South Africa’s used car market just had its best month of 2025 – and it’s not all bakkies and Beemers anymore. July saw buyers leaning harder into practical, affordable, and fuel-efficient models, with a few surprising shake-ups in the top 10.
Record-Breaking Month
AutoTrader’s July 2025 stats paint a bullish picture:
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33,919 cars sold – up +7% year-on-year and +9.4% month-on-month.
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Total value? A whopping R14.1 billion in used car sales.
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Average price: R415,983.
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Average mileage: 73,579 km (down from 75,227 km last year – newer cars are hitting the market).
This surge follows steady growth since May (31,741 sales) and June (31,008 sales).
Brands on the Podium
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Toyota – Still the king, moving 5,878 cars (+13% MoM / +7% YoY).
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Volkswagen – 4,638 sales, steady as ever (+7% MoM / +5% YoY).
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Ford – 3,604 sales, up +12% MoM but modest +3% YoY.
Rising Stars:
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Hyundai (+49% YoY) and Suzuki (+41% YoY) are pulling serious moves.
Falling Back:
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BMW (-2% YoY), Mercedes (-12% YoY), and even Nissan, Renault, and Kia all dipped.
Models Making Moves
Top Dog: The Ford Ranger – 2,025 units sold (+6.4% YoY). That’s 56% of all Ford sales and a clear lead over the Toyota Hilux (1,636 units).
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3rd–5th place: VW Polo (1,400), Polo Vivo (1,322), Toyota Fortuner (815).
New Crowd in the Top 10:
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Hatchbacks & crossovers like the Suzuki Swift (+34.5% YoY), Hyundai Grand i10 (+116.7% YoY), Toyota Starlet, and Corolla Cross.
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Premium sedans like BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class are nowhere to be seen – a big shift toward everyday practicality.
Variant Breakdown – July 2025 Champs
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Polo Vivo 1.4 – 1,037 sales (78% of all Vivo sales)
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Polo 1.0 TSI – 879 sales
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Hilux 2.8 GD-6 – 723 sales
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Ranger XL – 664 sales
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Hilux 2.4 GD-6 – 555 sales
July 2025 – AutoTrader Top 10 Used Cars
| Rank | Model | Units Sold | Avg. Price | Avg. Mileage | Avg. Age |
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| 1 | Ford Ranger | 2,025 | R492,873 | 81,051 km | 4 yrs |
| 2 | Toyota Hilux | 1,636 | R477,253 | 106,222 km | 5 yrs |
| 3 | VW Polo | 1,400 | R271,691 | 67,456 km | 5 yrs |
| 4 | VW Polo Vivo | 1,322 | R207,978 | 51,819 km | 3 yrs |
| 5 | Toyota Fortuner | 815 | R496,026 | 109,012 km | 6 yrs |
| 6 | Suzuki Swift | 690 | R204,605 | 36,697 km | 3 yrs |
| 7 | Isuzu D-Max | 578 | R423,884 | 70,810 km | 3 yrs |
| 8 | Hyundai Grand i10 | 546 | R192,388 | 41,932 km | 3 yrs |
| 9 | Toyota Starlet | 508 | R240,326 | 36,054 km | 2 yrs |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla Cross | 486 | R387,197 | 28,920 km | 2 yrs |
? George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, sums it up:
“The Ranger still proves South Africans love a rugged workhorse, but the big growth in small, locally made hatchbacks and crossovers shows a shift toward smart, practical buying.”
Bottom line: The SA used car market is thriving, with buyers getting more strategic — mixing reliability with affordability, and increasingly favouring cars that can handle both the weekday commute and weekend adventures.
