11 of the best-selling bakkies in South Africa right now

 ·11 Feb 2023

Bakkies have remained one of South Africa’s favourite vehicle segments as they continue to feature in the top sellers list every month.

Although the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s (Naamsa) new vehicle sales report noted that South Africa’s exports of cars and components declined by 1.8% in January 2023, domestic sales remained resilient – increasing by 4.8%.

This is partly thanks to the sales numbers of South Africa’s most popular bakkie, the Toyota Hilux, which ranked as the top seller last month with a total of 2,769 units sold.

Other bakkies featured on Naamsa’s top sellers included the Isuzu D-Max, the Ford Ranger, and the compact Nissan NP200.

These four bakkies alone represented 14.2% of the total domestic sales in January 2023 – accounting for 6,197 units sold out of 43,509 in total.

It’s not hard to understand why these vehicles are so prevalent in South Africa. Bakkies offer a combination of utility and ruggedness that is ideal for challenging road conditions across the country.

Given this segment’s popularity and success in the South African market, at least four manufacturers plan to introduce a new model in 2023.

The next-generation Ford Ranger made its debut at the end of last year, but the best has yet to come as the halo-model Raptor is scheduled to release within the first quarter of 2023, reported TopAuto.

The Raptor will have a new 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine paired to a 10-speed automatic gearbox, lending the performance bakkie an impressive power ceiling of 292kW and 583Nm, added TopAuto.

As a result of the continued success of the Nissan NP200, Renault announced at the end of 2022 that it would be introducing a competitor called the Oroch – which is also expected to launch in the year’s first quarter.

While details are slim, Renault confirmed that South Africa would receive the double-cab version of the Oroch. In Nigeria, another African market where the French bakkie is sold, the Oroch is equipped with either a 1.6-litre or 2.0-litre engine producing 82kW and 107kW, respectively.

More interestingly, JAC Motors announced that it would be introducing the first hybrid bakkie to South Africa.

The JAC T9 Hunter will make its local introduction with a choice of two engines – a turbocharged diesel unit or a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain – and is expected to land in the country in the second quarter of 2023.

Lastly, 2023 will also see the launch of the highly-anticipated second-generation VW Amarok – the sibling of the Ford Ranger, as both vehicles were developed in a joint effort between Ford and Volkswagen, said TopAuto.

Although VW has yet to confirm the exact outputs for each engine, it was stated that the base model would ship with 110kW, while the more powerful diesel drivetrains will be able to generate up to 184kW, added TopAuto.

While bakkie enthusiasts await these new arrivals, here are 11 of the best-selling bakkies in January 2023.


1. Toyota Hilux – 2,769 units sold 


2. Isuzu D-Max – 1,273 units sold 


3. Ford Ranger – 1,269 units sold 


4. Nissan NP200 – 886 units sold 


5. Mahindra Pik-Up – 819 units sold 


6. Toyota Land Cruiser – 468 units sold 


7. Nissan Navara – 351 units sold 


8. GWM P-Series – 286 units sold 


9. GWM Steed-5 – 87 units sold 


10. Mitsubishi Triton – 65 units sold 


11. VW Amarok – 51 units sold 


Read: Cars you can buy for under R250,000 in South Africa right now

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