Most fuel efficient diesel cars in SA (2018)

With fuel prices reaching all-time highs in South Africa, new car buyers will be wise to place increasing emphasis on fuel efficiency when shopping for a new car.

A fuel efficient car will help you save money at the pumps over time and diesel cars are generally considered to be more frugal than their petrol-powered counterparts. The amount of fuel you save while driving will depend on a number of critical factors including your driving style, road conditions and mechanical condition of the car, to name a few.

It is also worth noting that the list below is compiled based on manufacturer claimed fuel consumption figures and figures will vary in real-world driving scenarios. Prices are as of June 2018.

Most Fuel Efficient Diesel Cars in South Africa

1. Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Trend – 3.3L/100km

The new Ford Fiesta arrived on local soil last month and based on our initial impressions at launch, it remains a formidable offering in the compact hatchback segment where it rivals the Volkswagen Polo. The diesel-powered Fiesta in Trend specification is the most fuel efficient diesel car in South Africa with a claimed figure of 3.3L/100km and it's powered by a 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine with 63kW and 175Nm of torque. It's only offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. There are, of course, 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol derivatives on offer too.

The Ford Fiesta 1.5 TDCi Trend is priced from R292,500.

#TriedAndTested: The all-new Ford Fiesta

Ilse van den Berg  23 May 2018

2. Volvo V40 D2 – 3.4L/100km

Volvo's stylish V40 ranks second on this list with the V40 D2 carrying a claimed fuel consumption figure of 3.4L/100km. It's powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with outputs of 88kW and 280Nm of torque and mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

The V40 D2 is offered in four trim specifications including Kinetic (R394,600), Momentum (R424,100), Inscription (R446,800) and R-Design (R456,400).

3. Renault Captur 66kW dCi – 3.6L/100km

The popular Renault Captur 66kW dCi is a frugal runner with a claimed fuel consumption figure of 3.6L/100km and was a Compact Family Car finalist in the 2017/18 iteration of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank. A 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine with 66 kW and 220 Nm of torque does service in the Captur and it comes mated with a five-speed manual transmission as standard.

The Renault Captur 66kW dCi is priced from R307,900.

Extra eye-candy for Renault Captur

Henrie Geyser  5 Sep 2017

4. Fiat Tipo 1.3 Multijet Easy – 3.7L/100km 

The Fiat Tipo hatchback and sedan came to market in 2017 and the 1.3-litre turbodiesel sedan derivative is particularly fuel efficient with a claimed fuel consumption figure of 3.7L/100km. This engine offers 70kW and 200Nm of torque to deliver perky performance. Unfortunately, this engine is only offered on the Tipo sedan.

The Fiat Tipo 1.3 Multijet Easy sedan is priced at R279,900.

5. BMW 120d – 3.9L/100km

Although BMW is currently developing a new 1 Series which is due in 2019, the current 120d still returns respectable fuel economy with a claimed consumption figure of 3.9L/100km in automatic guise. The manual 120d is slightly thirstier at 4.1L/100km. The BMW 120d features a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine with 140kW and 400Nm of torque.

Pricing for the BMW 120d starts at R503,400 while the automatic is priced from R524,400.

This article was originally published on Cars.co.za.