South Africa’s cheapest brand‑new car right now is the Renault Kwid 1.0 Evolution, at a list price of R178 799 – exactly R1 cheaper than the Toyota Vitz 1.0. If you’re hunting for the absolute lowest sticker price on a new passenger car, that’s your starting point.
5 Best similar cars to the Kwid
What your money buys you
Renault has deliberately priced the Kwid 1.0 Evolution to undercut its main rivals. Official communications and dealer material confirm a base price of R178 799, and Renault is openly marketing it as “South Africa’s most affordable passenger car”. That makes it R1 cheaper than the Toyota Vitz 1.0 MT at R178 800, and R101 cheaper than the Suzuki S‑Presso 1.0 GL at R178 900.
Under the bonnet, the Kwid uses a 1.0‑litre three‑cylinder petrol engine with around 50 kW and just over 90 Nm, driving the front wheels via a 5‑speed manual gearbox in Evolution trim. Claimed fuel consumption of under 5 L/100 km keeps monthly running costs in check, which is crucial in this price-sensitive slice of the market. You also get a 5‑year warranty.
Running cost shootout: Kwid, Tiago, and S-Presso
The price ladder: Top 5 cheapest new cars
For context, here’s how the current entry‑level price ladder stacks up on list price:
Renault Kwid 1.0 Evolution MT – R178 799
Cheapest new passenger car on sale in SA by list price.
Toyota Vitz 1.0 MT – R178 800
R1 more than the Kwid; Toyota repositioned the Vitz with a price cut and extra safety kit. (Read our 2024 Toyota Vitz Review)
Suzuki S‑Presso 1.0 GL MT – R178 900
R101 above Kwid, R100 above Vitz; still in the “headline‑cheap” trio.
Tata Tiago 1.2 XM – R189 900
Steps up in both engine size and price, but stays below R190k.
Suzuki Celerio 1.0 GA – R188 900
Same basic 1.0‑litre hardware as the Vitz, priced just below the Tiago and rounding out the “top five cheapest” on current lists.
Why “cheapest” isn’t the whole story
The Kwid may be the cheapest car in SA, but for a consumer, the more valuable question is: Should you actually buy the very cheapest car in SA, or stretch a bit? Here are a few things to consider:
The Kwid wins the price war by a single rand, but you trade down on perceived safety and refinement versus some close rivals. (I would not go this route. Warning light identification in the Renault Kwid is one of our most-read articles.)
The Vitz and Celerio share hardware and feel more robust inside, with Toyota and Suzuki’s dealer networks and resale strength counting heavily if you plan to keep the car for a few years. Definitely worth considering, although I'd buy higher up on the spec sheet to get all the safety features.
- The Suzuki S-Presso is also an option, but I probably wouldn't buy this car for one of my kids. There are other used Suzuki options that are much safer.
The Tata Tiago offers a bigger engine and one of the best crash‑test records (4 stars in Global NCAP) in this price band, albeit at a slightly higher sticker price. Still, it's also a little too soon to tell what after-sales, parts availability and reliability will be like. Here's our review.
If your budget absolutely cannot move a cent, the Kwid 1.0 Evolution is the cheapest new car you can buy in South Africa today. If you can edge up even a few thousand rand, the value equation quickly shifts from “cheapest at all costs” to “best long‑term buy under R200k” – and that’s where higher-quality used cars, like the latest-generation Suzuki Dzire (with a 5-star rating for adults and 4 stars for kids), for example, come in. (Read our Dzire review here.) We reckon buying a safer, lightly used car rather than a cheap, brand-new one with questionable safety is best.
