The best-selling electric cars in SA

Sales of fully electric vehicles (EVs) in SA reached record levels last year but grew at a subdued rate compared to 2023.

According to Lightstone, there were 1,257 battery-powered cars sold in the country in 2024 and, while it was a 35% increase over the 931 units sold in 2023, it was significantly lower than the 85.4% sales growth experienced the previous year.

The record number of EV sales locally is attributed to more models being introduced and prices becoming more affordable in some instances, but the slower year-on-year growth followed a global trend in 2024. Worldwide sales of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) grew 25.6% to more than 17-million cars last year, lower than the 31% growth in 2023 and down from 60% in 2022, according to market research firm Rho Motion.

Carmakers are under pressure to transition to EV cars as regulations in China, the EU and other regions will begin to ban sales of new fossil-fuel cars from the middle of the next decade.

In SA, the most notable new battery-powered model was the Volvo EX30, which was launched in February 2024 and rose to the top of the local EV sales charts with 406 units for the year, nearly double that of the second-placed BMW iX3. The EX30 has resonated with buyers as it offers relatively attainable pricing for a premium EV, with the entry-level model selling for R791,900.

In 2023 the number of EVs offered for sale locally grew significantly to 31 variants (from 17 in 2022) with the introduction of cars such as the GWM Ora, BYD Atto 3, Volvo C40 and Mercedes-Benz EQS.

In 2024 there were fewer battery-powered cars unveiled, but Chinese brands BYD and Dayun introduced the country’s two most affordable EVs, with the entry-level Dayun S5 priced at R399,900 and the baseline BYD Dolphin selling for R539,900.

Affordability has been a major obstacle to consumer adoption of EVs, but whether the S5’s and Dolphin’s more attractive prices have resonated with buyers is unknown as neither BYD nor Dayun reveal their sales numbers.

Aside from pricing, long charging times and a limited charging network have thwarted mass adoption of battery-powered cars in SA. The aforementioned 1,257 EV sales (excluding BYD and Dayun) accounted for just 0.24% of the 515,853 new vehicles sold in SA last year.

EV sales may accelerate after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement late last year that the government would incentivise the production of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the country and introduce measures to make them cheaper for consumers as has been done in many countries to reduce the price gap between EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.

In December Ramaphosa signed the 2024 Taxation Laws Amendment Bill into effect, which provides a 150% tax incentive for electric and hydrogen-powered vehicle manufacturers in SA, set to take effect in March 2026.

In October he said the NEV white paper, which set out the policy goals to support the transition to cleaner cars, would have subsidies to accelerate consumer uptake of EVs. He did not provide a time frame or say what form consumer subsidies would take, but it was speculated that ad valorem duties on EVs might be reduced to make them more affordable.

Greg Cress, automotive specialist at the Accenture business consultancy, said that without consumer incentives it would take until at least 2032 for EVs’ share of the SA new-vehicle market to reach 5%. With incentives, it could happen by 2029.

SA’S TOP-20 SELLING EVS IN 2024

Volvo EX30 — 406

BMW iX3 — 221

Volvo XC40 — 103

BMW iX — 80

MINI Cooper SE hatch — 69

BMW iX1 — 66

GWM Ora — 43

BMW i5 — 38

Mercedes-Benz EQA — 34

MINI Countryman SE — 30

Volvo C40 — 30

BMW i4 — 28

Mercedes-Benz EQE — 20

BMW i7 — 13

Mercedes-AMG EQE — 10

VW ID.4 — 10

Mercedes-Benz EQB — 9

Jaguar I-Pace — 7

JAC N75 truck — 7

Mercedes-Benz EQS — 4

• Source: Lightstone