R30,000 saved driving an electric car for a year in South Africa

South Africans can save between R25,000 and R30,000 per year in running costs using an electric vehicle (EV) instead of a petrol or diesel car.

That is according to 2026 data from GAC Group, whose calculations were based on a driver covering 15,000–20,000km per year.

The figure was recently highlighted by Norbert Stallkamp, business development manager at EV charging network operator Black Tower, a joint venture between Red Rocket and RMB.

Black Tower’s own data showed a saving between R12,000 and R17,000 based on a yearly travelling distance of 10,000km to 12,000km.

Stallkamp said this difference was a factor behind the South African Automotive Business Council’s report that EV adoption was accelerating in South Africa.

In the first seven months of 2026, 16,289 new energy vehicles (NEVs) were sold, equal to 97.5% of total 2025 NEV sales and above the 15,596 units recorded in 2024.

The year-to-date mix comprised 8,078 conventional hybrids, 5,851 plug-in hybrids and 2,360 fully electric vehicles.

“Motorists are starting to realise the ease-of-use of EVs and the savings it offers over fuel-powered cars,” said Stallkamp.

Stallkamp also disputed the idea that charging stations were few and far between in South Africa. He said there was a healthy ratio of chargers to EVs and that the gap was primarily geographical.

South Africa currently has roughly 445 distinct charging sites hosting more than 650 individual public chargers with a combined 1,200 connectors.

Stallkamp said one issue was lingering uncertainty over what an EV charger looked like, making it difficult for non-EV drivers to spot these stations.

He expected this to dissipate as the chargers became more visible in high-traffic areas like malls and property developments.

In addition, the apps and websites linked to these charging networks give the user a bird’s eye view of where they are located on a map.

This is especially useful for longer road trips and will become second-nature markers, much like the petrol service stations dotted along the country’s major highways.

Petrol and diesel costs are also less predictable than electric costs

In the past, the savings from using an EV would take years to offset the additional upfront premium on these cars compared to a regular petrol vehicle.

That is no longer the case, including at the entry-level, where vehicles like the BYD Dolphin Surf and Geely E2 offer better value for money than comparable petrol models.

MyBroadband also performed our own comparison of electric and petrol running costs in June 2026. Our calculated savings fell between the estimates of Black Tower and GAC Group.

We determined it would cost around R29.90 to fill up the average electric car in South Africa to cover Numbeo’s average local two-way commuting distance of 44km per day.

Covering the same distance in a petrol car costs R91.36 per day, over three times more. Over a month, the electric car would be R1,844 cheaper to refill than the petrol model.

At that time, the price of a litre of unleaded 95 petrol was R28.06 inland, while a kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity from Eskom on its most common residential plan was R3.56.

In September 2026, the price of petrol was R26.76 per litre. That cuts the savings down to R1,720.01 per month or R20,640 per year.

Data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) showed an underecovery of R1.93 per litre for unleaded 95 in the first 11 days of the October pricing review period.

If the price of petrol were adjusted today, the cost per litre would surge to a new record of R28.60, increasing the savings to roughly R1,900 per month or R22,800 annually.

This variance highlights another weakness of petrol and diesel vehicles — less predictable day-to-day running costs. While fuel prices are adjusted monthly, electricity tariffs change only once per year.

Full article HERE

(source: Mybroadband)