The VW Polo Vivo is the most popular budget-conscious car in South Africa.
The small, locally-made hatchback sold an impressive 2,470 units last month, enough to make it the second-best-selling vehicle overall behind the Toyota Hilux.
As far as other sub-R300,000 models are concerned, the runner-up this September was the Suzuki Swift, which was right on the Vivo’s tail with 2,265 purchases.
This was followed by the Toyota Starlet in third with 1,629 sales, and the Hyundai Grand i10 in fourth with 1,470 units.
Fifth place was taken by another Toyota – the small Vitz hatchback – which moved 1,446 examples.
The first crossover to feature on the list is the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro, a Chinese entry that sold 1,377 units.
As a matter of fact, the next three entries on the list are all compact SUVs, as the Suzuki Fronx came seventh with 1,054 units, and the Kia Sonet landed in eighth with 1,031 sales.
The Nissan Magnite secured ninth place thanks to 1,013 customers, and the Suzuki Ertiga people carrier claimed the final spot in the top 10 with 765 showroom success stories.
Taking a holistic look at the segment, the top 10 budget models sold a combined 14,520 units, equating to 26.54% of the 54,700 cars sold in South Africa last month.
It’s an impressive statistic that highlights how important sub-R300,000 cars are to the local industry, given that these 10 models accounted for just over a quarter of all the vehicles sold in South Africa.
Best-selling cars in South Africa
These were the 10 best-selling passenger cars under R300,000 in South Africa in September 2025.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
1. VW Polo Vivo – 2,470 units
- Starting price – R271,900
2. Suzuki Swift – 2,265 units
- Starting price – R224,900
3. Toyota Starlet – 1,629 units
- Starting price – R268,300
4. Hyundai Grand i10 – 1,470 units
- Starting price – R224,900
5. Toyota Vitz – 1,446 units
- Starting price – R178,800
6. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1,377 units
- Starting price – R269,900
7. Suzuki Fronx – 1,054 units
- Starting price – R298,900
8. Kia Sonet – 1,031 units
- Starting price – R294,995
9. Nissan Magnite – 1,013 units
- Starting price – R229,900
10. Suzuki Ertiga – 765 units
- Starting price – R299,900
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