The auto industry’s sales figures for December 2025 are finally in, revealing a few interesting developments.
To no one’s surprise, Toyota remains in the top spot with an impressive 12,933 units, but second and third place have flipped, with VW finally reclaiming its title as the nation’s second most popular car brand.
Volkswagen easily held this position for many years; however, it lost its crown to Suzuki for the first time in March 2024.
Since then, Suzuki has consistently maintained a lead over its rival, illustrating the shift in consumer spending as households move away from German brands towards more affordable options produced in countries like India.
VW reclaimed second place this December with 5,014 units, though Suzuki wasn’t far behind with 4,961 units.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that VW’s sales include that of Audi, which means Suzuki may still technically be number two if we only considered VW’s own sales.
Outside the top three, Hyundai once again overtook Ford to claim fourth place with 3,068 units, while the Blue Oval came fifth with 2,987 sales.
The Chinese duo of GWM and Chery then came sixth and seventh with 2,453 and 2,249 units, respectively.
Isuzu took the eighth spot thanks to 1,906 purchases, and Kia followed with 1,508 units.
The last slot saw another intriguing upset, as Jetour managed to squeeze into the top 10 with 1,371 sales.
This means that Jetour outperformed Omoda & Jaecoo (which came 11th) when the latter has usually held a comfortable lead over its rival.
It’s also the first time Jetour has broken into the top 10 since it launched in South Africa in September 2024.
Taking a look at the industry as a whole, a total of 48,983 new cars were sold in December 2025 – 7,882 more than the same month the year prior.
Passenger car sales saw a year-on-year increase of 20.3%, while light commercial vehicle sales went up by 23.7%.
Approximately 90.8% of sales were attributed to dealerships, while 6.3% went to the rental industry.
Another 1.9% went to the government, and the remaining 1.0% were taken by corporate fleets.
Unfortunately, vehicle exports declined 10.4%, shipping 26,852 units compared to the 29,955 it moved in December 2024.
Best-selling car brands in South Africa
The following list shows the best-selling car brands in South Africa from December 2025, according to Naamsa.
Click on the underlined names for more information.
1. Toyota – 12,933 units
2. VW – 5,014 units
3. Suzuki – 4,961 units
4. Hyundai – 3,068 units
5. Ford – 2,987 units
6. GWM – 2,453 units
7. Chery – 2,249 units
8. Isuzu – 1,906 units
9. Kia – 1,508 units
10. Jetour – 1,371 units
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