South Africa’s best-selling new cars and bakkies in February

New-car sales in South Africa continued to soar last month, with 53,455 units being the highest reported since February 2013 and 11.4% higher than the figure for the same month a year ago.

This was encouraging for a local industry that had been in the doldrums for most of the post-Covid period, said Brandon Cohen, chair of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (Nada).

The passenger car market was up 11.3% compared to February 2025 and light commercial vehicle sales increased 11.9% in a market that is increasingly competitive as new entrants enter the fight for customers.

“The growth seems sustainable, given the stable and lower interest rates which many private buyers are taking advantage of,” said Cohen.

Lebogang Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication at WesBank, said the February performance showed that the sector has moved beyond recovery into a phase of consolidation supported by improving local economic conditions. Low inflation of 3.5% had helped contain vehicle price increases and support household purchasing power, he added, but fuel levy increases from April would push up the overall cost of vehicle ownership in the coming months.

Easing inflation and expectations of further interest rate relief are supportive, but rising fuel costs and policy uncertainty will need to be carefully managed
— Lebogang Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication at WesBank

“In addition, proposed adjustments to automotive tariff structures, including possible measures affecting imported vehicles, are still under discussion as part of broader industrial policy,” cautioned Gaoaketse.

“While nothing has been finalised, any changes could affect vehicle pricing and competition in the market, highlighting the need to balance localisation objectives with consumer affordability.”

Looking ahead, he said the outlook for the new vehicle market is cautiously optimistic.

“Easing inflation and expectations of further interest rate relief are supportive, but rising fuel costs and policy uncertainty will need to be carefully managed.”

Toyota retained its position as South Africa’s best-selling brand in February, with 12,272 units sold. It was followed by:

Suzuki ― 6,562
Volkswagen ― 4,895
Hyundai ― 3,136
Ford ― 2,928
GWM ― 2,614
Isuzu ― 2,371
Chery ― 2,312
Mahindra ― 1,996
Kia ― 1,746

Despite its replacement being around the corner, the evergreen Toyota Hilux still tops the list as South Africa’s favourite new vehicle, selling 3,362 units in February. Other good performers for Toyota last month were the Starlet, Vitz and Corolla Cross, though the latter — once the country’s best-selling passenger car — has fallen several places in the last two months.

In second place overall and the country’s most popular passenger car in February was the Suzuki Swift hatchback with 2,508 sales. The Fronx and Ertiga, which, like the Swift, are built in India, were other strong sellers for the brand.

Competitively priced Chinese cars continue to make inroads, and there were five brands from that country in last month’s top 30 sellers, with the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro the best performer in sixth overall.