Best-selling used cars in South Africa right now – With pricing

South Africa’s used car market saw a small dip in sales in August 2026, dropping by 4.1% month-on-month and 3.1% year-on-year.

A total of 33,346 vehicles found their way into new owners’ homes last month, down from 34,759 units in July and 34,402 units in August 2025.

According to AutoTrader, the top-seller last month was the Ford Ranger, which moved 1,990 examples at an average price of R501,572 with 84,234km on the clock.

This was followed by the Toyota Hilux, which sold 1,589 units at a lower average sticker of R487,784, though the mileage was higher at 111,695km.

Third and fourth place went to the VW Polo Vivo and Polo, which added 1,226 and 1,122 units to the industry total, respectively.

874 people bought a Suzuki Swift last month, and the Toyota Fortuner came sixth with 720 units.

The Toyota Corolla Cross saw 593 units make their way off the showroom floor, and Isuzu cracked the eighth spot thanks to 556 buyers.

The last two models to make it into the top 10 were the Hyundai Grand i10 with 532 units, and the Toyota Starlet with 514 units.

Notably, all of the vehicles in the top 10 are unchanged from July 2026’s list.

Looking at the brands themselves, Toyota was the top pick overall with 5,750 sales, followed by VW with 4,287 units, and Ford with 3,460.

Suzuki was the only brand in the top 10 to record year-on-year growth, increasing by 8% to 2,426.

“August was a softer month, but some of the most popular models are still selling in greater numbers than they were a year ago,” said George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader.

“The Swift and Corolla Cross both recorded annual growth, while Ranger sales were almost unchanged. Buyers also spent less on average than in July, although the average selling price remained close to where it was in August last year.”

The average vehicle selling price on AutoTrader dropped from R433,552 to R418,649 between July and August.

Most cars had a mileage of around 71,149km. The average model year is still pegged at 2021.

South Africa’s pre-owned favourites

Below is a list of the 10 best-selling pre-owned cars in South Africa in August 2026, as listed by AutoTrader.

1. Ford Ranger – 1,990 units

• Average price – R501,572
• Average mileage – 84,234km
• Average age – 5 years

2. Toyota Hilux – 1,589 units

• Average price – R487,784
• Average mileage – 111,695km
• Average age – 5 years

3. VW Polo Vivo – 1,226 units

• Average price – R213,751
• Average mileage – 46,613km
• Average age – 3 years

4. VW Polo – 1,122 units

• Average price – R270,834
• Average mileage – 72,606km
• Average age – 5 years

5. Suzuki Swift – 874 units

• Average price – R205,810
• Average mileage – 33,821km
• Average age – 3 years

6. Toyota Fortuner – 720 units

• Average price – R501,815
• Average mileage – 103,891km
• Average age – 6 years

7. Toyota Corolla Cross – 593 units

• Average price – R374,746
• Average mileage – 35,789km
• Average age – 2 years

8. Isuzu D-Max – 556 units

• Average price – R461,440
• Average mileage – 69,345km
• Average age – 3 years

9. Hyundai Grand i10 – 532 units

• Average price – R191,443
• Average mileage – 42,870km
• Average age – 3 years

10. Toyota Starlet – 514 units

• Average price – R228,171
• Average mileage – 46,664km
• Average age – 2 years