As South Africans keep their cars for longer and new technologies become increasingly common, the affordability of vehicle ownership is being shaped by more than the purchase price, says the South African Motor Body Repairers' Association (Sambra).
Increasingly, the question consumers should be asking is not whether they can afford to buy a vehicle, but rather whether they can afford to repair it.
According to Sambra, vehicle repairability is fast becoming one of the automotive industry’s biggest affordability challenges, affecting petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) alike.
“Much of the public debate has focused on whether EVs are more expensive to repair,” says Sambra national director Juan Hanekom.
“The reality is that repairability has become a broader issue across the entire automotive industry.
