The top 10 used cars South Africans are buying right now

South Africans are increasingly moving to the used-car market amid the cost of living crisis, and AutoTrader has highlighted the top 10 cars in hot demand right now.

AutoTrader’s latest Annual Car Industry Report shows that Toyota was the most popular car brand on South Africa’s pre-owned market in 2023, with over 60,000 units sold between January and December.

This is no surprise, considering Toyota also dominates the new car market. Toyota remained the top-selling brand, with 11,524 units sold last month, slightly higher than January’s 10,855 units.

Volkswagen maintained its position as the second most popular brand with 5,333 sales, while Suzuki secured the third position on the list of top sellers last month with 5,221 sales.

However, although Toyota was the top-selling brand in the country, it didn’t have the best-selling car.

It was bested by the Ford Ranger, with 20,156 sales on the second-hand market last year. This put it about 2,500 units ahead of the second-best-seller, the Toyota Hilux.

In 2023, on the used-car market in South Africa, Ford had the most popular car. However, it was only the third best-performing brand overall.

Volkswagen secured the second spot thanks to its Polo and Polo Vivo hatchbacks. BMW and Mercedes-Benz followed in fourth and fifth place, respectively, due to their popular sedans – the 3 Series and C-Class.

Below is a complete breakdown of the top 10 best-selling car brands on the used-car market in South Africa in 2023.

The popularity of the second-hand market has surged in recent years, as indicated by AutoTrader’s report of a 97% increase in its site traffic since 2019.

In 2023 alone, the online trader recorded 127 million unique site visitors, 467 million car searches, 304 million advert views, and 830 million separate pages opened.

Over this period, the average price of a car listing has decreased by 7.6% year on year to reach $11,163 in 2023, compared to $12,407 in 2022.

However, the average mileage has slightly increased from 75,939km to 77,783km. New-energy vehicles, including hybrids and battery-electrics, have seen a 132% increase in sales.

AutoTrader credits this growth to the advancements in battery technology and affordability as new models enter the market at more reasonable prices.

The 10 most popular pre-owned cars purchased by South Africans on AutoTrader in 2023 are listed below.

Ford Ranger – 20,156 units

• Average price – R444,020
• Average mileage – 86,206km
• Average model year – 2019

Toyota Hilux – 17,555 units

• Average price – R453,621
• Average mileage – 104,125km
• Average model year – 2018

VW Polo – 16,140 units

• Average price – R263,120
• Average mileage – 65,495km
• Average model year – 2019

VW Polo Vivo – 10,990 units

• Average price – R192,989
• Average mileage – 63,236km
• Average model year – 2019

Toyota Fortuner – 9,169 units

• Average price – R461,943
• Average mileage – 103,691km
• Average model year – 2018

Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 7,850 units

• Average price – R438,692
• Average mileage – 95,956km
• Average model year – 2016

BMW 3 Series – 6,855 units

• Average price – R372,799
• Average mileage – 101,209km
• Average model year – 2016

Ford EcoSport – 6,032 units

• Average price – R242,056
• Average mileage – 57,116km
• Average model year – 2019

Nissan NP200 – 4,506 units

• Average price – R168,833
• Average mileage – 81,542km
• Average model year – 2019

Kia Picanto – 4,460 units

• Average price – R168,318
• Average mileage – 45,386km
• Average model year – 2020

Read: How much more you’re paying for a tank of petrol in South Africa in March 2024