What is the ground clearance of the KIA Pegas?

The KIA Pegas has 148 mm of ground clearance — enough for SA speed bumps, gravel driveways, and light dirt roads without catching the underside.

What engine is in the KIA Pegas?

The KIA Pegas comes with a 1368 cc engine. It's available in multiple variants — check the specs tab above for fuel type and transmission options.

What fuel consumption can I expect from the KIA Pegas?

The claimed figure is around 16.9 km/l. Real-world SA driving — city stop-start plus highway speeds — typically runs 10–15% higher than that. Diesel variants tend to pull ahead over longer distances.

KIA Pegas 1.4 EX Auto Price in South Africa 2026 – ZAR318,995 | Specs & EMI

KIA Pegas — 1.4 EX Auto

The Kia Pegas EX Automatic is the fully specified, most effortless expression of Kia's South African three-box sedan: a 1.4-litre four-cylinder producing 73 kW mated to a four-speed torque-converter automatic, with leather, alloys, cruise control, reverse camera, six-speaker audio, CarPlay, and a seven-year warranty. At approximately 6.4 L/100km combined, it is the top of the Pegas range for South African family buyers.

The Pegas EX Automatic represents the Kia sedan at its most complete, its most convenient, and its most family-appropriate configuration for the South African market. Every feature that the Pegas range offers — leather seating, alloy wheels, cruise control, reverse camera, six-speaker audio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear parking sensors — is present. The gearbox selection is the four-speed torque-converter automatic, which removes the final driving demand that the EX Manual places on the driver. What results is a family sedan that asks almost nothing of the driver during daily operation and delivers a 502-litre enclosed boot, a 2570mm wheelbase, and seven years of manufacturer warranty certainty to South Africa's family car buyer. The 1.4-litre G4FA four-cylinder's 73 kW and 132 Nm is the Pegas's sole engine, and in automatic configuration it produces an overall driving character that is unhurried, composed, and reassuringly capable on South Africa's highway network. The four-speed torque-converter manages the 1.4-litre's output with smooth gear progression in urban stop-go conditions and adequate torque management on the national highway gradients that characterise intercity South African travel. Combined fuel consumption for the EX Auto is approximately 6.4 litres per 100 kilometres. On the 45-litre tank, this provides approximately 703km of theoretical combined range — sufficient for a Johannesburg to Durban one-way trip at 565km with comfortable fuel reserve, or a Cape Town to Swellendam run of 220km with tank life remaining. The EX Auto's leather seating and cruise control combination defines its position as the family road-trip sedan. A family of four undertaking the N3 Johannesburg to Durban run in the Pegas EX Auto experiences: automatic gearbox managing the Drakensberg foothills and Van Reenen Pass gradients without driver input, cruise control maintaining 120 km/h on flat highway sections while the driver monitors traffic, leather seats providing a more supportive and cleanable rear-seat surface for children over four hours, and CarPlay running Waze navigation through Durban's N3 entry interchange to the coastal destinations beyond. This combination of features creates a travel experience that justifies the EX Auto's position at the top of the Pegas range. The four-speed automatic's interaction with the 1.4-litre engine in urban conditions is smooth and confidence-inspiring. Unlike the 1.0-litre Picanto automatic, which occasionally feels the limit of its engine's torque output in demanding urban scenarios, the Pegas EX Auto's 132 Nm means the automatic always has useful torque available for gear-ratio management. The gearbox transitions from first to second are smooth. The shift from second to third in moderate urban acceleration is composed. The fourth-gear hold at highway speeds is stable and fuel-efficient relative to a three-speed alternative. The characteristic torque-converter four-speed behaviour — modest gear-hunting on steeper gradients, occasional urgency lag from standstill under moderate throttle — is present but not intrusive in a vehicle that is being operated within its design intent: family transport on South African urban and intercity routes. Cruise control in the EX Auto interacts specifically with the automatic gearbox in a way that differs from the manual variant's cruise experience. In the manual, the driver sets the cruise and the gearbox ratio is fixed by the manual engagement. In the automatic, the cruise system maintains speed through a combination of throttle management and automatic downshifts — a downshift from fourth to third gear on an uphill section under cruise maintains set speed more actively than the manual's fixed-gear approach. This means the EX Auto's cruise control on the N1's rolling terrain between Johannesburg and Bela-Bela or the N3's Drakensberg foothills is more actively engaged in speed maintenance than the manual variant, which can be a minor comfort consideration as the gearbox audibly shifts during sustained cruise operation. The EX Auto's alloy wheels are the same specification as the EX Manual: 185/55R15 alloys that give the Pegas its visual definition in South African parking areas. The same vulnerability to South Africa's urban pothole damage applies to the automatic variant. Buyers who regularly traverse Johannesburg's poorly maintained southern suburb road surfaces or Durban's older commercial road network should factor potential alloy repair costs into their long-term ownership calculation. The Pegas EX Auto's competitive position in South Africa's automatic family sedan market is the most clearly defined in the range. Against the Volkswagen Polo Vivo sedan automatic at equivalent specification — where VW's offering exists — the Pegas wins on boot capacity, warranty length, and acquisition cost while conceding brand cachet. Against the Toyota Starlet sedan automatic at full specification, the Pegas matches on connectivity and adds a larger boot with a longer warranty. Against the Suzuki Dzire automatic at maximum trim, the Pegas wins on boot capacity, wheelbase, and dealer network coverage. For the South African family buyer who has made the rational case that a fully specified automatic family sedan at the lowest price offering a seven-year warranty is their target, the Pegas EX Auto is the answer the market currently provides.

Who buys this: The Pegas EX Auto targets South African family buyers at the upper end of the entry-level sedan market who want the maximum available specification in a family sedan without stepping into the more expensive Polo Vivo sedan, Toyota Corolla, or Mazda3 price tier. The buyer profile is a family of three or four, typically with school-age children, earning between R40,000 and R80,000 per month in dual-income households in Johannesburg's northern suburbs, Cape Town's southern suburbs, Pretoria East, or Durban's Berea ridge suburbs. They need a reliable, comfortable primary vehicle for school runs, daily commuting, weekly shopping, and the three to six intercity journeys per year that define South African middle-class family travel — coastal holidays, Kruger National Park visits, extended family gatherings in secondary cities. The automatic is non-negotiable for this buyer: they either find manual gearbox operation in urban stop-go traffic fatiguing or they have always driven automatics and associate the automatic gearbox with the quality and convenience level that the EX specification signals. The leather, alloys, cruise control, and reverse camera are the equipment items this buyer considers standard for a car at the EX's specification level. The seven-year warranty is the financial protection that enables the purchase decision: a family investing in their primary vehicle for seven years of school runs and intercity travel needs the certainty that unexpected mechanical costs will not disrupt the household budget.

City

In South African urban environments, the Pegas EX Auto is a composed, comfortable, effortless family vehicle. Johannesburg's morning school run from Fourways to Bryanston in the EX Auto involves automatic gearbox management of the N14 on-ramp, smooth cruise through William Nicol to Sandton, and reverse-camera-assisted parking in the school's narrow bay. Cape Town's southern suburbs school run from Constantia to Newlands or Rondebosch uses the EX's CarPlay navigation to route around the De Waal Drive morning backup, with the automatic managing the climb up Newlands Avenue in second gear without drama. Durban's Berea Ridge school run — the steep gradients that defeat underpowered vehicles on rainy winter mornings — is handled by the 1.4-litre automatic's torque management and smooth gear transitions. The leather seats maintain a clean, presentable standard through the school run muddy boots, sports equipment, and general family-life entropy that accumulates rapidly in cloth-trimmed alternatives.

Highway

The Pegas EX Auto's highway capability is its most powerful argument for the South African family that makes regular intercity journeys. Cruise control at 120 km/h on the N3 between Johannesburg and Harrismith, the N1 between Cape Town and Worcester, or the N2 between East London and Port Elizabeth converts a physically demanding multi-hour drive into a relaxed travel experience where the driver's primary role is traffic monitoring rather than speed management. The 1.4-litre automatic's torque management on the Van Reenen Pass approach and descent — fourth to third on the climb, engine braking in lower gears on the descent — is handled automatically, maintaining set speed on the climb and safe descent speed without driver gear-selection intervention. The six-speaker audio system delivers clear podcast and music quality at 120 km/h cruise speed where road and wind noise would overwhelm the LX's entry speakers. Combined highway consumption at steady cruise approaches 5.8-6.0 L/100km, providing practical highway range before a fuel stop of approximately 720-750km on the 45-litre tank.

Off-Road

The Pegas EX Auto has no off-road capability. Ground clearance of approximately 160mm covers rough suburban surfaces and light gravel roads to holiday destinations. Alloy wheels on gravel roads accumulate minor surface damage over time; buyers who regularly access gravel secondary routes to holiday properties should factor this into their decision.

KIA Pegas — Quick Facts

Starting price in South Africa: ZAR 318,995 ex-showroom
Engine: 1368 cc
Ground clearance: 148 mm — handy for those South African potholes
Claimed fuel economy: 16.9 km/l
Body style: Sedan

KIA Pegas Variants & Prices

Pick up to 3 variants, hit Compare Variants and you'll get a proper side-by-side spec breakdown.

Maximum 3 variants reached
Uncheck one of the selected variants below before choosing another.

Variant	Trim	Fuel	Transmission	Price
1.4 LX Manual	Base	Petrol	Manual	ZAR 292,995
1.4 LX Auto	Mid	Petrol	Automatic	ZAR 307,995
1.4 EX Manual	Top	Petrol	Manual	ZAR 303,995
1.4 EX Auto	Flagship	Petrol	Automatic	ZAR 318,995

Variant	Trim	Transmission	Price
1.4 LX Manual	Base	Manual	ZAR 292,995
1.4 LX Auto	Mid	Automatic	ZAR 307,995
1.4 EX Manual	Top	Manual	ZAR 303,995
1.4 EX Auto	Flagship	Automatic	ZAR 318,995

2 variants selected

1.4 EX Auto — Should You Buy It?

South Africa's most comprehensively specified automatic entry-level sedan — the Pegas EX Auto delivers leather, alloys, cruise control, and seven-year warranty certainty in the family sedan format that handles intercity travel better than any hatchback at this price.

The Pegas EX Auto is the Kia sedan at its fullest expression for South African family buyers who want every feature, maximum warranty coverage, and automatic convenience without entering the more expensive sedan tier. The 6.4 L/100km combined figure is honest and competitive. The 502-litre boot handles full family holiday luggage. The 2570mm wheelbase provides adult rear comfort on the N3. Cruise control makes the highway journey relaxed rather than tiring. Leather and alloys make the daily ownership experience consistently satisfying. The seven-year warranty covers the complete family vehicle package through the full loan term.

What's Good

✓Cruise control at 120 km/h on the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban makes the 565km four-hour intercity family journey genuinely relaxed rather than physically demanding through active speed management.
✓Leather upholstery handles the accumulated wear of South African family car use — muddy boots, beach sand, sports equipment — with wipe-clean ease that cloth seating in the LX cannot match over seven years of family ownership.
✓The 502-litre enclosed sedan boot carries full four-person holiday luggage for South Africa's coastal and bushveld destinations without roof-rack additions, outperforming every hatchback competitor at this price point on raw cargo capacity.
✓Seven-year, 150,000km warranty on the fully specified automatic drivetrain and all EX equipment provides the family buyer's most valuable asset: complete financial cost certainty through the full vehicle loan term.
✓The four-speed torque-converter automatic's smooth operation in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban's urban stop-go environments eliminates clutch fatigue from the school run, commute, shopping trip, and every other daily usage scenario simultaneously.
✓Alloy wheels on 185/55R15 tyres give the Pegas EX Auto a visual completeness in South African parking areas that the steel-wheeled LX variants cannot achieve and that matches more expensive competitor sedans' presentation.
✓Six-speaker audio system delivers clear, enjoyable sound quality at 120 km/h N3 and N1 cruise speeds, where road and wind noise would compromise the less powerful speaker setups in LX variants.
✓The 2570mm wheelbase provides 180cm adults with genuine rear seat comfort throughout four-hour intercity South African journeys — a rear-seat standard that no hatchback or city car at this price point consistently achieves.
✓Kia South Africa's nationwide dealer network covers the Pegas EX Auto's warranty and service needs across all major cities and secondary towns, ensuring comprehensive ownership support throughout the seven-year coverage period.

Watch Out For

✕Combined consumption of approximately 6.4 L/100km is 0.5 L/100km higher than the EX Manual's 5.9 L/100km, representing approximately R1,500 in additional annual fuel cost at 30,000km of driving — the price of automatic convenience.
✕Alloy wheels are more vulnerable to South Africa's urban road pothole hazards than the steel wheel alternatives; alloy wheel repair or replacement costs after pothole damage should be factored into the EX Auto's long-term ownership budget.
✕The four-speed torque-converter is an older automatic design without sport mode, paddle-shift capability, or adaptive cruise; it lacks the driver engagement features that newer dual-clutch or CVT designs in competing vehicles provide.
✕No lane-keeping assist or blind-spot monitoring at any Pegas trim level including EX Auto; active safety technology is limited to ABS, EBD, and dual airbags across the full Pegas range.
✕The sedan body's 4375mm length requires more spatial awareness and longer reversing sight lines than compact hatchbacks in South Africa's older retail centre and residential street parking environments.
✕Non-adaptive cruise control deactivates immediately when the brake pedal is applied, requiring reactivation after every traffic interruption on busy South African highway sections — a minor but recurring inconvenience on the N3's variable-speed zones.
✕The EX Auto's higher acquisition price generates the largest monthly finance instalment in the Pegas range; buyers who stretch from LX to EX Auto specification must ensure the additional monthly cost remains within household budget parameters.
✕Bonded leather upholstery at EX Auto level is not equivalent to the full-grain leather in more expensive sedans; buyers whose aesthetic expectations are set by premium segment vehicles should handle this specification distinction carefully.
✕The Pegas's five-colour palette — Clear White, Aurora Black Pearl, Smoke Blue, Sporty Blue, and Fiery Red — is more limited than some competitors' colour ranges, which may reduce the EX Auto's personalisation appeal for colour-conscious buyers.

The Pegas EX Auto makes its case definitively and without apology: it is the most completely specified automatic sedan available in South Africa's entry-level family market, at the most accessible acquisition price, with the longest manufacturer warranty available in the segment. The 1.4-litre G4FA four-cylinder's 73 kW and 132 Nm give the four-speed automatic enough engine output to manage South Africa's highway gradient demands without the gear-hunting anxiety that less torquey alternatives exhibit. Cruise control at 120 km/h on the N3 from Johannesburg to Durban — a 565km journey that defines the South African family road trip — means the driver arrives in Durban with enough physical and mental energy to unpack, shower, and walk the beachfront rather than collapsing from the fatigue of five hours of active speed management. Leather seating handles the accumulated entropy of family car life — muddy boots from the Kruger Park walk, sandy bathers from the Durban beach, the general disorder that children introduce to vehicle interiors — with more grace and easier restoration than cloth alternatives. The reverse camera makes parking the 4375mm sedan in Cape Town's city bowl side streets or Johannesburg's Sandton retail complex underground bays a visual precision exercise rather than an anxiety-generating spatial estimate. The six-speaker audio system turns CarPlay's output into genuinely enjoyable sound at highway speeds. The 502-litre enclosed boot carries the full school holiday luggage load for four without creative packing or a roof rack. The 2570mm wheelbase puts adult rear passengers in enough space to arrive at Port Elizabeth from Johannesburg on the N10 without lower back complaints. Against the Polo Vivo sedan automatic at fully specified level, the Pegas EX Auto is cheaper with a longer warranty. Against the Toyota Starlet automatic at full spec, the Pegas offers a larger boot and warranty advantage. Against the Suzuki Dzire automatic at top trim, the Pegas offers more dealer coverage, a larger wheelbase, and a more comprehensive equipment list. For South African families who have honestly evaluated the sedans available at this price tier, the Pegas EX Auto is the rational outcome of that evaluation.

Buyers researching the KIA Pegas often compare it with rivals such as Honda Amaze , Volkswagen Polo Sedan . Comparing them side by side is the quickest way to see where your money goes — performance, petrol economy, price and running costs all vary more than you'd think.