There’s a new compact electric vehicle that holds the title of “cheapest EV” in South Africa, or “least expensive”, whichever way you look at it.
The Dayun S5 Mini SUV EV became available in January for R399,900 ($21,668), dethroning the BYD Dolphin at R539,900 ($29,254). It was announced in July 2024 as the Dayun Yuehu S5 but has since been renamed.
The Dayun S5 Mini SUV is a Chinese import, sold by Enviro Automotive, a Pretoria-based importer and distributor of EVs, and heavy-duty electric trucks and bakkies.
Despite its positioning, it still incurs a higher import duty of 25% when compared to the 18% on internal combustion engine vehicles.
The S5 Mini SUV has a closed-off front grille, LED lights, a 7-inch infotainment screen next to an 8-inch instrument cluster, climate control, Bluetooth and a USB-A port.
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Other standard features include driver and passenger airbags, ABS brakes, traction control, hill start assist and cruise control.
The S5 Mini also comes in a “VIP” option for R449,900 ($24,375), which includes a SmartLink app access with additional remote features, larger wheels, and ultrasonic radars for its parking cameras.
The company provided FORBES AFRICA with a loan unit of the VIP model for a weekend in a pale green shade.
The small five-seater EV has a modest 35kW of power and 105Nm of torque and a tiny 31.7kWh battery. It yields a driving range of about 330km, according to WLTP ratings. Top speed is 110km/h.
We tested the vehicle over a rainy weekend in Gauteng, by splitting it between highway driving and urban roads.
The car’s limited 35kW of power was felt on the highway stretch, with vehicles behind flashing us because of our slow speed, which at the time was around 80km/h, yet three lanes away from the fast lane.
The highest speed achieved on the drive to Menlyn near Johannesburg was 107km/h, while going flat out, which felt like it was eating into the range unnecessarily.
While I used 36km of range for the 40km trip one way, on the previous week I netted 8km of range on the electric Mini on the same route.
There was a huge downpour on the return trip and due to a fogged-up windscreen and limited visibility, the aircon had to be used at full speed with the demister to clear the windows.
I felt the car had unintentionally gone through a worst-case scenario, so I was looking forward to city driving the following day. I completed a 25km trip using 18km of range, which was better than the highway stretch.
The speed on urban roads with frequent traffic lights meant I didn’t need to go beyond 80km/h. I found it better suited to urban roads.
When it came to recharging the S5 Mini, it struggled on certain DC fast chargers. It eventually cut off after a short while, but I had better luck with my home AC charger. Enviro Automotive is looking into the charging fault.
The S5 Mini can charge at a 6kW speed on an AC charger and maximum 30kW on a DC charger.
I charged about 16.78kWh of the battery on my home charger, which took about 2.5 hours and cost me less than R45 ($2.43) at a figure of roughly R2.45 per kWh. However, the vehicle comes with a 3-pin plug charger.
A full charge at home costs around R76 on Eskom rates. Comparatively, a public AC charger costs roughly R182 ($9.86) based at a rate of R5.88 per kWh and around R228 ($12.35) on a DC charger at R7.35 per kWh. Eskom charges per kWh while public EV chargers are based on speed.
The Dayun S5 Mini SUV is cheap to run but due to its output, is better suited for short urban commutes, school rounds or as a small business vehicle, including ones that deliver within its vicinity.
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