SearchMyRide Automotive IntelligenceSearchMyRide Buyer Index

Car Affordability & Budget Index

Live rolling six-month SearchMyRide data on explicitly stated vehicle budgets and monthly-payment ceilings, with exact denominators, trend direction and comparison to current marketplace asking prices.

1,182 buyer searches analysed427 unique buyer journeysPast 6 monthsUpdated 7 Nov 2026
Methodology & definitions →
Affordability at a glance

What shoppers say they can spend

Only amounts buyers explicitly entered are used here; calculated affordability remains separate.

R240,000Typical stated vehicle budgetMedian · n=74
R6,000Typical monthly-payment ceilingMedian · n=21
R289,995Typical live asking priceMedian across 1,808 live cars

How to read this: buyer budgets and live asking prices are separate marketplace signals. SearchMyRide does not treat either as finance approval.

Affordability mix

Vehicle-budget mix

  • Up to R100k5.4% (n=4)
  • R100k–R150k8.1% (n=6)
  • R150k–R200k6.8% (n=5)
  • R200k–R300k51.4% (n=38)
  • Above R300k28.4% (n=21)

Explicit maximum vehicle prices only. Calculated affordability is excluded. Base n=74.

Affordability mix

Monthly-payment ceiling mix

  • Up to R5,00042.9% (n=9)
  • R5,001–R7,50038.1% (n=8)
  • R7,501–R10,0009.5% (n=2)
  • Above R15,0009.5% (n=2)

Only monthly-payment ceilings buyers explicitly stated are included. Base n=21.

Live affordability movement

Latest 30 days versus the previous 30 days

R220,000Latest median explicit vehicle budgetn=11 · prior R240,000
-8.3%Vehicle-budget movementLatest median versus previous 30-day median
R5,000Latest median monthly-payment ceilingn=1 · prior R3,500
+42.9%Monthly-payment movementLatest median versus previous 30-day median

Only explicitly stated vehicle budgets and monthly-payment ceilings are included in these movement statistics. Derived salary affordability remains separate.

View detailed affordability evidenceBudget bands, evidence table and additional analysis.
Distribution

Explicit vehicle-budget distribution

  • Up to R100k5.4%
  • R100k–R150k8.1%
  • R150k–R200k6.8%
  • R200k–R300k51.4%
  • Above R300k28.4%

Derived salary/payment budgets are excluded.

Evidence table

Affordability reference

MeasureValueEvidence
Median explicit vehicle budgetR240,00074 qualifying observations
Median explicit monthly ceilingR6,00021 qualifying observations
Median live asking priceR289,9951,808 live indexed vehicles

The live-stock median is a marketplace supply reference, not a lending assessment or affordability approval.

Headline-ready affordability

Share of explicit budgets at or below key price points

5.4%At or below R100,0004 of 74 explicit-budget observations
13.5%At or below R150,00010 of 74 explicit-budget observations
20.3%At or below R200,00015 of 74 explicit-budget observations
71.6%At or below R300,00053 of 74 explicit-budget observations

Monthly-payment behaviour

Up to R5,0009 · 42.9%
R5,001–R7,5008 · 38.1%
R7,501–R10,0002 · 9.5%
Above R15,0002 · 9.5%

Explicit monthly-payment ceilings only. Base n=21.

Dealer subscriber intelligence

Specific vehicle affordability gaps

The public report publishes aggregate buyer budgets, payment ceilings and overall stock-price context. Exact make/model buyer-budget versus live asking-price gaps are reserved for active dealership subscribers because they directly inform sourcing and pricing decisions.

Matched make/model affordability evidence currently exists for n=22 qualifying searches. Dealers can access the detailed rows from Dealer Intelligence.

Live stock

Live cars near the stated-budget market

Sample current listings priced at or below the period median explicit budget when that metric is observed.

Ask SearchMyRide AITell us what you need →Live marketplaceBrowse used cars →Alternative ownershipBrowse rent-to-own →
Source: SearchMyRide South African Car Buyer Index · Live rolling 6-month window · n=1,182 · SMR-CBI-ROLLING-6M · Dataset v2.0 · updated 7 Nov 2026
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About this data

Questions readers often ask

Does the Buyer Index represent every South African car buyer?

No. It describes qualifying SearchMyRide search activity during the stated period. SearchMyRide publishes the sample size and methodology so the scope is explicit.

Can AI change or invent a Buyer Index statistic?

No. Statistics are calculated deterministically from stored evidence. The optional AI layer is restricted to non-numeric interpretation and is rejected if it introduces numbers or currency values.

How often is the data updated?

The primary report is a live rolling 183-day analysis that refreshes as new qualifying evidence arrives. Aggregate daily snapshots are retained for historical reporting, and fixed month boundaries remain available internally for audit and archive reconstruction.