Renault Sandero vs Toyota Etios Hatch vs Volkswagen Polo Vivo: Which one has the lowest running cost
Here Renault’s buoyant Sandero takes on its natural running-cost rivals in the economy-hatchback class, the Toyota Etios and the Volkswagen Polo Vivo. It’s a close call!
Renault’s Sandero has been somewhat of an un-sung success story on the South African new-car market in the past few years. The latest sales figures see the Sandero selling to the tune of over 500 units a month, and along with the cut-price Kwid, it is one of Renault’s top sales performers here.
In fact Renault South Africa has muscled its way into the top-6 manufacturers here in terms of passenger car sales, and last month its passenger sales even edged out Hyundai.
Of course, the sales kings in South Africa have long been Toyota, which is the overall top-selling manufacturer (including bakkie and commercial sales), and Volkswagen, which has been the top-selling passenger car manufacturer here for well over a decade.
Related: Renault’s Sandero Stepway Plus: a value-packed new addition (Review)
The Sandero’s charms
The Sandero has been a success here for a number of reasons. Although it’s listed as a hatchback it is viewed by some people as a mini-Cross Over model, with the Sandero Stepway Plus featuring a higher ground clearance and driving position than many of its rivals. The Sandero is also well-priced, with the entry-level model selling at R189 900, and well-specced for that price. Despite its Dacia heritage ( it is badged as a Dacia in many countries), the Romanian-built car has a surprisingly solid feel to it.
Related: Polo Vivo – Out with the old and in with the new (Review)
What about fuel consumption?
What about running costs for the Renault Sandero? It’s biggest plus-point in this respect is that it is fitted with a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine across the range, developing 66 kW and 135 Nm of torque at 2 500 rpm. A reasonably light body weight of 1 046 kg (unladen) sees it perform well without resorting to very heavy throttle openings. Thus it is rated with an overall fuel consumption figure of 5,2 litres/100 km and in reality you can easily see a sub-6,0-litre/100 km consumption, with careful driving.
Running cost comparison
To get a handle on the running costs you can expect on the Renault Sandero 66 kW turbo Expression, we compared it to two of its natural rivals in the market place. In this league of hatchback, Volkswagen’s Polo Vivo is the benchmark at around the R200 000 mark. This best-seller is built right here in South Africa, at Volkswagen’s Uitenhage plant near Port Elizabeth.
The pricing for the Polo Vivo starts at R195 300. However, we chose the second-cheapest model, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 Comfortline, for our comparison, as it has more relevant power and performance figures. The Vivo 1.4 Comfortline sels for R206 800.
The other natural rival for the Sandero is Toyota’s Etios. Built in India, the Etios is one of Toyota’s entry-level hatchbacks, with only the smaller Aygo being cheaper. The Toyota Etios Hatch 1.5X sells for R184 300.
Related: Toyota Etios Sport: Sugar-coated wholesomeness (Launch review)
Sandero costs vs competitors:
Renault Sandero Toyota Etios Volkswagen Polo
Price: R189 900 R184 360 R206 800
Engine power/torque 66 kW/135 Nm 66 kW/132 Nm 63 kW/132 Nm
Monthly HP costs R3 740 R3 630 R4 050
Fuel consumption: 5,2 l/100 km 6.0 l/100 km 5,9 l/100 km
Tyre size: 185/65 R15 175/65 R14 175/70 R14
Service parts basket R3 642,88 R3 213,67 R3 136,99
Repair parts basket R17 266,80 R14 632,17 R13 543,50
Service intervals 15 000 km 10 000 km/1 year 15 000 km
Service plan: 30 000 km/2 years 30 000 km/3 years Optional
Warranty: 5 years/150 000 km 3 years/100 000 km 3 years/120 000 km
Notes on comparison items:
- The biggest ownership cost is the finance repayment. An extra R5 000 or R10 000 on the purchase price can add a lot to your overall repayment costs. Monthly HP repayments quoted here on these cars use a yardstick of a 10 per cent deposit, a prime interest rate, and a repayment period of five years (60 months)
- Insurance costs are considerable here, and should be factored in as a running cost, but they are not listed here as they vary too widely, from company to company and person to person.
- Tyre sizes are listed, as the smallest, narrowest tyres are cheaper than wider, bigger diameter rubber. Tyres typically last well over 50 000 km, but if you damage one you’ll have to replace it.
- Spares basket prices refer to items likely to be replaced at a service. These are courtesy of the AA Kinsey Report 2019.
- Repair basket prices refer to costs of typical items that may fail if you are unlucky. Again these prices are courtesy of the AA Kinsey Report 2019.
And the winner is?
- It’s a close one. The Sandero’s marginally lower fuel consumption will add up if the car’s monthly mileage is high, but in reality fuel consumption should be pretty close between these three.
- The Sandero’s service parts basket cost is the highest, with the Etios second here and the Volkswagen the winner. The same pecking order goes for the repair parts basket.
- The Volkswagen is the classiest car of this trio by far in terms of build quality, interior materials and ride sophistication, but it’s also the most expensive by some margin. The service plan is also an extra-cost option. The 55 kW Vivo Trendline at R195 300 is much closer in price, but you would lose out on some performance and spec.
Taking all this into consideration, if we were running one of these cars as a long-service company vehicle, we would choose the Toyota Etios. It has the best service plan, its tyres will be cheaper than the Sandero’s to replace (being smaller in size) and it has the lowest purchase price. The Sandero would be second, followed by the Polo Vivo in third.
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