Guides · Cost Shootout
SA's best-selling Chinese SUV vs the cars it's stealing sales from
The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is now the country's top-selling car. The Haval Jolion isn't far behind. But "best-selling" and "cheapest to own" aren't the same thing — so we ran the numbers against the Hyundai Creta.
The short answer
The Chinese SUVs win decisively on price — up to R110,000cheaper. But the Creta claws most of that back over five years through better fuel economy and far stronger resale. Buy the Chery if upfront cash is tight; the Creta if you'll keep it.
There's no debate about who won on sticker price. A Haval Jolion 1.5T City Plus lands at R373,950 and a Chery Tiggo 4 Pro 1.5T Elite auto (DCT) at R384,900 — both comfortably under a Hyundai Creta 1.5 Premium Matt Edition at R484,000. For a family watching the bond, that R110,000-plus gap is the whole argument.
But a car keeps taking your money every month after you've bought it. That's where the picture turns — and where AutoRand's cost-to-own scoring tells a different story to the showroom floor.
Side by side
The numbers that matter
Chery Tiggo 4 Pro
1.5T Elite auto (DCT)
Haval Jolion
1.5T City Plus
Hyundai Creta
1.5 Premium Matt Edition
Look at the efficiency row. The Jolion scores 9 out of 100 in its class — it drinks 8.11 L/100km where the Creta sips 6.31L/100km. Over 15,000 km a year at today's petrol price, that difference alone is real money out of your pocket, every single month.
Extra fuel the Jolion burns versus the Creta over a typical 3-year ownership — before you've counted resale.
“You're not paying for a badge. You're paying for the two things that quietly drain your account: fuel and depreciation.”
The honest caveat
What we can and can't tell you
On resale and long-term reliability, the established brands still hold an edge — Hyundai and Kia have a decade of SA resale data behind them; the newer Chinese marques don't yet. We're honest about this: it's an emerging picture, not a settled one. If you keep cars three years and trade up, that uncertainty matters. If you run them into the ground, it matters far less.
The verdict
So which should you actually buy?
Buy the Chery Tiggo 4 Proif upfront price is your deciding factor — it's R110,000cheaper than the Creta, better equipped, and the more sensible of the two Chinese options (the Jolion's thirst counts against it).
Buy the Hyundai Cretaif you'll keep the car five years or more. Our numbers say it's cheaper to live with and far easier to sell — the upfront premium pays itself back.
Dig into the numbers
See the full cost breakdown
2026 · Chery
Tiggo 4 Pro
1.5T Elite auto (DCT)
Cost to own / mo
R9,656
View full breakdown →
2026 · Haval
Jolion
1.5T City Plus
Cost to own / mo
R9,624
View full breakdown →
2026 · Hyundai
Creta
1.5 Premium Matt Edition
Cost to own / mo
R9,319
View full breakdown →
* Monthly cost-to-own figures include fuel, insurance, maintenance, depreciation, and licence disc — computed from AutoRand's engine using live data and current SA fuel prices. All figures are estimates; see our full methodology.