{"id":13020,"date":"2025-07-02T12:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T10:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=13020"},"modified":"2026-10-14T13:38:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:38:14","slug":"best-cars-for-uber-and-bolt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/best-cars-for-uber-and-bolt\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Cars for Uber and Bolt in South Africa (2026): Sedans That Qualify"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Driving for Uber or Bolt can be a good source of income in South Africa, but the car you choose decides how much of your fare you keep. Before you buy, check one thing first: whether the car qualifies. Uber&#8217;s rules for its main UberX service now exclude hatchbacks, which rules out many of the small cars that used to be popular with drivers.<\/p><div id=\"gaute-2037437503\" class=\"gaute-after-paragraph-1 gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Uber requires in 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uber lists these vehicle requirements for South Africa:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>UberX:<\/strong> a four-door sedan that is eight years old or newer (2019 or later in 2026), with at least four passenger seats, working air conditioning, ABS and front airbags. Hatchbacks are not accepted.<\/li><li><strong>Uber XL:<\/strong> a five-door MPV that is eight years old or newer.<\/li><li><strong>Uber Comfort:<\/strong> a sedan, SUV or premium MPV that is five years old or newer, and a driver rating of at least 4.9.<\/li><li><strong>Uber Go:<\/strong> a hatchback or sedan up to 12 years old.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Every car must pass a DEKRA vehicle inspection, and drivers need a valid Professional Driving Permit (PrDP). Uber says it can change these criteria at any time, so confirm the current rules in the Uber Driver app before you buy. Bolt does not publish a minimum model year on its South African driver page, so check its requirements in the Bolt Driver app as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You also need an operating licence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under South Africa&#8217;s updated e-hailing rules, drivers must hold an operating licence, which you apply for through your provincial regulator. The compliance deadline was 12 March 2026. Vehicles must be properly licensed and branded, with safety features such as a panic button. To apply, you need an affiliation letter from the platform you drive for. Bolt began issuing these letters after registering with the National Public Transport Regulator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The cheapest new sedans that qualify for UberX<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the five most affordable new sedans in South Africa, with starting prices from October 2026. Fuel figures are the manufacturers&#8217; claimed averages, and real-world city driving will use more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Car<\/th><th>From<\/th><th>Engine<\/th><th>Boot<\/th><th>Claimed fuel use<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Suzuki Dzire 1.2 GA<\/td><td>R232 900<\/td><td>1.2 petrol, 60 kW<\/td><td>378 litres<\/td><td>4.4 l\/100 km<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Changan Alsvin 1.4 CS<\/td><td>R249 900<\/td><td>1.4 petrol, 74 kW<\/td><td>390 litres<\/td><td>5.8 l\/100 km<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Honda Amaze 1.2 Trend<\/td><td>R256 800<\/td><td>1.2 petrol, 66 kW<\/td><td>416 litres<\/td><td>5.5 l\/100 km<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Hyundai Grand i10 1.2 Executive Sedan<\/td><td>R282 400<\/td><td>1.2 petrol, 61 kW<\/td><td>402 litres<\/td><td>5.5 l\/100 km<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Kia Pegas 1.4 LX<\/td><td>R292 995<\/td><td>1.4 petrol, 69 kW<\/td><td>475 litres<\/td><td>5.7 l\/100 km<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Suzuki Dzire:<\/strong> the cheapest new sedan in the country and the most frugal of the five on paper, which matters when you drive long shifts. All Dzire models come with a five-year or 200 000 km warranty, according to Suzuki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Honda Amaze:<\/strong> a good middle ground, with a bigger boot than the Dzire, at 416 litres, for a little more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Kia Pegas:<\/strong> the most expensive of the five, but with the largest boot at 475 litres. That is useful if you do a lot of airport trips with luggage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3700158793\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cars for Uber XL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Uber XL you need a five-door MPV. The Renault Triber is the cheapest new seven-seater from R218 999, but it has only 84 litres of boot space with all seven seats in use, so luggage is a problem on full trips. The Suzuki Ertiga, from R304 900, and the Toyota Rumion, from R307 900, are the same car with different badges. Both are larger, with 153 litres of boot space behind the third row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to weigh up before you buy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Running costs:<\/strong> fuel, insurance, tyres and services add up quickly when you drive full time. Ask for a quote for commercial or e-hailing insurance before you sign, because standard cover may not apply.<\/li><li><strong>Warranty and service plan:<\/strong> high mileage uses up a warranty fast, so check the kilometre limit as well as the years.<\/li><li><strong>Boot space:<\/strong> passengers on airport trips usually travel with suitcases, so a small boot can cost you trips.<\/li><li><strong>Finance:<\/strong> a cheaper car with a smaller monthly instalment leaves more of each fare in your pocket.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prices change often, so confirm the current price and specification with a dealer before you buy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Driving for Uber or Bolt can be a good source of income in South Africa, but the car you choose decides how much of your fare you keep. Before you buy, check one thing first: whether the car qualifies. Uber&#8217;s rules for its main UberX service now exclude hatchbacks, which rules out many of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":43197,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"Best Cars for Uber","rank_math_title":"Best Cars for Uber and Bolt in South Africa (2026)","rank_math_description":"Uber now wants 2019 or newer sedans for UberX. The cheapest new cars that qualify, their prices, boot space and fuel use, and the 2026 licence rules.","footnotes":"","_ppma_block_editor_authors":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[6614],"ppma_author":[11576],"class_list":["post-13020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-transport","tag-hyundai-grand-i10"],"authors":[{"term_id":11576,"user_id":8,"is_guest":0,"slug":"rethabile","display_name":"Rethabile Nyelele","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/aa49e9b4bebb078d7f243086172c99fc6052b05a89b6b5d7c1d2f4cb563e95f0?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"Rethabile","last_name":"Nyelele","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":"I\u2019m a dedicated journalist and writer dedicated to delivering well-researched, engaging, and insightful stories. With a strong background in sports, motoring, weather, and breaking news, I thrive on uncovering compelling narratives that inform, educate, and captivate readers."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13020"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43176,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13020\/revisions\/43176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13020"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=13020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}