Toyota Vitz gets price cut (sort of) and extra airbags

The Toyota Vitz has quietly gained a significant safety upgrade and a longer service plan as well as a price cut (well, sort of) that officially makes it SA’s cheapest new car…

The Toyota Vitz is now officially South Africa’s cheapest new car after the Japanese firm’s local division not only added extra safety features and a longer standard service plan but also cut the budget hatchback’s price – well, sort of (we’ll explain shortly).

Yes, Toyota SA Motors has quietly adjusted the respective list prices of each of the 3 derivatives in its Vitz line-up, with the entry-level Vitz 1.0 now pegged at R178 800 (down some R11 100). That means its starting price is a mere R100 less than that of Suzuki’s S-Presso 1.0 GL (R178 900), thus giving it the official title of Mzansi’s cheapest new car.

Meanwhile, the Vitz 1.0 XR now comes in at R209 900, having benefited from a R10 000 price cut. Finally, the Vitz 1.0 XR AMT tops the portfolio at R224 900, some R15 000 more affordable than before (for the record, the X-Cite derivatives introduced in September 2023 have since fallen away). As such, the Vitz undercuts the Suzuki Celerio (which currently runs from R188 900 to R225 900) on which it’s based.

So, why do we say this “sort of” amounts to a price cut? Well, though Toyota SA Motors left the Vitz’s list price unchanged between its May 2023 introduction and this latest adjustment, it offered a circa-R20 000 “promotional rebate” (also described by the brand as a “deal assist” or “special offer”) from at least August 2023. So, technically speaking, the Vitz was available from as little as R169 899 for nearly 2 years.

Still, Toyota has now handed the Vitz – which is, of course, built by Maruti Suzuki in India – some additional safety equipment (we’re guessing Suzuki Auto SA will roll out these updates to the Celerio soon as well). All 3 derivatives in the Vitz line-up upgrade to 6 airbags, scoring side and curtain airbags in addition to the dual front items.

From what we understand, the diminutive city car furthermore gains seat-belt warning lights and buzzers for the front and rear passengers (in addition to those already present for the driver’s seat), while the XR variants furthermore score a reverse-view camera. As before, all Vitz derivatives ship standard with ABS with EBD, stability control and rear parking sensors.

In addition, we noticed that Toyota SA Motors has doubled the Vitz’s standard service plan from the previous 2-service/30 000 km arrangement to a more generous 4-service/60 000 km plan. The warranty, however, remains at 3 years or 100 000 km.

As a reminder, the Vitz launched in SA towards the middle of 2023, arriving as a replacement for the Agya (which was based on the Daihatsu Ayla and hit local roads at the end of 2020, supplanting the Aygo). It uses Suzuki’s naturally aspirated 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine (K10C) delivering 49 kW and 89 Nm to the front axle through a 5-speed manual gearbox or an automated manual transmission (AMT) with the same number of cogs.

In 2023, Toyota SA Motors sold 5 117 units of the Vitz, with this figure climbing to 6 927 units in 2024. The brand registered a further 1 376 examples over the opening 2 months of 2025, including an 825-unit haul in January.

How much does the Toyota Vitz cost in South Africa?

The prices above include Toyota’s 3-year/100 000 km warranty and a 4-service/60 000 km service plan.

Related content

Farewell, Corolla Quest! SA-built sedan bows out

Suzuki keeps 2nd! SA’s new-car sales in February

Widebody Toyota Hilux Legend 55 confirmed for SA