Good news for South African drivers who want electric in the city and petrol on road trips

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are taking South Africa by storm in 2025, with several new models priced much lower than what was on offer in the past few years.

PHEVs combine the low-cost and zero-emission benefits of fully electric vehicles (EVs) in city driving with the longer range offered by a petrol tank.

Conventional closed-loop hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) like the Toyota Corolla Cross hybrid feature relatively small high-voltage batteries that are charged with a petrol engine and regenerative braking.

These are great at reducing fuel consumption and improving performance.

While they can also power the cars themselves, this can generally only be for a few kilometres or minutes at a time.

The reason for this is simple — it takes a lot of electric energy to propel a car. According to data compiled by EVDatabase, the average EV consumes around 189 watt-hours (Wh) or 0.189 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per kilometre.

HEVs typically have 1kWh to 2kWh batteries, sufficient for up to 10km of all-electric range at most. EVs require batteries from 40kWh upwards to provide sufficient range for most drivers’ needs.

PHEVs try to strike a better balance between petrol and electric power.

These cars can be a “gateway drug” to EVs, especially for those motorists hesitant to kiss fuel goodbye due to fears over their current supported range or charging infrastructure.

PHEVs boast batteries with multi-digit kWh capacities, sufficient to support a range of around 50km to nearly 200km on electric power.

They also boast charging connectors to refill their batteries from an external source, in addition to using their petrol-powered engines and regenerative braking for smaller recharging boosts.

In addition, their electric motors are generally also more powerful than those in HEVs, supporting the lightning-quick acceleration that seasoned EV drivers will know and understand.

However, much like EVs were for several years, PHEVs were primarily reserved for the high-end market — with the German brands being particularly well-represented in the segment.

PHEV sales jump despite premium — but a bigger surge could be coming

Until 2024, all the PHEVs sold in South Africa were priced over R1 million. Despite this, sales of these cars have increased substantially over the past five years.

In 2024, 737 plug-in hybrids were sold in South Africa, an increase of 121% from the 333 sold the year before and ten times more than in 2019.

However, although PHEV sales were impressive, fully electric car sales grew to 1,257 units.

Much of that gain was thanks to the introduction of several sub-R1 million EVs including the Volvo EX30 and BYD Dolphin.

With the number of PHEVs confirmed or expected to go on sale in South Africa for well under R1 million, 2025 may very well be the year of the plug-in hybrid in South Africa.

Chinese new energy vehicle giant BYD recently launched its first PHEVs in South Africa — the BYD Shark 6 and the BYD Sealion 6.

The Shark is South Africa’s first PHEV bakkie and the second most affordable PHEV overall, with a price tag of R959,900.

While that is no small number, it should be noted that the Shark is also the country’s most powerful and fastest-accelerating bakkie.

It boasts a peak power output of 321kW and 650Nm torque, thanks to a twin-motor setup and a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine. These support acceleration from zero to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds.

Meanwhile, the BYD Sealion 6 Comfort front-wheel-drive has easily become the most affordable PHEV in South Africa.

Priced from R639,900, it costs over R400,000 less than the previous cheapest PHEV in South Africa — the BMW iX1 x30e xLine.

Another well-priced option launching in the next few weeks is the GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV, which boasts some astounding performance figures.

The brand’s first plug-in hybrid in South Africa packs 342kW and 762Nm torque, enabling acceleration from a standstill to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds.

The last entry under R1 million is Toyota’s RAV4 PHEV, which has a local price tag of R980,000 on its RAV4 PHEV.

However, the company has remained uncharacteristically quiet about a launch date for this model.

Below are the key specifications of the four PHEVs in South Africa priced or expected to be priced under R1 million in 2025.

BYD Sealion 6 — From R639,900 to R789,900

• Power output/Torque: 160kW/300Nm (Comfort/Dynamique) or 238kW/550Nm (Premium)
• 0-100km/h acceleration: 8.5 seconds (Comfort/Dynamique) or 5.9 seconds (Premium)
• High-voltage battery size: 18.3kWh (Comfort/Dynamique)
• Charging speed: 7kW AC or 18kW DC
• All-electric range: 80km (Comfort/Dynamique) or 70km (Premium)
• Petrol tank capacity: 60 litres
• Total claimed range: 1,092km

GWM Haval H6 GT PHEV — R800,000 (expected)

• Power output/Torque: 342kW/762Nm
• 0-100km/h acceleration: 4.9 seconds
• High-voltage battery size: 35.4kWh
• All-electric range: 180km
• Charging speed: 6.6kW AC or 48kW DC
• Petrol tank capacity: 55 litres
• Total claimed range: 1,000km

BYD Shark 6 — From R959,900

• Power output/Torque: 321kW/650Nm
• 0-100km/h acceleration: 5.7 seconds
• High-voltage battery size: 29.6kWh
• All-electric range: 85km
• Charging speed: 7kW AC or 55kW DC
• Petrol tank capacity: 60 litres
• Total claimed range: 800km

Toyota RAV4 PHEV — From R980,000

• Power output/Torque: 225kW/227Nm+e
• 0-100km/h acceleration: 6.0 seconds
• High-voltage battery size: 18.1kWh
• All-electric range: 68km
• Charging speed: 6.6kW AC, no DC supported
• Petrol tank capacity: 55 litres
• Total claimed range: 800km