What is the best-selling car in South Africa?
New vehicle sales keep the wheels of the economy turning. The local automotive sector contributes significantly to the country's GDP and is responsible for the employment of thousands of South Africans. Healthy vehicle sales means a more stable country. Here we look at the models that were the best-sellers for the 2022 year and how they compare to the demand.
The aftereffects of the pandemic are still being felt in the automotive sector. Supply chain constraints have hindered progress and many vehicles have been subjected to production delays as a result. Despite these challenges, the local automotive landscape still appears to be stable and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) reports that there has been a growth of 4.8% in the total number of vehicles sold, year on year, in January of 2023.
Related: What is the most popular car brand in South Africa?
By far, the most successful brand in South Africa at the moment is Toyota, registering a total of 7 595 sales for the month of January. They were followed up by Volkswagen at 4 864 sales and Suzuki placed third with a total of 4 213 registered sales.
These figures also show in independent data presented in the annual AutoTrader Car Industry Report where over 653 million searches were recorded. Data indicates that The Toyota Hilux is the most searched-for and viewed model in our listings, followed by the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Polo as the most searched-for models.
Best-selling passenger cars
The NAAMSA report doesn't drill down into the model specifics, but further research shows that the most popular model in terms of sales goes to the Toyota Hilux which recorded a total of 32 203 sales for 2022. The popular Ford Ranger didn't feature but this is to be understood as the production of this model was halted to make way for the new Ford Ranger.
The best-selling passenger car goes to the Volkswagen Polo which managed 20 866 sales in 2022 and was followed by the Suzuki Swift at 17 282.
Here's your list of the Top 5 best-selling passenger cars of 2022, as compiled by IOL.
1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo
- From R247 300
- 20 866 sold
2. Suzuki Swift
- From R194 900
- 17 282 sold
3. Toyota Urban Cruiser
- From R283 200
- 16 992 sold
4. Toyota Corolla Cross
- From R371 200
- 15 855 sold
5. Volkswagen Polo
- From R332 400
- 15 697 sold
