The Durban arrival highlighted growing EV choice and charging access, while industry representatives called for policy certainty to support wider adoption.
South African Automotive Week (SA Auto Week) 2026 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, was the destination for electric vehicle (EV) road-trippers from Johannesburg, Cape Town and East London.
According to The Electric Mission, the 2026 road trip doubled the number of EV models featured in the previous year's event, reflecting the growing range of EVs available in SA this year and improvements in public charging infrastructure along national routes.
Twelve battery electric vehicle (BEV) models arrived at Moses Mabhida Stadium on Sunday, completing the third annual New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Road Trip, themed: “Escaping the Noise 3.0”.
The journey coincided with National Transport Month and the fifth SA Auto Week, hosted in Durban by the Automotive Business Council. KwaZulu-Natal premier Thami Ntuli and his delegation welcomed the participants.
The featured vehicles included the Alfa Romeo Junior, BMW iX3, BYD ATTO 2, Deepal S07, Geely E2, Geely E5, GWM ORA 5, Lexus RZ, Mini Aceman, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Toyota bZ4X, Riddara RD6, Volvo ES90 and Volvo EX90.
The line-up included compact cars, family SUVs and executive sedans from established European and Japanese manufacturers, alongside Chinese brands expanding their presence in the local market.
“A year ago, the choice of electric vehicles available locally was limited. Today, buyers can choose from more brands, more body styles and more price points than ever before,” notes Hiten Parmar, executive director of The Electric Mission.
“Some of the vehicles on this trip are new to the South African market, and more affordable models are arriving. This market growth is what makes electric mobility accessible to more South Africans.”
Over the last few years, Chinese EV brands such as BYD, GWM, Geely and Deepal have been expanding their presence in SA, introducing more models across different vehicle segments and price points.
Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota and Lexus, are also entering the local battery-electric vehicle market, intensifying competition as consumers gain more options beyond established European brands.
The availability of public charging infrastructure was another focus of the journey. Participants selected their own charging stops from a list of fast-charging sites operated by companies including GridCars, Rubicon and Zero Carbon Charge.
Charging requirements varied between vehicles, with some completing the journey without charging and others requiring a top-up before reaching Durban.
“Having choices is the real sign of a maturing network,” says Parmar.
“When drivers can select through various charging options because there is another one further along, range anxiety goes away. The investment by multiple charge point operators across our national routes is what makes this possible, and it is increasingly reaching smaller towns as well as the cities.”
The first edition of the road trip took place in 2024, covering more than 2 000km from Johannesburg to Cape Town with five electric vehicles.
In 2025, participants travelled over 4 000km to Gqeberha for SA Auto Week, using six electric vehicle models.
According to GridCars, SA has over 544 charging sites across its national roads, housing 650 EV chargers and more than 1 200 connectors. Connectors are the physical plugs that connect an electric vehicle to a charging unit to supply electricity to its battery.
The road trip's arrival coincided with discussions at SA Auto Week about policy reform and certainty for SA’s automotive manufacturing industry.
According to the Automotive Business Council, Europe remains the primary export market for South African-built vehicles and is pursuing a transition away from new internal combustion engine vehicles.
The European Union's 2035 target forms part of the industry's longer-term outlook. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has emphasised the direction of travel, stating: “No matter what, the future is electric.”
In November 2023, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition published the Electric Vehicles White Paper.
The paper acknowledges that the global automotive industry is “undergoing one of the most seismic shifts in its nearly 150-year history” and provides South Africa with a “major industrialisation opportunity” to develop regional “critical minerals to batteries” value chains.
The maturity of the country’s auto manufacturing sector, its developed logistics infrastructure, and a complex mix of existing trade agreements with key economic centres and regions, all position South Africa favourably as a potential EV manufacturer.
Parmar points out that domestic demand for new energy vehicles, combined with policy support and infrastructure investment, could help SA strengthen its position in international automotive markets.
“Local demand for new energy vehicles is already evident with consumer purchases; however, the right policy and infrastructure investment for zero-emission vehicles, as battery electric and hydrogen, will help build the scale our industry needs to stay competitive across key markets,” he says.
“Every year, the road trip to SA Auto Week reinforces South Africa’s readiness for electric mobility. Now with over 50 battery electric models available, supported by the charging infrastructure that is ranked by the International Energy Agency as above the world average against electric fleet to public charging infrastructure, the next step is policy certainty that turns that readiness into local economic growth and jobs.”