Affordable cars drive growth in South Africa's used vehicle market

The South African used car market is gaining momentum, with March 2025 showing significant growth both month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY), signaling a boost in consumer confidence as we enter the second quarter of the year.

Source: Pexels

According to the latest data from AutoTrader, 29,896 used vehicles were sold last month, marking a YoY increase of +9.6% and a MoM rise of +3.5%. The increase in sales can be partly attributed to the fact that there were more selling days in March than in February.

The Ford Ranger remains South Africa’s favourite used vehicle. While the top 10 best-selling used cars held their positions, there were some notable shifts in their rankings.

The Polo Vivo, for example, outsold its more expensive sibling, the Polo, taking third spot on the podium. This shift aligns with an increasing preference for more affordable vehicles, although the Mercedes-Benz C-Class bucked the trend by climbing three spots to become the seventh best-selling used car in the country last month. On the other hand, the Nissan NP200 dropped three spots to tenth place.

Despite the strong monthly performance of the C-Class, its YoY ranking has slipped from sixth place. It's important to note that these sales figures exclude the Mercedes-AMG C-Class models. The C-Class saw a YoY decrease of -9.6%, making it the only car in the top 10 list to post a sales decline compared to March 2024. In contrast, the Toyota Starlet, which ranked ninth, saw a remarkable YoY increase of +78.2%, up from 16th place last year.

In March 2025, the total value of used vehicles sold amounted to R12.48bn, reflecting a +10.9% YoY increase compared to March 2024 (R11.29bn ) and a +3.81% MoM increase compared to February 2025 (R12.02bn ). The average price of a used car also saw an uptick to R417,688, marking a MoM increase of R1,205 and a YoY rise of R4,683.

Ford may lead on a model level, but Toyota remains the top-selling used car brand in South Africa. The Japanese giant sold 5,228 vehicles in March, reflecting a +3% MoM increase and an +18% YoY rise. Volkswagen took second place with 4,294 units sold, enjoying a +7% MoM increase, although its YoY growth of +15% was slightly behind Toyota. Ford, in third place, recorded 3,224 units, representing a +5% MoM and +12% YoY uptick in sales.