Cheap cars taking over South Africa

South Africa’s used car market continued its strong growth in March 2025, with sales reaching R12.48 billion, driven by increased consumer demand for affordable, reliable vehicles.

The latest data from AutoTrader showed that 29,896 used vehicles were sold in March, marking a 9.6% year-on-year increase and a 3.5% month-on-month rise.

In March 2025, the total value of used vehicles sold amounted to R12.48 billion, reflecting a 10.9% year-on-year increase compared to March 2024, which saw R11.29 billion in sales.

It also saw a 3.81% month-on-month increase compared to February 2025, when the value of used vehicles sold reached R12.02 billion.

The average price of a used car also increased to R417,688, marking a month-on-month increase of R1,205 and a year-on-year rise of R4,683.

Autotrader explained that this continued momentum indicates renewed consumer confidence as the country enters the second quarter of the year.

It should be noted, though, that the increase in sales can be partly attributed to the fact that there were more selling days in March than in February.

Key brands like Toyota, Ford, and Suzuki, which have been dominating the market, saw impressive sales growth during the period.

The Ford Ranger remained South Africa’s favourite used vehicle, with prices ranging from as low as R75,000 to R2.7 million for an armoured demo model.

While the top 10 best-selling used cars maintained their positions, there were some notable shifts in their rankings.

The Polo Vivo, for example, outsold its more expensive sibling, the Polo, taking third spot on the podium. This shift aligns with an increasing preference for more affordable vehicles.

However, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class bucked the trend by climbing three spots to become the seventh-best-selling used car in the country last month. On the other hand, the Nissan NP200 dropped three spots to tenth place.

Despite the C-Class’s strong monthly performance, its year-on-year ranking has slipped from sixth place. It’s important to note that these sales figures exclude the Mercedes-AMG C-Class models.

The C-Class saw a 9.6% year-on-year decrease, making it the only car in the top 10 list to post a sales decline compared to March 2024.

In contrast, the Toyota Starlet, which ranked ninth, saw a remarkable year-on-year increase of 78.2%, up from 16th place last year.

South Africans are voting with their wallets

“The strong performance of the used car market in March highlights a continuing shift towards more affordable, reliable vehicles,” said AutoTrader CEO George Mienie.

“Brands like Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford remain at the forefront, but the rising popularity of models like the Polo Vivo, Suzuki Swift, and Toyota Starlet signals a clear demand for value-driven choices.”

He added that while premium brands face some challenges, the overall growth speaks to the market’s resilience and ability to adapt to changing consumer preferences.

Ford may lead on a model level, but Toyota remains the top-selling used car brand in South Africa, accounting for 5,228 of the 29,896 used vehicles sold in March. This reflects a 3% month-on-month increase and an 18% year-on-year rise.

Volkswagen took second place with 4,294 units sold, enjoying a 7% month-on-month increase, although its year-on-year growth of 15% was slightly behind Toyota.

In third place, Ford recorded 3,224 units, representing a 5% month-on-month and 12% year-on-year uptick in sales.

Of the top 10 brands, three saw year-on-year declines, two of which were premium brands. This highlights the growing consumer demand for more affordable and fuel-efficient vehicles.

BMW experienced a 6% year-on-year drop in sales, while Mercedes-Benz saw a 3% decline. Kia faced the most significant downturn, though.

The brand’s sales slipped by 22% compared to March 2024, although its year-on-year sales in February 2025 had already fallen by 17%.

However, several brands are showing strong growth, particularly the top three. Suzuki, for instance, posted impressive growth with a 31% year-on-year increase, although it did experience a 4% month-on-month decrease.

The Ranger continued to dominate the model front, with 1,753 units sold in March 2025. This model was also the best-selling second-hand car of 2024.

The Toyota Hilux follows closely behind, with 1,493 units sold. Interestingly, even though Toyota is the best-selling car brand in South Africa, the used car market has been consistently dominated by the Ranger.

Earlier this year, AutoTrader motoring journalist Sean Nurse noted that this is because Toyota’s reliability and longevity may actually be counting against it in the second-hand market.

Since it retains its value longer, consumers shopping for value can get a slightly lower mileage Ranger for the same, if not less, money than a Hilux.

“So they’re going for the used Ranger, whereas in the new market, it’s probably better to buy the Hilux because of the aforementioned resale value.”

The Polo Vivo secured third place with 1,248 units sold. The Polo Vivo’s YoY growth was particularly striking, with a 47% increase.

In terms of variants, the Polo Vivo 1.4 remained the most popular, with 976 units sold, followed by the Polo 1.0TSI in second place, with 730 units.

The Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (644), the Ranger XL (550), and the Hilux 2.4 GD-6 (517) capped off the top five most popular used variants.

Most cars sold	Model	Sold count	Average price	Average mileage	Average registration year
1	Ford Ranger	1,753	R492,129	78,856km	5 years-old
2	Toyota Hilux	1,493	R464,244	107,683km	6 years-old
3	Volkswagen Polo Vivo	1,248	R202,428	55,115 km	4 years-old
4	Volkswagen Polo	1,222	R267,514	72,390km	6 years-old
5	Toyota Fortuner	688	R481,459	105,041km	6 years-old
6	Suzuki Swift	506	R201,812	36,976km	3 years-old
7	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	478	R381,532	105,534km	9 years-old
8	Isuzu D-Max	473	R447,403	69,427km	3 years-old
9	Toyota Starlet	467	R238,141	33,466km	2 years-old
10	Nissan NP200	434	R177,817	86,044km	5 years-old