Pre-owned car market steadies as shifting buyer trends emerge
19 March 2025 - 14:04
byPhuti Mpyane
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Previous generation Ford Rangers remain popular buys in the pre-owned market. Picture: PHUTI MPYANE
Used car sales in SA continued on a positive trajectory in February, with its fewer business days, according to the latest data from AutoTrader.
February 2025 posted superior year-on-year (YoY) sales, and only a minor decline in monthly sales.
February 2025 recorded 28,885 used vehicles sold in total, representing a 0.8% YoY increase and a lower 6.7% month-on-month (MoM) decrease.
The cumulative value increased by 3.7%, netting R12.02bn in comparison with the R11.60bn in February 2024, and 4.46% lower than the R12.59bn registered in January 2025.
The average price of a used car in February 2025 was higher at R416,483, representing a R9,790 MoM increase, and an R11,578 YoY increase, but the Ford Ranger continued its firm grip as the country’s most wanted pre-owned purchase.
The top six best-selling vehicles have retained their rankings from last month, with some shifts and new trends observed in February 2025.
Aside from the Nissan NP200 moving up two places to seventh and dropping the Isuzu D-Max to eighth, the Toyota Starlet improved from tenth to ninth.
More affordable vehicles are starting to break into the top ten, with the biggest premium victim being the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which finished tenth in February 2025, from eighth last month and sixth in the same month in 2024.
The Polo Vivo seen here in GT spec was the best selling single model in February 2025. Picture: SUPPLIED
The premium German brand saw a 19.6% YoY decline in February 2025, excluding sales of the high-performance AMG models.
The 1,725 used Ford Ranger units sold last month make the Blue Oval brand the single most popular range in February, but it experienced the biggest monthly decline by 12%. At the same time, Ranger sales grew 10.3% YoY compared to February 2024.
The second-placed Toyota Hilux combined its 1,501 sales with the Fortuner and Starlet’s 646 and 461, respectively, to make the Japanese doyens the most popular brand with 5,099 units sold in total.
The base grew 6% YoY but experienced a 4% MoM decline despite the Fortuner’s 5.6% YoY sales drop. The Starlet, though, enjoyed a 67.6% YoY sales increase, and notably ranked 17th just a year ago.
Volkswagen, the second most populous brand, saw 4,004 used vehicle sales between the Polo (1,178) and Polo Vivo (1,131.) The total MoM decline was 9% with minor YoY growth by 1%, but sales of the Polo Vivo grew by 19.6%, evidencing a continuing and strong appetite for the entry model.
Meanwhile, Japanese brand Suzuki (6th) is shaking things up in the new car sales charts, gaining a 20% YoY increase. Though outside the top ten, Korean brands Kia and Hyundai respectively gained 20% and 10% YoY growth, but the former brand saw a significant 16% decrease in sales during February.
Chinese brands
Chinese brands continue to climb up the new car market sales charts; Chery and Haval as the veterans of the SA automotive landscape. Both brands are regular fixtures in the top ten new cars sales, and both have breached the top 30 used car sellers. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is ranked 25th overall with 218 units sold in February, while the Haval Jolion comes in at 27th with 203 sales in the same period.
The Tiggo 4 Pro was among the top 30 pre-owned buys in the same period. Picture: SUPPLIED
Individual Models
The Ford Ranger is the most popular single range buy, though the Ranger XL model in particular drew the most interest. The overall champion is however the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 with 883 examples sold in February 2025. In second place is the Polo 1.0 TSI (719), followed by the Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (651), Ranger XL (537), and Hilux 2.4 GD-6 (512).
AutoTrader CEO George Mienie said: “Year-on-year growth in sales points to sustained consumer confidence, while shifts in model rankings highlight evolving buyer preferences, with an increasing number looking at affordable, fuel-efficient hatchbacks.”
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Local News
How the used car market fared in February 2025
Pre-owned car market steadies as shifting buyer trends emerge
Used car sales in SA continued on a positive trajectory in February, with its fewer business days, according to the latest data from AutoTrader.
February 2025 posted superior year-on-year (YoY) sales, and only a minor decline in monthly sales.
February 2025 recorded 28,885 used vehicles sold in total, representing a 0.8% YoY increase and a lower 6.7% month-on-month (MoM) decrease.
The cumulative value increased by 3.7%, netting R12.02bn in comparison with the R11.60bn in February 2024, and 4.46% lower than the R12.59bn registered in January 2025.
The average price of a used car in February 2025 was higher at R416,483, representing a R9,790 MoM increase, and an R11,578 YoY increase, but the Ford Ranger continued its firm grip as the country’s most wanted pre-owned purchase.
The top six best-selling vehicles have retained their rankings from last month, with some shifts and new trends observed in February 2025.
Aside from the Nissan NP200 moving up two places to seventh and dropping the Isuzu D-Max to eighth, the Toyota Starlet improved from tenth to ninth.
More affordable vehicles are starting to break into the top ten, with the biggest premium victim being the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, which finished tenth in February 2025, from eighth last month and sixth in the same month in 2024.
The premium German brand saw a 19.6% YoY decline in February 2025, excluding sales of the high-performance AMG models.
The 1,725 used Ford Ranger units sold last month make the Blue Oval brand the single most popular range in February, but it experienced the biggest monthly decline by 12%. At the same time, Ranger sales grew 10.3% YoY compared to February 2024.
The second-placed Toyota Hilux combined its 1,501 sales with the Fortuner and Starlet’s 646 and 461, respectively, to make the Japanese doyens the most popular brand with 5,099 units sold in total.
The base grew 6% YoY but experienced a 4% MoM decline despite the Fortuner’s 5.6% YoY sales drop. The Starlet, though, enjoyed a 67.6% YoY sales increase, and notably ranked 17th just a year ago.
Volkswagen, the second most populous brand, saw 4,004 used vehicle sales between the Polo (1,178) and Polo Vivo (1,131.) The total MoM decline was 9% with minor YoY growth by 1%, but sales of the Polo Vivo grew by 19.6%, evidencing a continuing and strong appetite for the entry model.
Meanwhile, Japanese brand Suzuki (6th) is shaking things up in the new car sales charts, gaining a 20% YoY increase. Though outside the top ten, Korean brands Kia and Hyundai respectively gained 20% and 10% YoY growth, but the former brand saw a significant 16% decrease in sales during February.
Chinese brands
Chinese brands continue to climb up the new car market sales charts; Chery and Haval as the veterans of the SA automotive landscape. Both brands are regular fixtures in the top ten new cars sales, and both have breached the top 30 used car sellers. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro is ranked 25th overall with 218 units sold in February, while the Haval Jolion comes in at 27th with 203 sales in the same period.
Individual Models
The Ford Ranger is the most popular single range buy, though the Ranger XL model in particular drew the most interest. The overall champion is however the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 with 883 examples sold in February 2025. In second place is the Polo 1.0 TSI (719), followed by the Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (651), Ranger XL (537), and Hilux 2.4 GD-6 (512).
AutoTrader CEO George Mienie said: “Year-on-year growth in sales points to sustained consumer confidence, while shifts in model rankings highlight evolving buyer preferences, with an increasing number looking at affordable, fuel-efficient hatchbacks.”
Top 10 sold used models in February 2025
Debuts for Chinese and German cars at Simola Hillclimb
Nurburgring-beating Audi RS Q8 lands in SA
These are SA’s best-selling bakkies
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
US tariffs may benefit Mercedes-Benz SA
GM to use Nvidia AI chips in its cars and factories
Toronto pulls Tesla incentives amid US trade war
Zeekr and Xpeng to offer first EVs with L3 autonomy
BYD launches super fast charging system for electric vehicles
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.