Car sales in South Africa continued to improve in May 2026 in spite of the high cost of fuel.
Nowhere is this more obvious than with the Toyota Hilux, which sold 2,448 units while diesel was retailing for over R32 per litre.
This is according to a report by The Citizen, using data from the Automotive Business Council.
The second most popular option last month was the VW Polo Vivo, which sold an impressive 2,335 units.
Third place went to the Ford Ranger with 2,073 sales, and the Chery Tiggo 4 was the last model to clear the 2k mark with 2,059 units.
The Hyundai Grand i10 came fifth with 1,829 purchases, beating its rival, the Suzuki Swift, which sold 1,588.
Similarly, the Haval Jolion beat the Toyota Corolla Cross, selling 1,345 to the latter’s 1,210.
The Suzuki Fronx ended in ninth place with 1,177 sales, and the Jetour T2 closed out the top 10 with 1,090.
In 11th place is the Isuzu D-Max with 1,009 sales, followed by three Toyota models – the Starlet, Starlet Cross, and Vitz – which sold 992, 944, and 881 units, respectively.
The 15th spot was taken by the Omoda C5 and its 858 sales, after which we find the Suzuki Ertiga and VW Polo with 841 and 713 sales.
The final three to make it into the top 20 were the Kia Sonet, GWM P-Series, and Toyota Rumion, which added 689, 689, and 665 units to the industry’s total.
In total, the top 20 passenger and light commercial vehicles sold a combined 25,435 units, accounting for 49.8% of the 51,071 cars sold in South Africa last month.
The best-selling cars in South Africa
These were the top 20 best-selling cars in South Africa in May 2026.
Click on their underlined prices for more information.
1. Toyota Hilux – 2,448 units
- Starting price – R365,300
2. VW Polo Vivo – 2,335 units
- Starting price – R271,900
3. Ford Ranger – 2,073 units
- Starting price – R590,000
4. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 2,059 units
- Starting price – R269,900
5. Hyundai Grand i10 – 1,829 units
- Starting price – R224,900
6. Suzuki Swift – 1,588 units
- Starting price – R228,900
7. Haval Jolion – 1,345 units
- Starting price – R348,950
8. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1,210 units
- Starting price – R420,700
9. Suzuki Fronx – 1,177 units
- Starting price – R303,900
10. Jetour T2 – 1,090 units
- Starting price – R569,900
11. Isuzu D-Max – 1,009 units
- Starting price – R433,860
12. Toyota Starlet – 992 units
- Starting price – R271,000
13. Toyota Starlet Cross – 944 units
- Starting price – R307,900
14. Toyota Vitz – 881 units
- Starting price – R180,600
15. Omoda C5 – 858 units
- Starting price – R339,900
16. Suzuki Ertiga – 841 units
- Starting price – R307,900
17. VW Polo – 713 units
- Starting price – R373,800
18. Kia Sonet – 689 units
- Starting price – R294,995
19. GWM P-Series – 689 units
- Starting price – R414,950
20. Toyota Rumion – 665 units
- Starting price – R311,000
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