Best-selling used cars in South Africa right now – With pricing

The Ford Ranger is still leading the pack with regards to used-car sales, racking up an impressive 1,946 purchases in January 2025.

While this is a significant lead over South Africa’s other top picks, the Toyota Hilux managed to reduce the gap to its rival with its own sales figure of 1,510 units, allowing it to retake second place from the VW Polo.

Speaking of, the Polo also performed well with 1,270 units in January, landing it in third place just ahead of its entry-level sibling – the Polo Vivo – which sold 1,219 models.

Next up was the Toyota Fortuner, which is still comfortably sitting in fifth as the nation’s favourite pre-owned SUV, finding 670 new owners last month.

This was followed by the Suzuki Swift in sixth with 511 units, and the Isuzu D-Max in seventh with 359 buyers.

As far as luxury models go, the only badge in the top 10 last month was the Mercedes-Benz C-Class with its 495 customers, as the BMW 3 Series has dropped out of the running entirely.

In its place is the Toyota Starlet, which sold a total of 457 units.

The final slot was filled by the Nissan NP200, whose 381 sales prove there is still a strong demand for compact bakkies in South Africa.

A grand total of 30,961 second-hand cars were sold in January, marking a strong start with the year with a 17.2% month-on-month increase leading to a combined R12.59 billion in revenue for the industry, according to AutoTrader.

“January’s sales performance highlights the resilience of South Africa’s used-car market,” said George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader.

“The month-on-month growth signals renewed consumer activity, while shifts in model rankings suggest evolving preferences. With strong overall demand and a healthy start to the year, it will be interesting to see how these trends develop in the coming months.”

On a brand level, Toyota, VW, and Ford are still dominating the market, while BMW, Hyundai, Mercedes, Kia, and Renault all saw a year-on-year decline of up to 16%.

Suzuki, on the other hand, saw the largest spike in interest of any carmaker with a 35% increase in sales.

Most popular used cars in South Africa

These were the 10 best-selling pre-owned cars in South Africa in January 2025, as listed by AutoTrader.

1. Ford Ranger – 1,946 units

• Average price – R470,606
• Average mileage – 79,430km
• Average age – 5 years

2. Toyota Hilux – 1,510 units

• Average price – R453,947
• Average mileage – 111,079km
• Average age – 6 years

3. VW Polo – 1,270 units

• Average price – R270,823
• Average mileage – 72,042km
• Average age – 6 years

4. VW Polo Vivo – 1,219 units

• Average price – R201,766
• Average mileage – 57,366km
• Average age – 4 years

5. Toyota Fortuner – 670 units

• Average price – R462,218
• Average mileage – 107,056km
• Average age – 7 years

6. Suzuki Swift – 511 units

• Average price – R194,410
• Average mileage – 38,418km
• Average age – 3 years

7. Isuzu D-Max – 359 units

• Average price – R417,632
• Average mileage – 64,843km
• Average age – 4 years

8. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 495 units

• Average price – R427,836
• Average mileage – 98,236km
• Average age – 8 years

9. Toyota Starlet – 457 units

• Average price – R236,158
• Average mileage – 34,175km
• Average age – 3 years

10. Nissan NP200 – 381 units

• Average price – R180,488
• Average mileage – 75,782km
• Average age – 5 years