News / 2 August 2022 / Albert du Toit

Most popular cars on AutoTrader in 2022

In the first half of 2022, VW was the most-searched-for automotive brand, the Toyota Hilux was the most-searched-for vehicle range, and the VW Golf GTI was the most-searched-for vehicle model on AutoTrader.

The Toyota Hilux was also the most-enquired-on car during this time, pointing to the fact that this is the pre-owned vehicle that local motorists are the most interested in purchasing.

These insights were revealed in AutoTrader’s latest mid-year industry report covering searches performed on the classifieds site between January and June 2022.

22 searches per second

AutoTrader experienced over 349 million online car searches during the first six months of 2022, equating to 22 hits every second.

“Searches showcase the consumer interest in a car and therefore can be used as an indicator of popularity for both new and used cars,” said AutoTrader CEO George Mienie.

According to the company, car buyers had a higher interest in locally-produced vehicles this year than the years before, with BMW, Toyota, and VW generating 40.9% of consumer inquiries.

“While South Africans remain loyal to popular brands, the data shows that car shoppers are starting to consider more and more [manufacturers],” said Mienie.

Consumer interest in electric vehicles (EV) this year also shot up by 134% when compared to 2021.

“Given the global move to EVs, local car manufacturing strategies have begun to shift,” said Mienie.

“Interest in new energy cars is also being fuelled locally, helped in good measure by the introduction of several new EVs domestically and the launch of the first locally-built hybrid electric car, the Toyota Corolla Cross.”

The top 10 most-searched-for brands, model ranges, and model variants on AutoTrader for the first half of 2022 are detailed below, as provided by the company.