These are the cars South Africans want – Even if they can’t afford them
South Africans love to look for cars they’d like to own, even if they can’t realistically afford them.
This is according to AutoTrader’s Mid-Year Industry Sales Report, which revealed several fascinating details about the browsing and spending habits of local motorists.
While the car trading platform publishes a monthly list of the nation’s best-selling used cars, the mid-year report also included a list of South Africa’s most-searched-for cars, including specific models and variants.
It makes for an interesting comparison, as the list of the best-selling used cars and the most-searched-for used cars gives us an idea of what consumers are really interested in, were money no object.
Starting with the former, this is the list of the best-selling pre-owned cars in South Africa between January and June 2025:
- Ford Ranger – 10,907 units
- Toyota Hilux – 8,973 units
- VW Polo – 7,354 units
- VW Polo Vivo – 7,301 units
- Toyota Fortuner – 4,155 units
- Suzuki Swift – 3,303 units
- Toyota Starlet – 2,791 units
- Isuzu D-Max – 2,729 units
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 2,725 units
- Toyota Corolla Cross – 2,663 units
It’s a list that is unsurprising for the most part, since many of the vehicles shown are also some of the most popular new-cars in South Africa as well.
The Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux are obvious examples, as bakkies are always in high demand, and budget options like the Polo Vivo and Swift are appealing to first-time car buyers and other motorists on a tight budget.
The one standout is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which indicates that a segment of buyers is keen to own a luxury brand, even if it means acquiring a 9-year-old model with 102,378km on the odometer.
What South Africans are really interested in
In contrast to all of this is the list of South Africa’s most-searched-for vehicle variants.
A search does not always mean intent-to-buy, but can indicate when a person is curious about a model they are interested in.
If a person has always wanted to own a VW Golf GTI but could never afford one, for example, it’s likely that they will search for it on used trading platforms every now and then to see if they can find an older example that fits their price range.
With that in mind, these are the cars South Africans were most curious about between January and June this year:
| Model | Number of searches | Rank change |
|---|---|---|
| VW Golf GTI | 3,764,401 | 0 |
| VW Golf R | 2,957,441 | 0 |
| VW Polo GTI | 2,890,794 | 0 |
| VW Polo 1.0 TSI | 2,605,414 | +1 |
| Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 | 2,145,652 | +1 |
| Ford Ranger Wildtrak | 2,097,815 | +1 |
| Ford Ranger Raptor | 1,826,059 | +1 |
| Mercedes-AMG C-Class C63 | 1,380,707 | -4 |
| BMW 3 Series 320d | 1,367,193 | 0 |
| Audi RS3 | 1,125,700 | New entrant |
The high-performance Golf and Polo models dominate the charts, as expected, since they have long been seen as a status symbol in South Africa.
The more powerful 2.8GD-6 Hilux models like the Raider, Legend, and GR-Sport are understandably popular, and it’s a similar story with the Ranger where the high-end Wildtrak and Raptor variants are the ones people are most interested in.
Interestingly, the Mercedes C-Class saw the most searches for the high-octane AMG version, while the BMW 3 Series mostly saw interest in the comparatively mass-market 320d option.
Last but not least is a new entry in the Audi RS3, which is one of the most powerful hot hatchbacks on the market right now – a fact that has clearly resonated with petrolheads who dream of owning one someday.
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