10 of the best-selling cars and brands in South Africa right now

·8 May 2025

Despite continuing cost-of-living pressures on South African consumers, some car brands and models remain favourites among those who could afford a new car in April 2025.

According to Naamsa’s latest stats, new vehicle sales experienced double-digit growth in South Africa, although there are some pockets of decline, such as exports.

The total number of new vehicles sold in the domestic market was 42,401, an increase of 11.9% (4,502 units) from the 37,899 cars sold in April 2024.

The new passenger car market saw even bigger growth, with 30,101 new cars sold last month, representing an increase of 16.9% (4,350 vehicles) compared to the 25,751 new cars sold in April 2024.

Despite the growth domestically, export sales declined, with only 31,822 units exported in April 2025, a decrease of 6.6% (2,266 units) compared to the 34,088 vehicles exported in April 2024.

Overall, for the first quarter of 2024, Vehicle exports were still 6.3% ahead of the same period last year.

“Even as external headwinds strengthened, the industry’s structural depth, export capabilities, and ability to pivot within a shifting global economy were fully on display,” said Naamsa.

“The automotive sector finds itself once again at the coalface of global economic shifts,” added Naamsa CEO Mikel Mabasa.

“While the new US tariff measures are concerning, the resilience and competitiveness of the South African automotive exports remain steadfast. Our industry has navigated difficult global tides before, and we will compellingly do so again.”

On the back of optimistic sales numbers, WesBank highlighted that the data is even more encouraging considering April 2025 had fewer trading days than last year.

“Year-on-year comparisons need to be contextualised in terms of selling days,” says Lebo Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank.

“April was disrupted by three public holidays and long weekends, resulting in only 19 selling days, whereas April 2024 had 21 selling days, given the public holidays fell into March last year.”

Gaoaketse added that the market also appears to be correcting itself, balancing affordability with demand as consumers become more realistic about their purchase decisions.

WesBank data shows that the average deal size shrank 8.6% year over year, indicating the stresses of affordability on new vehicle purchases and the continued trend of buying down into smaller, more affordable vehicles.

“The competitive price point of new Chinese entrants will also influence this shift as consumers seek alternative value in the market.”

Best-selling brands and cars

Toyota remained the top-selling brand with 10,363 units sold last month, which is slightly lower than February’s 11,660 units.

Suzuki maintained its position as the second most popular brand with 5,977 sales, while Volkswagen secured the third position on the list of top sellers last month with 3,973 sales.

The top 10 brands that sold the most cars locally in April 2025 were:

Toyota – 10,363 units
Suzuki – 5,977 units
Volkswagen Group – 3,973 units
Hyundai – 3,007 units
Ford – 2,398 units
GWM – 1,943 units
Chery – 1,852 units
Isuzu – 1,383 units
Renault – 1,281 units
Mahindra – 1,278 units

Gaoaketse noted that while April sales increased by 4,502 units compared to the previous year, the typical slower sales period at the beginning of the second quarter resulted in 7,059 fewer units sold than in March.

He also warned that while local sales are not expected to be directly affected by policy decisions in the US in the short term, the situation will be different in the long term.

Some US policy decisions will have longer-term effects on consumer and business sentiment.

Gaoaketse said that this, along with any potential economic fallout impacting household budgets, could start to be felt later in the year.

“For now, the South African new vehicle market is showing positive signs of growth momentum, which is beneficial for both consumers and the economy as a whole.”

The best-selling cars under the brands listed above and how many were sold last month are listed below, as outlined by Naamsa.