The most expensive South African road trips this December

For many South Africans, the December holidays mean loading up the car and heading to the coast or travelling home to visit family.

But with long distances, fuel prices and toll fees to consider, some of the country’s most popular festive-season road trips can cost thousands of rand before accommodation, food and activities are added.

We have compared some of the most popular long-distance routes between South Africa’s major cities and holiday destinations to give motorists an idea of what they could spend.

The estimates are based on a vehicle using 7 litres of fuel per 100km and October 2026 petrol prices. The actual December 2026 fuel price is not yet known, so these figures should be treated as estimates.

Popular December road trips compared

Route	Approx. return distance	Approx. driving time	Estimated return fuel	Estimated return tolls	Estimated return fuel + tolls
Durban – Cape Town	3 460km	17 hrs	R7 100	R230	R7 300
Johannesburg – Cape Town	2 800km	14–15 hrs	R5 930	R500	R6 430
Johannesburg – Gqeberha	2 120km	11 hrs	R4 500	R400	R4 900
Durban – Gqeberha	1 800km	10 hrs	R3 700	R100	R3 800
Durban – Johannesburg	1 140km	6 hrs	R2 350	R650	R3 000
Cape Town – Gqeberha	1 500km	8 hrs	R3 100	R150	R3 250
Cape Town – Plettenberg Bay	1 040km	6 hrs	R2 140	R160	R2 300
Cape Town – Knysna	980km	5 hrs 30 min	R2 020	R80	R2 100
Cape Town – George	860km	4 hrs 45 min	R1 770	R130	R1 900
Cape Town – Mossel Bay	780km	4 hrs 30 min	R1 620	R80	R1 700

Estimates are for a return journey in a vehicle using 7 litres/100km. Fuel calculations use October 2026 petrol prices. Actual December fuel prices, toll tariffs, vehicle consumption and route choices may affect the final cost.

The longest trips can quickly become expensive

The figures show how much the cost of a road trip can vary depending on where you’re travelling from and to.

The Durban-Cape Town route is by far the most expensive of the popular routes compared, with an estimated return fuel and toll bill of around R7 300.

The Johannesburg-Cape Town route follows at approximately R6 430, while motorists travelling from Johannesburg to Gqeberha could spend around R4 900 on fuel and tolls for the return journey.

At the other end of the table, Cape Town motorists travelling to popular Mossel Bay could expect to spend around R1 700 on the return trip based on the assumptions above.

Families can split the cost

While thousands of rand may sound expensive, the cost looks different when several people are travelling in the same vehicle.

For example, a R7 300 return trip split between four people works out at approximately R1 825 per person for fuel and tolls.

This is one reason driving can still make financial sense for families and groups travelling during the festive season. However, motorists should remember that fuel and tolls are only part of the cost.

Long-distance travellers may also need to budget for overnight accommodation, meals, parking and additional driving once they reach their destination.

These routes can also take considerably longer during the festive season.

Motorists should allow extra time for congestion, roadworks, accidents and rest stops, particularly on the country’s major holiday routes.

Drivers tackling the longest journeys should also plan regular breaks and avoid trying to cover excessive distances without stopping.