter your own if you know it.

Plug-in hybrids and home charging

If you can charge at home, we assume you drive on electricity for most daily trips (80% of the claimed electric range each day, at most 95% of your driving). Can't charge at home: we assume no electric driving at all, leave out fully electric cars and give self-charging hybrids a boost, because they never need a plug. Not sure: we halve the electric share.

Trade-in value

• Starting point: what the same model and engine costs new today (we assume used prices follow current new prices).
• Typical curve: a car keeps about 80% of its value after 1 year, 70% after 2, 60% after 3, 53% after 4 and 48% after 5 (cars.co.za), then we take off about 9% a year (our extension of that curve), with a floor.
• Brands that hold value better (Toyota, Volkswagen, Suzuki, Isuzu): AutoTrader's 2026 report found Hilux, Polo Vivo and Swift keep 72–74% after 3 years (AutoTrader), so we use a gentler curve that gives 72% at 3 years.
• Luxury brands (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi): cars.co.za says German luxury cars can lose up to 65% in 3 years; we use a curve between that and the typical one (46% at 3 years).
• Kilometres: we expect 20 000 km a year and move the value 1.5% for every 10 000 km above or below, up to 15% (our assumption).
• We show a range of ±12% around that figure. Dealer trade-in offers are often around 10% below private-sale value (TopAuto). Newer brands (Chery, Haval, GWM and others) have little resale history, so treat their values with extra caution.

Comparison table, features and photos

• Specs (power, torque, 0–100, boot, seats, gearbox, warranty, safety rating) come from cars.co.za spec pages for each version, and our own model data. A dash (–) means we don't know; we never fill gaps with guesses. For your car we use today's model, so an older car may differ. Green ▲ means the new car is better on that line, red ▼ worse.
• "What you gain" lists only features that cars.co.za's spec sheets record: adaptive cruise, lane keeping, blind-spot monitor, 360° and reverse cameras, head-up display, navigation, climate control, keyless entry, rain-sensing wipers, heated and ventilated seats, panoramic roof and electric tailgate. "Not listed" means the spec sheet doesn't mention it. For older or "other" cars we show "not sure". Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, auto emergency braking, wireless charging, screen sizes and vehicle-to-load aren't recorded consistently, so we leave them out.
• Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under free licences (CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC0, public domain), credited under each photo and on the photo credits page. They show the model in general, not the exact version. Cars without a suitable free photo get a drawing marked "image coming".

Home chargers

For plug-in hybrids and EVs we show whether a home charger (wallbox) currently comes with the car. We only use official South African brand websites, offer pages and press releases; never dealer sites. We show "Free home charger" only when the official source says so (with the end date if there is one), and "Not stated, ask the brand" otherwise. Self-charging hybrids don't need one. Offers change often: last checked 2026-10-17, and we re-check every month with the fuel prices.

Budget, matching and payback

Unless you set a budget, we look at cars up to your car's estimated value plus R300 000 (a rough deposit and finance amount; our assumption) or 1.35 times your car's new price, whichever is higher. We only suggest cars with at least as many seats, the same or a bigger body (SUV drivers only see SUVs and crossovers) and, where both are known, a boot at least 85% as big. Bakkie drivers only see electrified bakkies. Switch cost = new price minus your car's estimated value. Payback = switch cost ÷ monthly fuel saving, at today's prices, ignoring finance interest, insurance, services and a home charger.

The short summary

Results may show a one-paragraph summary written by AI (Cloudflare Workers AI). It only sees the numbers on the page, and we reject it if it adds any number that isn't there.

Disclaimer: these are rough estimates for comparison, not a quote or a valuation. For a second opinion, check a price guide (AutoTrader), and confirm new-car prices and specs with the manufacturer.