The Ford Ranger is the easiest car to resell in South Africa, according to new data from AutoTrader.
Ease of resale is one of the most important factors many motorists consider when buying a new car, as it saves a great deal of time and stress and is also a good indication of how well a particular model will retain its value.
AutoTrader recently published its Mid-Year Industry Sales Report for the first half of 2025, which among other things, revealed the list of the fastest-selling vehicles on the pre-owned trading platform.
“The Fastest-Selling Metric is key. It provides insight into which cars spend the shortest time
on the market before being sold, reflecting demand,” reads the report.
“The challenge with this metric is that it is influenced by scarcity, and sales velocity is not the only factor affecting demand.”
The list considered two main factors: the number of days a vehicle was listed on the site before it was sold, and the number of sales that for that particular model.
The table below shows the list of the top 10 fastest-selling used vehicles in South Africa:
| Number | Model | Days to sell | Qualifying sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 33 | 8,633 |
| 2 | Toyota Hilux | 30 | 7,127 |
| 3 | VW Polo Vivo | 37 | 5,786 |
| 4 | VW Polo | 34 | 5,785 |
| 5 | Toyota Fortuner | 28 | 3,288 |
| 6 | Suzuki Swift | 25 | 2,591 |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 39 | 2,302 |
| 8 | Toyota Starlet | 31 | 2,212 |
| 9 | Isuzu D-Max | 32 | 2,160 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla Cross | 32 | 2,116 |
Going purely the time-to-sell, the Suzuki Swift is the winner with an average of 25 days on the site before a purchase is concluded.
However, looking at the number of sales, it’s the Ford Ranger that comes out on top with an impressive 8,633 units over the period under review.
Overall, the figures aren’t too surprising, given that nearly all the models listed are also some of the nation’s top-selling new cars as well.
In other words, these cars are in high demand but not everyone can afford to buy new, which in turn leads to demand for the same cars on the used market where they can be found at a better price.
Demand vs supply
One other factor to keep in mind is supply, which some cars are far more numerous and widespread than others.
These were the most listed vehicles on AutoTrader in the first half of 2025:
| Number | Model | Average price | Average mileage | Average year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ford Ranger | R492,741 | 79,732km | 2021 |
| 2 | Toyota Hilux | R461,063 | 107,495km | 2019 |
| 3 | VW Polo | R276,034 | 65,597km | 2020 |
| 4 | VW Polo Vivo | R211,791 | 49,519km | 2021 |
| 5 | Toyota Fortuner | R478,129 | 116,432km | 2018 |
| 6 | Suzuki Swift | R209,641 | 33,868km | 2022 |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | R442,393 | 67,529km | 2022 |
| 8 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | R401,687 | 102,523km | 2016 |
| 9 | Toyota Corolla Cross | R395,619 | 27,009km | 2023 |
| 10 | Toyota Starlet | R241,036 | 36,099km | 2023 |
Again, it’s not surprising to see that the list correlates with that of South Africa’s best-selling new cars, since there are far more of these units floating around on the nation’s roads.
Comparing it to the list of the fastest-selling cars, it’s clear that local motorists have firm favourites with regards to their choice of transport, which bodes well for those who are thinking of selling their wheels in the near future.
That being said, it’s obviously still possible to sell a car that isn’t one of the above-mentioned, especially if it’s a niche model with its own fanbase.
These types of cars won’t typically feature on an aggregated list since they are too few in number, but this is all to say that you shouldn’t feel overly pressured to buy one of a handful of cars in South Africa if resale value is just one of the factors you’re concerned about when buying your next ride.
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