Road freight does not qualify for the SARS diesel refund. Hauling goods by road is not on the list of qualifying activities. If someone has told you your trucks can claim the diesel rebate, they are describing a scheme built for farming, mining, forestry, rail and vessels — not for a transport operator running a fleet on the N3.
This is the honest answer, and it saves you a wasted application. The scheme is real, the money is real, and the eligibility list is narrow and specific. Below is exactly what is on it.
What actually qualifies
SARS lists the qualifying activities for the Diesel Refund System as follows. Source: SARS Diesel Refund System.
| Category | Qualifying activities |
|---|---|
| On land | Farming · Mining · Forestry |
| Offshore | Commercial fishing vessels · coasting vessels · offshore mining · NSRI vessels · marine research vessels · coastal patrol vessels · fibre-optic telecommunication service vessels |
| Harbour | Vessels operated by Portnet · in-port bunker barge operators |
| Rail | Locomotives used for rail freight |
| Electricity generation | Plants with generation capacity above 200 MW |
Note the rail line. Locomotives moving freight by rail qualify. Trucks moving the identical freight by road do not. That is a policy choice, not an oversight, and it is worth knowing when you are comparing your cost base against a rail competitor.
Where operators go wrong
- “We haul for a mine, so we can claim.” The refund attaches to the qualifying activity and the person using the diesel in it — not to everyone in the supply chain around it. If you are contracted to haul, get it confirmed in writing before you build it into a rate.
- “Our tippers work on site.” Possibly relevant, possibly not. The question is what the diesel was used for, not what the vehicle looks like. This is where a specialist earns their fee.
- “The rate changed, so the scheme changed.” The refund amount moved during 2026 because the diesel general fuel levy itself was temporarily cut to nil between April and June, then restored on 1 July. The eligibility did not change.
One thing that did change in 2026
For on-land primary sector users who do qualify, the allowable diesel consumption percentage for a refund claim rose from 80% to 100% with effect from 1 April 2026. If you farm or mine as well as haul, that is worth checking against what you claimed last year.
What a road transport operator can do instead
There is no rebate, so the levers are the ordinary ones — and at R31.95 a litre they are worth more than they were:
- Put a fuel clause in the contract. Diesel rose 65.2% in the year to October 2026. A rate agreed in February is R14.03 a litre out of date. The formula is here.
- Buy on a wholesale or card arrangement. Diesel has no fixed retail price, so where you fill genuinely changes what you pay.
- Cut empty kilometres before you cut anything else. A return leg running empty doubles your fuel cost per paid kilometre — a bigger single number than any rebate would have been.
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Questions people ask
Can a trucking company claim the diesel rebate in South Africa?
Not for road haulage. SARS lists farming, mining, forestry, specified offshore and harbour vessels, rail locomotives and large electricity generation plants. Road transport of goods is not a qualifying activity.
Who qualifies for the SARS diesel refund?
Users of diesel in farming, mining and forestry on land; commercial fishing, coasting, offshore mining, NSRI, marine research, coastal patrol and fibre-optic service vessels offshore; Portnet and in-port bunker barge vessels in harbour; locomotives used for rail freight; and generation plants above 200 MW.
How much is the diesel refund?
It is a refund of levy, set in Schedule No. 6 (Note 6 in Part 3) of the Customs and Excise Act, and it moved during 2026 because the diesel general fuel levy was temporarily reduced to nil from April and restored on 1 July. Check the current Schedule 6 rate for the period you are claiming rather than a figure quoted in an article.
Did the diesel refund percentage change in 2026?
Yes — for on-land primary sector beneficiaries the allowable consumption percentage increased from 80% to 100% with effect from 1 April 2026.
This page describes what SARS publishes. Whether a specific operation qualifies is a question about your facts, and it is decided by SARS against Schedule 6. Take the list above to your accountant or to SARS before you claim — and before you price work on the assumption that you can.
Sources
- South African Revenue Service, Diesel Refund Scheme, page read 11 October 2026, with its notice of 13 February 2026. The list of qualifying activities, and the refund on 100% of eligible diesel for on-land farming, forestry and mining from 1 April 2026.
- National Treasury, National Treasury on extension of short-term relief measures to address fuel price increases, 28 April 2026. The temporary reduction of the diesel general fuel levy and its return to R3.93 a litre on 1 July 2026.
- Fuels Industry Association of South Africa, Fuel Prices (Current & Past), table read 11 October 2026. The inland wholesale diesel price of R31.95 and the February 2026 price of R17.92.
The 65.2% rise and the R14.03 a litre difference are Kweli’s own figures, worked out from the prices above: R31.95 against R19.34 in October 2025, and R31.95 less R17.92.
Related: what is actually in the diesel price · the South African diesel price and its 14-month trend · what a good cost per kilometre looks like · all fuel and freight cost coverage
