VW Polo most popular pre-owned hatchback for under R200k

South Africans love hatchbacks. The cheaper and the more frugal, the better.

Bearing this in mind, The Citizen looked at the hatchbacks that are generating the greatest level of interest in the South African marketplace. And with the petrol price what it is, which of these boasts great fuel consumption.

We looked at advert views on AutoTrader during the month of August 2022 to provide us with insights into the local pre-owned marketplace.

“As the name suggests, advert views represent the number of times car advertisements are viewed,” explains AutoTrader’s CEO George Mienie.

“This data – which is especially useful to car dealers – is significant because it shows the interest in one car over another.”

With our budget capped at R200 000, the list of the most viewed hatchback variants in August 2022 makes for good reading. VW Polo variants make up five out of the top 10, to underline its local popularity.

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Kia features twice on the list with the Rio and Picanto, while the other three cars in the Top 10 are the Suzuki Swift, BMW 1 Series and Ford Fiesta Trend.

While the general assumption is that any of these car should offers decent fuel consumption, not all hatchbacks are created equal and some of them are much more frugal than others.

Here are three hatches in the top 10 that are particularly fuel efficient.

VW Polo 1.0TSI

If you drive it economically (this statement applies to all cars; consumption is always dependent on driving patterns), you can achieve fuel consumption as low as 4.5 L/100 km.

If you’re searching for this car under R200k, you can expect to find them at an average price of R186 740, with an average mileage of 93 420 km. The average year of registration for the VW Polo 1.0 TSI is 2018.

Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Trend

This little hatch isn’t only fun to drive. It’s also fun to own too thanks to the EcoBoost engine, which can deliver fuel consumption of as little as 4.3 L/100 km.

A Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Trend listed for under R200k has an average mileage of 100 280 km. Their average price is R158 550 and average year of registration is 2016.

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Kia Picanto 1.0

This cute little Korean is averse to fuel stations, requiring only 5.0 L/100 km when driven economically.

For cars listed at R200k or less, the average year of registration of a used Kia Picanto 1.0 is 2018, with an average price of R150 873. Its average mileage is 63 017 km.

Most viewed hatchback in August (average price, mileage and registration year)

1. VW Polo Vivo 1.4 (R139 740, 103 395 km, 2016)
2. VW Polo 1.2T SI (R169 582, 123 026 km, 2015)
3. VW Polo 1.0 TSI (R186 740, 93 420 km, 2018)
4. VW Polo Vivo 1.6 (R153 133, 113 723 km, 2016)
5. Suzuki Swift GL (R159 096, 68 822 km, 2017)
6. BMW 1 Series 118i (R153 762, 146 791 km, 2012)
7. Ford Fiesta Trend (R158 550, 100 280 km, 2016)
8. VW Polo GTI (R158 793, 126 900 km, 2012)
9. Kia Rio 1.4 (R154 615, 97 433 km, 2015)
10. Kia Picanto 1.0 (R150 873, 63 017 km, 2018)

The cars featured on this list are according to advert views on AutoTrader for cars listed at under R200 000.