Informative and worth studying – the 2020 AA Kinsey Report is out

Covid 19, which hit us a few months before our normal collection of prices in May/June, saw us in the height of restricted travel and social distancing with many dealerships on light duty and suffering many retrenchments.

It was decided to delay the report until the situation approached some form of normality.

Most of my research was previously undertaken in and around Durban, personally handing in parts lists to local dealers to complete.

This year I approached a few manufacturers to supply their retail prices including VAT, which we randomly checked at dealerships. We also excluded a few brands that, regrettably, had recorded very low sales figures.

Come September we decided to set the wheels in motion and begin compiling the study.

All the figures were collected in one calendar month – September.

Vehicle sales for August and September show a large decline (30%) over the volumes over the corresponding months last year. Some of the popular manufacturers still enjoying high sales volumes such as Toyota, VW, Ford, Hyundai – all doing well both with local as well as export sales.

Some models have been dropped and some replaced with new cars – e.g. Etios out, Starlet in.

A factor that has been come evident is the increase in the cost of body parts.

Headlights, rear fenders and wheel rims on some models appear to be a great deal more expensive.

This has a negative effect for everyone as it increases the contribution the owner pays for the insurance excess, and the write off point for a crashed vehicle, – and ultimately increases premiums that we have to pay.

In keeping with tradition, all prices in the report are from written quotes so there is the best possible chance of getting them correct.

Compared with 2019, there are some vehicle parts prices that have dropped, but on the whole prices are up, and are running above the government stated inflation rate. All prices in the survey are for original equipment and though there may well be similar alternative parts from non-franchise outlets, – without conducting quality checks we can’t vouch for the durability of these.

As we have done in the past few years, we have included the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists “Car of the Year” entries.

These represent the latest vehicles on the market, launched during the last 12 months, and hopefully introducing new cutting-edge features. There are 14 in this survey, all identified by an asterisk ahead of the manufacturer’s name.

There are nine categories of vehicle, each category list from least to most expensive parts basket. We have seen a huge increase in the popularity of the crossover vehicle yet again, both in models and sales volumes – some manufacturers having three or four options available.

This year we feature 27 crossovers with prices ranging from just under R200 000 to R1,7 million.

City cars and entry level

The first three places in this category are – Renault Kwid with a total basket price of R62 990, followed by Ford Figo at R63 866 and in third place the Datsun Go at R65 458.

Service parts order for the Kwid was R3 048, Figo R3,168 and third best pricing was the Honda Amaze at R3 455.

Repair parts costs showed a change of order – the Figo most competitive at R6 187, followed by the Datsun Go 6 436 and third the Honda Amaze at R7 033.

The crash parts prices were all pretty pricey – the Kwid at R50 490, followed by the Figo at R54 510 and R62 more expensive, the Atoz at R54 572.

Super mini

The winner here is the Hyundai i20, with a parts basket price of R90 065, about R2 500 less expensive than the 2019 class winner, the Renault Sandero. Second place goes to Toyota’s newly launched Starlet at R90 826 and the Ford Fiesta at R91 275 in third.

In the service parts section, the Toyota Starlet is the least expensive with a parts basket of R3 150, followed by the Toyota Yaris – R3 543, and last year’s winner the Renault Sandero at R3 968.

Repair parts has the Suzuki Swift coming out tops at R7 285; second is the VW Polo – R7,348 and the Toyota Starlet third at R8 256.
Crash parts leader is the Hyundai i20 at R72 590 followed by the Fiesta with a basket of R74 699 and the Starlet R79 419.

Family favourites

The Toyota Quest follows up last year’s success with another overall victory with a total parts basket cost of R85 031 – though quite a substantial increase over the 2019 figure. Second is the Nissan Almera (R86 488 – just about R1 000 more than its 2019 total). Third is another Toyota, the Corolla Hatch with a total of R131 294 – quite a leap from the first two. The Hatch was a finalist in the COTY competition which is quite a departure from the traditional four-door Toyotas.

Service parts costs are lowest if you own an Almera – R2 827, followed by the Corolla Hatch at R4 934 and R5 344 for the Quest.
Toyota Quest comes in ahead of the rest in repair parts costs – R9 088 with the Almera pretty close behind at R9 920 and in the third spot, at R10 504 is the Corolla Hatch.

Crash parts prices follow the same pattern – first, the Quest at R70 598, second, the Almera at R73 741 and third, the Corolla Hatch R115 855.

Crossovers

Crossovers are without a doubt the most popular family vehicles, and their size and versatility make them ideal for a multitude of purposes, and they range from small SUVs to large, really sophisticated and extremely expensive models. We have three categories based on size and to a degree price. They are Compact Crossover, Crossover, and Executive Crossover.

Compact crossover

For the second year, the Mahindra KUV 100 wins this class with a parts basket price of R81 776. Second is the Haval H2 with its parts amounting to R93 860 – some R2 800 increase over last year. COTY nominee the Citroen C3 Aircross comes in third with a parts basket total of R102 249.

For service parts, the Haval H2 beats the KUV 100 with a basket cost R3 741 to R3 781. Third place goes to the Renault Duster with a basket costing R3 873.

Repair costs are least expensive for the Honda HR-V at R8.814 followed by the Citroen C3 – R9 392 and the Mahindra KUV 100 at R10 012.

Crash parts are the least alarming if you own KUV 100 with its basket total being R67 982 compared with the next least costly, the Haval, at R79 797 and in third place – the Ford Eco Sport at R88 016.

Crossover 

This is the most fiercely contested category, with 12 contestants and 3 COTY nominated vehicles.

The Toyota Fortuner again wins the class with its total parts basket amounting to R100,429, with the Nissan X-Trail in second place at R115 921 and COTY nominee, the VW T Cross, third at R119 852.

Best servicing parts prices go to the Nissan X Trail at R3 556 followed by the Hyundai Tucson at R4 283 and then another Nissan, the Qashqai at R4 629.

Repair parts winner is first, Peugeot 5008 at R8 961, the Rav 4 at R9 066 and the Nissan x Trail at R9 367.

Crash parts basket is most competitive for the Toyota Fortuna at R83 049, followed by the VW T Cross at R102 141 and the X Trail – R102 997

Executive Crossover 

There are another three COTY nominees in this category, with the best parts basket being scored by the Volvo XC 60 at R242 070. The second, two places higher than in 2019, is the Audi Q5, with an overall parts basket cost of R251 288 and in third, a COTY entrant, the Mercedes GLE at R328 211.

The Volvo takes servicing costs honours at R8 964 and the Audi second at R9 907 with the Range Rover Sport R10 822.

Repairs winner is the COTY Jaguar I Pace, (which really is in a class of its own), One needs to take into account that this contestant has no cambelt, or fan belt – is electric driven. The second place for repair items goes to the Audi Q5 at R17 486, and the Volvo close behind at R17 964.

The crash repair parts costs follow the overall first three placings overall – Volvo parts costing R215 142, – Audi Q5 R223 894, and the Mercedes GLE – R243 383.

Note on the Jaguar “I” Pace 

This is a full electric MPV with a range of some 400km. It does not really fit into any current classification, but for its luxury features and sophistication, it does need a mention.

We have shown the cost of the home charger and replacement battery. The battery has a warranty of eight years, – so is not a part that requires short term replacement. An 80% charge can be achieved in about 1 hour at a quick charge station or about 10 hours from the home charger.

Double cabs

We have included another Ford Ranger – the 2.0 D XLT – in the double cab section because the COTY competitor, the Ford Ranger Raptor, which is here because it’s a COTY finalist, another vehicle which should really be in a performance class of its own, and is not really comparable to the other 4 double cabs.

The Ford Ranger XLT wins the category with a total parts basket price of R79 796. Second place is the GWM Steed 6, one place up from last year and boasting a lower price parts basket of R86 105 – some R8 000 less than last year. Third is the Toyota Hilux at R90 189.

The most economical servicing cost goes to the GWM Steed at R3 443, just ahead of the Nissan Navara at R3 669 and the Toyota Hilux third at R5,059.

The Isuzu boasts the lowest repair costs at R5 537, followed by the Ranger XLT R7,274 and the GWM Steed 6 in third place with a basket of R7 645.

Crash repair costs are pretty competitive for the first three vehicles – XLT Ranger basket costing you R67 456, the Steed 6 R75 016 and the Toyota Hilux R76 573.

Single cabs

No COTY contestants here – simply good solid workhorses. The Nissan NP 200 and the Nissan NP 300 fill the top two placings, – the NP 200 the least expensive, at R42 529, but one must not forget there it is not a full one-tonne bakkie. The Nissan NP300 is fairly close behind in second, at R48 611 and the Toyota Hilux is third at R58 747.

Servicing costs are most economical for the NP 200 at R2 404, followed by the Isuzu at R3 904 and the NP 300 at R4 326

Repair costs put Isuzu least expensive at R5 427, the NP 300 R6 204 and the Mahindra Scorpio will set you back R6 389.
Body damage to your workhorse will set you back R29 685 for the NP200, R38 080 for the NP 300 and a bit more for the Toyota Hilux at R46 486.

Executive saloons

The Alfa Giulia takes a resounding win in all three categories. The overall parts basket cost is R86 570 and there’s a big jump to the second car, the Audi A3 at R178 710 and the Toyota Supra (another COTY contestant) at R217 634.

Servicing costs still the Giulia least expensive at R5 961, Audi A3 in second at R6 406 and the Mercedes A200 at R6 520.

Repairs are again headed by the Alfa Giulia, at R6 361 followed by the Audi A3 at R9 964 and the BMW 330i at R18 073.
Crash parts winner again the Alfa – crash parts basket costing R74 246, then the Audi A3 – R162 339 and the Toyota Supra at R177 963.

When all is said and done, it still pays to shop around.

Ask for a discount from your local dealer – the motor industry is no exception and dealers are battling to make sales – it makes buying a bit keener when one dealer is trying to close a sale over another one.