South Africans are choosing practicality and long-term value, with bakkies and compact hatchbacks leading demand in a buoyant used car market.
The South African used car market delivered a strong performance in October 2025, recording solid month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) growth. Demand for pre-owned vehicles remained robust in the tenth month of the year, reflecting the sustained consumer confidence that has characterised 2025. October stood out as one of the best-performing months for used car sales so far this year.
According to AutoTrader’s October used car sales data, a total of 36,042 used vehicles were sold—a notable increase compared to previous months. This represents YoY and MoM growth of +3.1% and +8.2%, respectively, outperforming the 33,907 units sold in September 2025 and 34,402 units in August 2025.
It comes as no surprise that Toyota—the darling of South Africa’s new and used car markets—led both segments, recording 6,266 used car sales in October 2025. The automaker continues to dominate the leaderboard, with 40% of the top 10 models wearing a Toyota badge. Volkswagen holds second place with 5,209 used vehicles sold, while Ford maintains third position with 3,641 sales.
Hyundai and Suzuki have retained their fourth and fifth spots, posting the highest year-on-year growth rates at +33% and +30%, respectively. The steepest year-on-year declines came from Mercedes-Benz (7th) and Nissan (8th), with drops of -12% and -20%. Notably, all brands recorded month-on-month sales increases, with Renault showing the largest rise at +11%.
While Toyota continues to dominate overall, the Japanese automaker still can’t dethrone the Ford Ranger, which remains South Africa’s best-selling model. The locally built bakkie recorded 2,035 used sales last month, placing it well ahead of its rival, the Toyota Hilux, which achieved 1,688 units over the same period. It’s worth noting that the Ranger experienced a year-on-year decline of -2.2%, while the Hilux posted marginal growth of +1.4%.
The Polo Vivo has overtaken the Polo for third place, with 1,532 units sold, though the Polo follows closely at 1,506 (down -10.3% year-on-year). The Toyota Fortuner retains its fifth-place position with 855 models sold (and a +16% year-on-year increase). Continuing a recent trend, the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class appear to have permanently dropped off the top 10 leaderboard, replaced by more affordable and economical hatchbacks and crossovers. The Hyundai Grand i10, in particular, has shown remarkable year-on-year growth, with sales increasing by +74.1% compared to October 2024. The Corolla Cross has also performed strongly, with a +37.7% increase.
“The continued strength of South Africa’s used car market reflects both improved consumer confidence and the widening affordability gap between new and pre-owned vehicles,” commented AutoTrader CEO George Mienie. “Even as new car prices climb, used models—particularly popular bakkies and compact hatchbacks – remain the go-to choice for budget conscious buyers seeking reliability and value. The data suggests that this momentum is likely to carry through to the end of the year.”
In October 2025, the used car market showed the following key figures:
- The cumulative value of used cars reached R16.11 billion in October 2025, representing a MoM increase of 16.4% from September 2025 (R13.83 billion) and a YoY increase of 14.4% from August 2024 (R14.09 billion).
- The average price of a used vehicle increased to R447,046 in October 2025, up from R416,302 in September 2025.
- The average mileage decreased to 72,726 km in October 2025, compared to 73,447 km in September 2025.
The best-selling variant in October 2025 was the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4, which recorded 1,181 units sold. Remarkably, the Vivo 1.4 alone outperformed the combined sales of the Toyota Starlet and Hyundai Grand i10. It was followed by the Polo 1.0 TSI with 977 units, the Hilux 2.8 GD-6 with 729, the Ranger XL with 671, and the Hilux 2.4 GD-6 with 573.
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Author: Michelle Muir from Have Your Say on behalf of Autotrader.
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