Features / 12 September 2025 / Michael Taylor

Best-selling used cars in South Africa right now – With pricing

Bakkies continue to dominate South Africa’s pre-owned car scene.

Last month, the Ford Ranger was the best-selling model on AutoTrader, selling a grand total of 1,994 units.

Not far behind was the Ranger’s long-time rival, the Toyota Hilux, which moved 1,640 units.

The first passenger car to make it into the top 10 in August was the VW Polo, which sent 1,400 examples off to new homes.

This was closely followed by the Polo’s cheaper sibling, the Vivo, and the Suzuki Swift, with 1,312 and 813 sales, respectively.

Outside of the top five, we have the Toyota Fortuner, which holds the title as South Africa’s favourite second-hand SUV with 757 purchases.

Another bakkie is up next, namely the Isuzu D-Max and its 567 sales – certainly less than the Ranger or Hilux, but nevertheless enough to secure seventh place.

The Toyota Corolla Cross moved up two spots to take eighth place with 536 sales, and the Hyundai Grand i10 came ninth with 529 units.

Last but not least is the Toyota Starlet, which closed out the top 10 with 508 sales.

AutoTrader noted that the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class – two models that used to regularly feature in the top 10 – are nowhere to be seen this time around.

This is an indication that there is a waning appetite for prestigious models – new or used – as households continue to grapple with the high cost of living.

Adding to this idea is the fact that budget options like the Hyundai Grand i10 and Swift have seen a 109% and 36% year-on-year uptick in sales, respectively.

On a more positive note, seven of the models in the top 10 are manufactured in South Africa, likely due to consumer confidence in the ability to find spare parts.

Overall, 34,402 used cars were sold in August, marking an improvement of 8.5% from the same month last year.