Petrol Saving Cars In South Africa
4.0 L/100 km – Fiat 500 Cult
The Cute 500 is a bread-and-butter model for Fiat in South Africa and a refreshed Fiat 500 range was introduced to the South African market in 2021. A total of 3 distinct trim lines are on offer including the entry-level Cult, Club, and Dolcevita. The Dolcevita derivatives are available in hatchback and cabriolet guise.
Fiat claims 4.0 L/100km across its 500 range but only the Cult derivative is priced under the R300k price barrier.
The familiar 63 kW/145 Nm 0.9-litre TwinAir turbo petrol engine is found under the bonnet and is paired to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a Manual Transmission Automatic (MTA), the latter of which is exclusively offered in the 500 Dolcevita hardtop and 500C Dolcevita cabriolet.
Pricing for the Fiat 500 starts at R268 900.
4.2 L/100 km – Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GL Automatic
The all-new Suzuki Celerio is a popular choice in the budget car segment and the good news is that it’s more frugal than its predecessor. The Celerio 1.0 GL automatic claims 4.2 L/100km while the manual Celerio GA and Celerio GL claim a respectable 4.4 L/100km.
The Celerio makes use of a 3.-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine with 49 kW and 89 Nm and is paired with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automated manual transmission. Pricing for the Celerio automatic is R225 900 while base Celerio GA starts from R188 900 and the Celerio GL is priced from R210 900.
4.2 L/100km – Toyota Vitz XR Automatic
The Toyota Vitz arrived in South Africa to replace the outgoing Agya as the firm’s budget car offering.
The Vitz is based on the Suzuki Celerio as part of the Toyota-Suzuki product partnership and the Vitz is therefore powered by the same 3.-cylinder 1.0-litre petrol engine with 49 kW and 89 Nm and is paired with either 5-speed manual transmission or 5-speed automated manual transmission. The manual derivatives claim 4.4 L/100km.
Pricing for the Vitz starts from R189 900 while the Vitz Xr manual is priced from R219 900. The Vitz automatic is priced from R239 900.
4.9 L/100km – Suzuki DZire / Suzuki S-Presso / Suzuki Ignis / Suzuki Swift
Suzuki products are well known for delivering low real-world fuel consumption and the Dzire sedan (from R204 900), S-Presso (from R174 900), Swift (from R205 900), Ignis (from R224 900) and the above-mentioned Celerio (from R188 900) are no exception.
The Suzuki Dzire, Swift and Ignis share the same 1.2-litre petrol engine with 61 kW and 113 Nm on offer and all are offered with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automated manual transmission. The Suzuki S-Presso, however, employs a 3-cylinder, 1.0-litre petrol engine with 50 kW and 90 Nm.
Suzuki claims 4.9 L/100km for all these derivatives, giving buyers lots of fuel-efficient products to choose from.
4.9 L/100 km – Renault Kwid
The Renault Kwid is a popular budget car in South Africa and fuel efficiency for both manual and automatic derivatives are claimed at 4.9L/100km. It’s powered by a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine with 50 kW and 91 Nm of torque.
A 5-speed manual or automated manual (AMT) transmission drives the front wheels. There are 3 automatic Kwid derivatives on offer across 3 trim levels including Life, Zen and Climber. Pricing for the Kwid starts from R196 999.
What speed is petrol most fuel-efficient?
between 35 and 50 mph
Optimal efficiency can be expected while cruising at a steady speed and with the transmission in the highest gear (see Choice of gear, below). The optimal speed varies with the type of vehicle, although it is usually reported to be between 35 and 50 mph (56 and 80 km/h).