Kinsey Report 2019: the vehicles with the cheapest parts in SA are…

By: CAR magazine

The 2019 version of the respected Kinsey Report (now technically rebranded as the AA-Kinsey Report) has been released, and it reveals some of the vehicles that boast the cheapest “parts baskets” in South Africa.

As reminder, the report is compiled by journalist Malcolm Kinsey and compares popular vehicles across nine categories, in terms of the prices of their spare parts. This is further split according to the cost of parts needed for servicing, repairs and crashes.

Take note Kinsey selects what he terms “relevant vehicles” in each category, so not all cars on the market appear in the report (in fact, 72 derivatives have been included). Average dealer prices for the three sub-sections (service, repair and crash) are combined to create an overall basket price, with each vehicle ranked against its competitors based on this figure.

Kinsey says all prices are collected in a single calendar month, mainly from dealerships in the Durban/Umhlanga/Pinetown area. Where possible, a VIN is supplied to avoid confusion. Quotes are all written, and if a price seems out of kilter it is checked, either telephonically or by another visit, and often to a different dealership.

Check out the top three vehicles in each of the nine categories below (and see the full parts pricing document on the AA’s website here):

City cars and entry level:

The Datsun Go is the overall winner here, with a parts basket total of R63 310. The Renault Kwid 1,0 Expression and Ford Figo 1,5 Trend hatchback place second and third respectively, separated by just over R1 000.

Superminis:

The Renault Sandero Expression heads this category, boasting the most affordable parts basket at R92 891. The Toyota Yaris 1,5 Xs is second at R100 943 and third is the Ford Fiesta 1,0 Trend hatchback at R108 594.

Family favourites:

The overall winner in this segment is the Toyota Corolla 1,6 Quest, with a parts total of R65 341, just pipping the Toyota Corolla 1,6 Prestige sedan, which pushes the Nissan Almera 1,5 Acenta into third.

Compact crossovers:

The Mahindra KUV100 Nxt is the clear winner here, with a full parts basket of R68 638. The Indian crossover places ahead of the Suzuki Jimny 1,5 GA (with a total of R86 897) and the Toyota Rush 1,5 S (at R97 387).

SUVs/crossovers:

The Toyota Fortuner 2,8 GD-6 auto takes the crown in this category (although we’re not sure we’d class it a “crossover”) with a parts basket of R80 171. The Haval H6 1,5T Premium places second (with R91 071) and the Subaru Forester 2,0i third (on R113 362).

Executive SUVs/crossovers:

Interestingly, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2,0T Super Q4 wins this segment with a basket total of R135 029, knocking the Toyota Prado 3,0DT VX (with a parts total of R199 428) into second. The Jaguar E-Pace D180 HSE places third with a basket of R212 968.

Executive saloons:

The Volvo S60 Polestar takes the win in this segment, with its total basket cost being R214 362. The Audi A4 40TFSI grabs third with a total of R227 503, just ahead of the Lexus ES250 EX (at R230 263).

Double-cab bakkies:

The Toyota Hilux 2,8 GD-6 auto takes the title here with a combined parts basket total of R79 660, ahead of the Isuzu D-Max 3,0 TD LX auto (at R88 191) and the GWM Steed 6 2,0 VGT Xscape (at R94 372).

Single-cab bakkies:

The Nissan NP200 (the only half-tonne bakkie offered in South Africa) bears a parts basket total of R49 823, which makes it the least expensive of all vehicles in this year’s survey. The one-tonne bakkies are led by the Nissan NP300 2,5 TDi, with a total parts basket price of R61 334. Next is the Isuzu D-Max 2,5C TD at R65 326 and the Toyota Hilux 2,4 GD-6 at R73 696.

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