South Africa's used car sales soar by 11% in January, led by Toyota's dominance

South Africa’s used car market continues to show resilience, with the latest figures for January showing positive growth according to used car data from AutoTrader.

There’s a notable month-on-month (MoM) and year-on-year (YoY) growth across the board, continuing the trend set in 2025.

A total of 34,452 vehicles were sold in January 2026, well ahead of December 2025 (30,742) and January 2025 (30,961). This represents a strong MoM increase of 12.07% and a YoY increase of 11.28%.

Toyota still tops

The most popular brands remain unchanged, with Toyota maintaining its position as the best-selling automaker on the used car market. A total of 5,876 vehicles were sold, up from December 2025 (5,039) and January 2025 (5,330). 

Toyota accounts for 40% of the top 10 best-selling used cars, highlighting the marque’s strong hold on the used car market.

Volkswagen, in second place, registered 4,733 units, while Ford delivered 3,577 (with more than 50% of those being the Ranger).

Toyota recorded one of the highest MoM increases, up 17% compared to December 2025, and up 10% YoY. 

Suzuki however, saw the biggest MoM improvement at 25%, while Hyundai achieved the strongest YoY growth at 45%. 

The only brand to post an MoM decline was BMW, down 4% compared to December 2025, though it still managed a 5% YoY increase. The biggest YoY declines came from Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, both down 10% year-on-year.

Ranger leads

While Toyota continues to lead at a brand level, the Ford Ranger remains the country’s most popular used vehicle model, with 2,069 units sold in January 2026, a 6.3% YoY increase. 

In second place, its closest rival, the Toyota Hilux, registered 1,604 units, with near-identical YoY growth of 6.2%.

The Polo Vivo and Polo retained their strong positions, placing third and fourth, respectively.

None of the vehicles in the top 10 recorded a year-on-year decline, although some models surged ahead more than others. 

The Suzuki Swift has overtaken the Toyota Fortuner, the long-standing fifth-place holder, with 794 units sold and a 24.6% YoY increase. This highlights the growing trend of local consumers increasingly seeking out more compact and affordable used vehicles.

Further down the list, the Corolla Cross (7th place) climbed 42.8% YoY to 651 units, while the Hyundai Grand i10 saw a remarkable 71.9% increase, rising from 320 units in January 2025 to 550 in January 2026.

Polos dominate

On a variant level, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 continues to lead the market, with 1,044 units sold.

The Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI follows with 791 examples, ahead of the Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (694) and the Ford Ranger XL (689). Rounding out the top five is the Toyota Hilux 2.4 GD-6, with 569 units sold.

Key figures

The cumulative value of used cars reached R14.32 billion in January 2026, representing a MoM increase of 11.05% from December 2025 (R12.89 billion) and a YoY increase of 13.80% from January 2025 (R12.59 billion).

• The average price of a used vehicle was R416,082 in January 2026, down from R419,537 in December 2025 and up from R406,693 in January 2025.
• The average mileage decreased to 70,938km in January 2026, compared to 72,433km in December 2025 and 74,041km in January 2025.