Fuel-saving vehicles

A recent study by financial news agency Bloomberg indicates that South Africa’s motorists spend 3,18% of their annual salaries on fuel – making the country the second most costly in the world when it comes to filling a vehicle’s tank.

The study, conducted in the second quarter of 2019, ranked South Africa 60^th out of 61 countries surveyed. Only Mexico – where 3,59% of the average motorist’s annual income goes to fuel – rates higher.

Comparatively, motorists in the US spend 0,40% of their annual wage packet on fuel, those in Germany 1,24% and those in the UK 1,38%.

With the price of petrol and diesel expected to continually rise thanks to stronger international fuel prices and a weakening in the value of the rand, consumers in the market for new vehicles may wish to consider models specifically designed to save them money at the pumps.

With that in mind, here’s a selection of derivatives which cover a number of vehicle categories – from entry level runabouts to luxury sedans, sports cars and SUVs – ranked according to average consumption figures claimed by their manufacturers.

Electrically powered models and hybrids are included along with conventionally driven petrol and diesel vehicles – but all have one thing in common: they are advertised as using 4,2 litres of fuel or less for every 100km covered in combined cycle tests.