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Thursday / 13 February 2025
HomeFeaturesSouth African car buyers are going green – but not electric

South African car buyers are going green – but not electric

South African car buyers are increasingly opting for more eco-friendly vehicles, but they are staying away from those running purely on electricity.

Sales data from the new and used sectors indicate that hybrid vehicles (HEVs) are continually gaining traction in the country, whereas battery-electric cars (BEVs) are struggling to appeal to the masses.

This comes amidst a global cooling in demand for BEVs with many automakers reassessing their future strategies concerning the discontinuation of their petrol and diesel models.

A hit and a miss

Data from Naamsa The Automotive Business Council show that new-energy vehicles (NEVs) – a blanket term for traditional HEVs, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and NEVs – weathered the storm well during the first half of 2024 as they were among the few vehicle categories that saw an uptick in sales in a depressed market.

Overall, NEV sales from 18 brands rose by 169% between Q2 2023 and the corresponding period in 2024, from 1,526 units to 4,118 units.

An encouraging uptrend to say the least, though the part played by BEVs was not as significant as it seemed.

Total BEV sales increased by 55% from 268 units to 416 units over this period despite the introduction of several new and more affordable options to this segment.

Simultaneously, HEV sales jumped from 1,167 models in Q2 2023 to 3,542 in Q2 2024, reflecting a considerable increase of 253%.

PHEVs enjoyed a similar performance to BEVs, however, they still account for the smallest slice of the overall NEV market.

Year on year this segment grew by a respectable 76%, from 91 units to 160 units.

These findings are corroborated by the powertrain market share for C-segment SUVs in South Africa, which is one of the most popular vehicle categories.

Data provided by Chinese automaker GAC Motors show that HEVs currently occupy an 18.3% share in the C-SUV sphere with significant growth experienced over the last three years – so much so that HEVs far outperform diesel models when it comes to C-SUV sales.

Meanwhile, BEVs and PHEVs collectively account for just 0.8% of the C-SUV market.

C-SUV fuel type market share in South Africa. Source: GAC Motors

Looking at the used-car sector, this trend has largely been replicated by pre-owned car customers who are voting with their wallets.

As per AutoTrader’s Mid-Year Car Industry Report, the NEV marketplace experienced decent demand in the first six months of 2024 with aggregate sales totalling 5,016 units.

Admittedly, BEVs saw a commendable 78% year-on-year increase in sales while HEVs were only slightly higher at 88%.

However, of the 5,016 NEVs sold, hybrid cars accounted for the lion’s share of 82%.

“Hybrid vehicles represent the most-listed and sold NEVs in the South African market, addressing many of the core mental barriers to NEV options in South Africa—namely, range, charge time, and price,” said AutoTrader.

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