2020 AA KINSEY REPORT

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2020 AA KINSEY REPORT

This is the 30^th year of the Kinsey Report and inevitably we have been forced to make a few changes including how the figures were collected. 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 who, 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 large declines (approx. 30%) over the corresponding 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 – eg Etios out, Starlet in.

A factor that has been come evident is the increase in 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 which 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 and 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 3 or 4 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 R 62,990, followed by Ford Figo at R 63,866 and in third place the Datsun Go at R 65,458. Service parts order Kwid R 3,048, Figo R3,168 and third best pricing was the Honda Amaze at R 3,455.

Repair parts costs showed a change of order – the Figo most competitive at R 6,187, followed by the Datsun Go 6,436 and third the Honda Amaze at R 7,033 .

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 R 54,572.

SUPER MINI:

The winner here is the Hyundai I 20, with a parts basket price of R 90,065, about R 2,500 less expensive than the 2019 class winner, the Renault Sandero. Second place goes to Toyota’s newly launched Starlet at R 90,826 and the Ford Fiesta at R 91,275 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 R 7,285; second is the VW Polo – R7,348 and the Toyota Starlet third at R8,256.

Crash parts leader is the Hyundai I 20 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 4-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 third spot, at R10,504 is the Corolla Hatch.

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

CROSSOVERS:

Crossovers are without 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 3 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 cam belt, or fan belt - being electric driven . 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 400 kms. 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 8 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 RR76,573.

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 thar it is not a full 1 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!