These are South Africa’s MOST popular secondhand cars

Using AutoTrader’s used car sales data for the month of November, we can see which are South Africa’s most popular secondhand cars. A worthwhile undertaking when you consider how much the new-car market has receded recently.

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A surprising success amongst South Africa’s most popular secondhand cars is KIA. In November, KIA posted the highest positive sales growth among the top-ten sellers. And the KIA Picanto also experienced the highest sales growth for an individual model.

SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST POPULAR SECONDHAND CARS

The KIA brand as a whole posted a 25% increase in used-car sales over the previous month, while the KIA Picanto boasted an impressive 20.8% month-on-month sales growth. This goes to show the compact supermini does make a great secondhand buy.

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The KIA Picanto is knocking on the door of the most sold variant ranking, too. While not among the five top-selling variants in November, the 5-door petrol hatchback moved up to sixth spot. The VW Polo 1.0 TSI, VW Polo Vivo 1.4 and the Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6 bakkie maintain their domination of variant sales.

VOLKSWAGEN CLOSES THE GAP

South Africa’s most popular brand continues to lead the charge in brand sales. But as in previous months, the sales gap between Toyota (which sells the most vehicles) and Volkswagen (which dominates passenger car sales) continues to close. Ford, meanwhile, maintained its commendable third spot.

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Meanwhile, Korean brands Hyundai and KIA continued their ascent of South Africa’s most popular secondhand cars. Hyundai leaping over premium brand Mercedes-Benz to grab a spot in the top five behind BMW.

KOREAN ALTERNATIVES

“The popularity of Korean brands has risen in recent years. Hyundai and KIA offer much of what today’s car shoppers are seeking; affordability, build quality, and level of refinement,” says George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader.

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November used-car sales dipped by 2% month-on-month. 32 300 units with a total value of R13 billion were sold in the month prior to the festive season. Despite selling fewer cars than the previous month, the average price crept up from R385 460 in October to R405 226 in November.

YOUNGER VEHICLES WANTED

There’s a valid reason for the rise. In November, the average age of the models sold was four-years old, a year younger than the five-year old models traded a month prior. The Ford Ranger retained its position as the top dog in bakkie sales.

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Rank	Model	Units Sold	Average Price	Average Mileage	Average MY
1.	Ford Ranger	1857	R449 857	82 177 km	2020
2.	Toyota Hilux	1494	R465 556	103 676 km	2019
3.	Volkswagen Polo	1460	R262 799	67 588 km	2019
4.	Volkswagen Polo Vivo	1 014	R195 501	58 737 km	2020
5.	Toyota Fortuner	800	R452 772	104 072 km	2018

*AutoTrader Used Car Sales Data: 1 November – 30 November 2023

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