Most expensive electric cars in South Africa

South African electric vehicle (EV) buyers looking for the best performance, features, range, and charging speeds will have to fork out between about R3 million and R6 million to acquire one of the ten most expensive electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.

While substantially more expensive than petrol or diesel cars with similar designs and internal features, EVs often outperform similarly-priced models in power output and torque.

German luxury sports car maker Porsche accounted for five of the ten models with various versions of its Taycan line-up.

At R5.88 million, the top-of-the-range Taycan Turbo GT Weissach was the most expensive option of all ten cars.

That price gets you a monstrous 760kW of power output and 1,340Nm torque.

It is the fastest-accelerating production car available in South Africa, capable of going from standstill to 100km/h in 2.2 seconds.

The nine other EVs on our list are no slowpokes either, with most having 0–100km/h speeds around 3 seconds and power outputs over 500kW.

In addition, all had maximum potential ranges over 500km on a single charge, and peak DC charging speeds over 150kW, ensuring that hundreds of kilometres of range can be added in about 20 minutes.

The Taycan Turbo GT Weissach offered up to 678km on a single charge.

That should allay any fears of range anxiety, as high-performance petrol-powered vehicles will provide a similar range on a tank of fuel.

For example, the R4.84-million Porsche 911 Turbo S coupe has a fuel consumption of 11.0km/ℓ, among the more fuel-efficient of sports cars.

That makes it capable of covering about 609km on a single refill of its 67-litre tank.

Below are the 10 most expensive EVs in South Africa in April 2024, offering the best performance and features that money can buy.

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Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach — R5.88 million

• Engine power/torque: 760kW/1,340Nm
• Top speed: 305km/h
• 0-100km/h: 2.2 seconds
• Range: Up to 678km
• Maximum charging speeds: 320kW DC or 11kW AC

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Porsche Taycan Turbo S — R5.23 million

• Engine power/torque: 700kW/1,110Nm
• 0-100km/h: 2.8 seconds
• Top speed: 260km/h
• Range: Up to 560km
• Maximum charging speeds: 268kW DC or 11kW AC

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Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo — R4.37 million

• Engine power/torque: 500kW/850Nm
• 0-100km/h: 3.3 seconds
  
• Top speed: 250km/h
• Range: Up to 555km
• Maximum charging speeds: 268kW DC or 11kW AC

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Porsche Taycan Turbo — R4.33 million

• Engine power/torque: 500kW/850Nm
• 0-100km/h: 3.2 seconds
• Top speed: 260km/h
• Range: Up to 580km
• Maximum charging speeds: 268kW DC or 11kW AC

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Lotus Eletre R — R4 million+

• Engine power/torque: 675kW/985Nm
• 0-100km/h: 2.9 seconds
• Top speed: 260km/h
• Range: Up to 645km
• Maximum charging speeds: 350kW DC or 22kW AC

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Audi RS e-tron GT — R3.53 million

• Engine power/torque: 440kW/830Nm
• 0-100km/h: 2.9 seconds
• Top speed: 250km/h
• Range: Up to 565km
• Maximum charging speeds: 268kW DC or 11kW AC

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Mercedes-Benz AMG EQS53 4Matic+ sedan — R3.42 million

• Engine power/torque: 560kW/1,020Nm
• 0-100km/h: 3.4 seconds
• Top speed: 250km/h
• Range: Up to 750km
• Maximum charging speeds: 207kW DC or 11kW AC

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Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo — R3.37 million

• Engine power/torque: 420kW/650Nm
• 0-100km/h: 4.1 seconds
• Top speed: 240km/h
• Range: Up to 600km
• Maximum charging speeds: 268kW DC or 11kW AC

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BMW i7 xDrive60 M Sport — R3.01 million

• Engine power/torque: 400kW/745Nm
• 0-100km/h: 4.7 seconds
• Top speed: 240km/h
• Range: Up to 715km
• Maximum charging speeds: 159kW DC or 11kW AC

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BMW iX M60 — R2.98 million

• Engine power/torque: 455kW/1,015Nm
• 0-100km/h: 3.8 seconds
• Top speed: 250km/h
• Range: Up to 685km
• Maximum charging speeds: 195kW DC or 11kW AC