New data from AutoTrader shows that South Africa's used car industry experienced significant growth on an annual and monthly basis in May 2026.
This follows four months of strong performance, including April, when sales slowed slightly after a particularly strong March.
South Africa's largest car market said 32,224 used cars were sold through the platform in May 2026, an increase of +1.1% year-on-year compared to May 2025, when 31,867 used cars were sold.
A strong month-on-month growth was recorded, an increase of +4% compared to April 2026, when 30 971 vehicles were sold through the online marketplace.
As expected, Toyota maintained its coveted number one position as the top performing brand in the used car market.
Approximately 5,275 units were sold last month, but the results were a bit mixed, with +2% increase month-on-month and -5% decrease year-over-year.
German automaker Volkswagen was more than 1,000 units behind with 4,247 units sold (+5% m/m, -6% y/y), while Ford remained in third place with 3,178 units (+4% m/m, -7% y/y).
Ford may be in third place in terms of number of brands, but Ranger continues to dominate when it comes to South Africa's best-selling used cars.
In fact, locally produced bakkies account for more than half of Ford's used car sales, with 1,800 units sold last month, despite a -7.5% year-on-year sales decline.
The reliable Toyota Hilux trails the Ranger, with 1,433 units sold last month.
However, even a bigger drop of -9.5% year-on-year failed to push the Hilux back, with the bakkie holding onto its second spot ahead of the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Polo Vivo in third and fourth place respectively.
The Polo finished on the podium, but the Polo sold 1,216 units and the Vivo 1,213 units, just three units more than its budget sibling. Sales of both models decreased year-on-year, with the former decreasing by -4.9% and the latter by -5.5%.
“The top four models continue to be popular, but the real action is happening further down the line,” said AutoTrader CEO George Meany.
“South Africans are clearly considering their running costs more carefully and this is reflected in the growing demand for compact, affordable and fuel efficient cars.
“The strong performance of models such as the Hyundai Grand i10 and Suzuki Swift shows that value remains a key driver in the used car market.”
Although the top four positions remain the same from month to month, the trends occurring in the bottom half of the table are much more interesting.
The Toyota Fortuner may have moved up one place after dropping from fifth to seventh last month, but its position as a family SUV is still threatened by the humble Hyundai Grand i10, Suzuki Swift and Toyota Corolla Cross.
As the cost of living rises every month and gas prices continue to rise, consumers are looking for more affordable and fuel-efficient cars.
The rise in popularity of the Grand i10 and Swift, especially in the used car market, has been noted, giving these two budget hatchbacks even more momentum.
In particular, the Grand i10 recorded a significant sales increase of +71.4% year-on-year, while Swift sales increased by +44.3% during the same period, pushing the compact hatchback to fifth place.
By comparison, Fortuner sales are down -21.8% compared to last year, the biggest decline in the top 10, suggesting that large SUVs with diesel engines are no longer the priority they once were for South African consumers.
At the variant level, the Polo Vivo 1.4 remains the most popular used car in South Africa, with 936 units sold last month.
The Polo 1.0 TSI followed with 786 units, with the remaining three units occupied by the Ranger XL (558 units), Hilux 2.8 GD-6 (546 units) and Hilux 2.4 GD-6 (541 units).
In May 2026, the average price of a used car purchased through AutoTrader was R415,652, down from R423,329 in April 2026 and R428,627 in May 2025.
Despite the decline in the average used car price, the average mileage also fell in May 2026, with the average vehicle mileage recorded at 70,538km.
This compares to 71,460 km in April 2026 and 73,969 km in May 2025.
Top 10 used models sold in May 2026
*Source: AutoTrader Used Car Sales Data: May 1-31, 2026
