The sub-R300,000 bracket continues to be a vital part of the South African car scene, selling thousands of units every month.
As of the end of October 2025, the segment leader is the VW Polo Vivo, which sold an impressive 2,678 units last month.
This was closely followed by another small hatchback, the Suzuki Swift, which moved 2,377 examples over the same period.
In contrast, the third most popular budget option last month was the Chinese Chery Tiggo 4 Pro with 1,725 units, putting it ahead of the Toyota Starlet hatchback in fourth place with 1,613 sales.
Fifth place went to another Suzuki, namely the Fronx crossover, which recorded 1,369 showroom success stories.
Outside the top five, the Hyundai Grand i10 came sixth with 1,336 sales, followed by the Kia Sonet in seventh place with 1,229.
Toyota also has two entries in the top 10 thanks to the Vitz and its 1,200 sales, and Nissan’s Magnite crossover continues to be the brand’s best-selling model with 886 units to add to its tally.
Last but certainly not least is the Mahindra XUV 3XO, which has proven to be a big hit since its launch last last year.
The Indian crossover sold 647 units last month, knocking the Suzuki Ertiga MPV out of the rankings.
In total, the top 10 budget passenger cars sold a combined 15,060 models, accounting for 26.9% of the 55,956 vehicles sold in South Africa this October.
Best-selling cars in South Africa
These were the 10 best-selling passenger cars under R300,000 in South Africa in October 2025.
Click on the underlined prices for more information.
1. VW Polo Vivo – 2,678 units
- Starting price – R271,900
2. Suzuki Swift – 2,377 units
- Starting price – R224,900
3. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 1,725 units
- Starting price – R269,900
4. Toyota Starlet – 1,613 units
- Starting price – R268,300
5. Suzuki Fronx – 1,369 units
- Starting price – R298,900
6. Hyundai Grand i10 – 1,336 units
- Starting price – R224,900
7. Kia Sonet – 1,229 units
- Starting price – R294,995
8. Toyota Vitz – 1,200 units
- Starting price – R178,800
9. Nissan Magnite – 886 units
- Starting price – R229,900
10. Mahindra 3XO – 647 units
- Starting price – R259,999
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