DDZA Motoring Scoop: New Cars, New Rules and a Changing South African Market
South African motoring is heading into an interesting final stretch of 2026. New-energy vehicle sales are accelerating, government is considering tougher safety requirements, another affordable electric vehicle is preparing to enter the market, and Kyalami is about to become the centre of the country’s automotive world.
Meanwhile, the humble bakkie remains very much alive, even as electrification changes what South Africans can expect beneath the bonnet.
Here are the stories catching our attention at Driver Digest SA.
South Africa Could Get Tougher Minimum Vehicle Safety Standards
We begin with something that could eventually affect virtually every new car buyer in South Africa.
Proposed revisions to the country’s compulsory specifications for passenger vehicles could introduce stronger minimum safety requirements for new cars. The proposals include requirements relating to occupant airbags, updated frontal-collision standards, side-impact protection and electronic stability control.
The Automobile Association has welcomed the proposed changes, while arguing that adequate protection needs to apply across every derivative rather than manufacturers being able to reserve important safety equipment for more expensive specifications.
Similar changes have been proposed for N1 light-commercial vehicles, a category that includes many of the bakkies South Africans use every day.
These aren’t regulations yet. The proposals remain open for comment, with the passenger-vehicle consultation scheduled to close on 10 September.
Nevertheless, the direction is encouraging.
South African buyers shouldn’t have to choose between affordability and fundamental occupant protection. If tougher standards eventually become mandatory, manufacturers competing heavily on price may need to rethink what constitutes an acceptable entry-level specification.
New-Energy Vehicle Sales Are Exploding in South Africa
Perhaps the biggest indication of where our market is heading comes from the sales numbers.
Approximately 13,196 new-energy vehicles were sold during the first half of 2026, according to calculations based on naamsa figures. That’s an increase of around 84% compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
Even more striking is what happened to plug-in hybrids.
PHEV sales reportedly surged by almost 487%, reaching 4,623 units, while battery-electric vehicle registrations climbed by more than 230%.
Conventional hybrids remain the largest individual category, but their dominance of the new-energy market is shrinking as South Africans gain access to considerably more PHEVs and fully electric vehicles.
There is an important caveat. Some of that extraordinary percentage growth comes from new manufacturers entering the reporting pool and the much broader selection of electrified cars now available.
But that’s also part of the story.
South Africans finally have choice.
We are moving away from a market where electrification meant selecting from a handful of expensive vehicles. More brands, body styles and price points are arriving, and competition is beginning to make alternative powertrains relevant to ordinary motorists.
Jaecoo J5 EV Is Coming in September
One of those new choices is arriving very soon.
The Jaecoo J5 BEV is scheduled to launch in South Africa during September, adding another electric compact SUV to an increasingly competitive part of the market.
The newcomer is expected to produce 155kW and offer a claimed driving range of around 402km.
Perhaps the more important number, however, is the price.
Jaecoo is targeting a starting price of R549,900.
That still isn’t inexpensive motoring, but every new EV arriving around this part of the market increases pressure on competitors. Chinese manufacturers in particular have rapidly altered South African expectations regarding the amount of technology and equipment buyers should receive for their money.
The J5 will now attempt to do the same with electric mobility.
Festival of Motoring Takes Over Kyalami This Weekend
If you love cars, Kyalami is going to be difficult to ignore this weekend.
The Festival of Motoring runs from 28 to 30 August, bringing manufacturers, new vehicles, demonstrations and driving experiences together at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit.
Several manufacturers are using the event for significant local showcases.
GWM, for example, has confirmed that it will have multiple activations across the Festival of Motoring, including its main pits display, dedicated 4×4 presence and opportunities for visitors to experience selected vehicles.
But one newcomer should attract considerable attention.
The iCAUR V27 will make its first South African public appearance at Kyalami, where pre-orders will also open.
Its range-extender powertrain combines a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine, 34.3kWh battery and two electric motors.
The headline figures are impressive:
- 339kW combined output
- Claimed 0–100km/h time of five seconds
- Approximately 150km of electric-only range
- More than 1,000km of claimed combined driving range
- Dual-motor all-wheel drive
That combination illustrates why range-extender and plug-in technologies could become particularly interesting in South Africa.
Drivers get meaningful electric capability without necessarily having to depend entirely on charging infrastructure for long-distance travel.
Around the South African Motoring World
Elsewhere, Volkswagen has revealed the Tukan, a new half-tonne bakkie developed for Brazil that is reportedly under consideration for South Africa.
Don’t expect it tomorrow. A potential local introduction would be much further down the road, with reports pointing towards 2029.
South Africa’s bakkie landscape is changing much sooner than that, however. LDV has already expanded its T60 range locally, while several additional models are expected before the end of 2026.
Hyundai is thinking even bigger globally. The manufacturer has outlined plans involving more than 100 new or updated vehicles by 2030 while significantly increasing the proportion of electrified vehicles in its sales mix.
Back home, motorists may have something less exciting to consider: fuel prices.
Current indicators are pointing towards increases for both petrol and diesel when September arrives, with diesel users potentially facing the larger blow.
The DDZA View: South African Motoring Is Entering a New Era
There is something particularly interesting about looking at all these stories together.
South Africa isn’t suddenly becoming an electric-car country. Petrol and diesel vehicles will remain fundamental to our roads for years to come, and bakkies aren’t disappearing from our driveways anytime soon.
What is disappearing is the simplicity of the old market.
Buyers can increasingly choose between petrol, diesel, conventional hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery-electric and range-extender vehicles.
At the same time, newer manufacturers are challenging established brands, safety expectations are increasing and motorists are demanding more technology for their money.
The South African automotive market of 2030 may look remarkably different from the one we knew at the beginning of this decade.
And judging by what’s happening right now, that transformation is already well underway.
