IN most cases, the purchase price of a new vehicle in South Africa includes a service plan.
But what about models that instead ship standard with a full maintenance plan? Well, we’ve scoured the market to identify the five most affordable such vehicles.
As a reminder, while a service plan includes basic scheduled servicing, a maintenance plan is far more comprehensive, also covering various ‘wear-and-tear’ components, but often excluding items like tyres and glass.
Of course, not all maintenance plans are created equal, so we’d advise that you carefully examine the terms and conditions (and particularly the exclusions) of any such coverage related to a vehicle you’re considering.
Note all pricing below is correct in September 2026.
- BYD Sealion 5 DM-i – from N$509 900
The Comfort version of the Sealion 5 DM-i plug-in hybrid currently holds the title of South Africa’s most affordable new car with a maintenance plan as standard.
The front-wheel-drive BYD Sealion 5’s powertrain is built around a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol motor.
With some help from a front-mounted electric motor, this arrangement offers peak system power of 156kW and 300Nm.
Maintenance plan: four-year/60 000km
Warranty: five-year/100 000 km (vehicle) and 8-year/200 000km (battery)
- Audi A1 Sportback – from N$530 900
The A1 Sportback serves as the entry point to Audi South Africa’s range (until local stock runs dry, what with global production having ended) and is currently available in a trio of grades: Advanced, S Line and Black Edition.
All three employ a turbocharged one-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine delivering 85kW and 200Nm to the front axle via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Maintenance plan: five-year/100 000km
Warranty: one-year/unlimited km
- BYD Dolphin – from N$599 900
With the Standard Range derivative (which had been priced at N$539 900) having seemingly fallen away, the extended range variant is now the sole version of BYD’s Dolphin available locally.
This fully electric front-wheel-drive hatchback has peak outputs of 150kW and 310Nm, along with a claimed single-charge range of 427km.
Interestingly, it features a longer maintenance plan but shorter vehicle warranty than the Sealion 5 above.
Maintenance plan: five-year/100 000km
Warranty: three-year/100 000km (vehicle) and eight-year/200 000km (battery)
- Mini Cooper C 3-Door – from N$607 052
As is the case with Audi, all models in Mini South Africa’s line-up come standard with a maintenance plan.
The Cooper C 3-Door serves as the entry point to the local range, featuring a turbocharged 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine. Maximum outputs of 115kW and 230Nm are delivered to the front wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Maintenance plan: five-year/100 000km
Warranty: two-year/unlimited km
- Subaru Crosstrek – from N$609 000
With a maintenance plan standard across the Subaru range, the Crosstrek ranks as the most affordable derivative in the Japanese brand’s local portfolio.
This model employs a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre, flat-four petrol engine, which offers 115kW and 196Nm to all four wheels via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Maintenance plan: three-year/75 000km
Warranty: five-year/150 000km
