
The Ford Ranger kept its crown as the best-selling used vehicle in South Africa in December 2024.
The venerable bakkie saw 1,641 units finding new owners at an average price of R494,415, with the sold examples being an average of five years old and having an average odometer reading of 75,893km.
Trailing the Ford was the evergreen VW Polo at 1,243 units moved at a mean window sticker of R263,447, while the Toyota Hilux sat in third at 1,220 units sold for an average of R452,038.
VW and Toyota were responsible for fourth and fifth place, too, the Polo Vivo grabbing the preferred position with 1,041 units sold followed by the Fortuner with 628.
The premium Mercedes-Benz C-Class continued to find favour in the used market, becoming the sixth-best-selling vehicle in the segment with 476 models transacted.
The Toyota Corolla Cross sat in seventh with 442 vehicles shifted, the Suzuki Swift was eighth with 440, and the Toyota Starlet was ninth with 425.
The last to make the top 10 was the sporty BMW 3 Series which saw 378 new buyers.
The combined value of used cars sold in December 2024 amounted to R10.79 billion, a 17.26% decline from November’s total of R13.04 billion.
Meanwhile, the average price of used vehicles sold in December 2024 was R408,516, higher than both November 2024 (R405,713) and December 2023 (R406,715).
In terms of brand preference, Toyota led the way with 4,534 used vehicles sold in the final month of 2024, followed by VW with 3,993 and Ford with 2,839.
All three nameplates experienced notable month-on-month declines, with Ford seeing the sharpest drop at -22%.
“December 2024 continued to demonstrate resilience in the used car market, with solid sales despite the typical seasonal slowdown,” said George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader.
“While the month saw a dip compared to November, the year-on-year performance remains strong, showcasing the enduring demand for used cars.”
Most popular used cars in South Africa
These were the 10 best-selling pre-owned cars in South Africa in December 2024, according to AutoTrader.
1. Ford Ranger – 1,641 units
- Average price – R494,415
- Average mileage – 75,893km
- Average age – 5 years
2. VW Polo – 1,243 units
- Average price – R263,447
- Average mileage – 72,042km
- Average age – 6 years
3. Toyota Hilux – 1,220 units
- Average price – R452,038
- Average mileage – 111,083km
- Average age – 5 years
4. VW Polo Vivo – 1,041 units
- Average price – R201,064
- Average mileage – 57,366km
- Average age – 4 years
5. Toyota Fortuner – 628 units
- Average price – R464,114
- Average mileage – 107,053km
- Average age – 7 years
6. Mercedes-Benz C-Class – 476 units
- Average price – R408,791
- Average mileage – 98,208km
- Average age – 8 years
7. Toyota Corolla Cross – 442 units
- Average price – R395,954
- Average mileage – 23,055km
- Average age – 3 years
8. Suzuki Swift – 440 units
- Average price – R193,094
- Average mileage – 38,409km
- Average age – 8 years
9. Toyota Starlet – 425 units
- Average price – R234,640
- Average mileage – 33,445km
- Average age – 5 years
10. BMW 3 Series – 378 units
- Average price – R380,417
- Average mileage – 110,212km
- Average age – 5 years
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