South Africa’s love affair with bakkies isn’t going away anytime soon if the sales stats are anything to go by, as three of the top five best-sellers in September 2026 were high-riders.
The Toyota Hilux continues to dominate the charts, moving 3,769 units, but the Isuzu D-Max and Ford Ranger also did well with 2,551 and 2,502 sales landing them the third and fourth spots, respectively.
This is according to a report by The Citizen, using data from the Automotive Business Council.
As far as passenger cars are concerned, the VW Polo Vivo was the model of choice for buyers last month, coming second overall with 2,553 units.
The Chery Tiggo 4 (and Cross) then closed out the top five with 2,251, showing just how far Chinese brands have come in just a few short years.
The Suzuki Swift came sixth with 2,012 sales, and two Toyota models, the Corolla Cross and Starlet, were up next with 1,964 and 1,573 units.
Hyundai’s Grand i10 then landed in ninth place thanks to 1,526 customers, and another Toyota, the Starlet Cross, squeezed into the top 10 with 1,478 sales.
A second Chinese model, the Haval Jolion, was 11th with 1,351 sales, which was followed by the Toyota Urban Cruiser with 1,328.
A pair of Suzuki cars, the Ertiga and Fronx, added 1,270 and 1,184 sales to the industry’s total, and the VW Polo came 15th with 1,005 sales.
The final spots in the top 20 then consisted of the Toyota Vitz, Omoda C5, Toyota Fortuner, Kia Sonet, and Jetour T2.
In total, the top 20 passenger and light commercial vehicles accounted for 32,705 units, or 53% of the 61,645 cars sold in South Africa last month.
The best-selling cars in South Africa
These were the top 20 best-selling cars in South Africa in September 2026.
Click on their underlined prices for more information.
1. Toyota Hilux – 3,769 units
- Starting price – R379,700
2. VW Polo Vivo – 2,553 units
- Starting price – R271,900
3. Isuzu D-Max – 2,551 units
- Starting price – R433,860
4. Ford Ranger – 2,502 units
- Starting price – R590,000
5. Chery Tiggo 4 Pro – 2,251 units
- Starting price – R269,900
6. Suzuki Swift – 2,012 units
- Starting price – R228,900
7. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1,964 units
- Starting price – R420,700
8. Toyota Starlet – 1,573 units
- Starting price – R271,000
9. Hyundai Grand i10 – 1,526 units
- Starting price – R224,900
10. Toyota Starlet Cross – 1,478 units
- Starting price – R311,000
11. Haval Jolion – 1,351 units
- Starting price – R348,950
12. Toyota Urban Cruiser – 1,328 units
- Starting price – R342,700
13. Suzuki Ertiga – 1,270 units
- Starting price – R307,900
14. Suzuki Fronx – 1,184 units
- Starting price – R303,900
15. VW Polo – 1,005 units
- Starting price – R373,800
16. Toyota Vitz – 949 units
- Starting price – R180,600
17. Omoda C5 – 936 units
- Starting price – R339,900
18. Toyota Fortuner – 908 units
- Starting price – R692,800
19. Kia Sonet – 838 units
- Starting price – R294,995
20. Jetour T2 – 757 units
- Starting price – R569,900
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