Toyota retains top spot in SA used-car sales in 2023

The foot certainly didn’t come off come off the gas in the used car market last year, with sales rising 4.6% year on year. Overall, 367,075 used cars changed hands at an average price of R399,163, according to AutoTrader data.   

Sales of an additional 17,000 units in 2023 and a higher average selling price saw the total value rise 7.7% year on year to R146.5bn.

The Toyota brand continued to fuel car shoppers’ passions. As was the case in 2022, the Japanese brand recorded the most sales (60,296 units) in 2023. Volkswagen and Ford remain in the slipstream, with BMW and Mercedes-Benz making up the top five. 

Asian brands continued to make inroads into the domestic car market. 

“Suzuki was the star of the used sales, posting the biggest year-on-year growth of 28.8%. Kia, too, was in the driver’s seat with growth of 16.6%,” said AutoTrader CEO George Mienie.

German carmakers might find the data worrisome. Of the top 10 brands, only German premium automakers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi (which lost two spots in the ranking) posted a rise in sales. Even Volkswagen’s ever-popular VW Polo, the third most-sold model in 2023, is coming under pressure with used sales slipping by 4.54% year on year.

Mirroring 2022, the most popular models were the Ford Ranger in first place with 20,156 units sold, followed by the Toyota Hilux, VW Polo, VW Polo Vivo and Toyota Fortuner. In 2022 the Ranger bakkie edged out rival Hilux. However, in 2023 the gap widened with Ranger growing sales by 15.96% compared with against the Hilux’s 2.25%. 

Sales of Kia’s Picanto were up 18%, the most of any model last year.

Volkswagen’s much-loved hatchback, the VW Polo 1.0TSI, bagged the variant sales crown, selling 9,318 units ahead of sibling VW Polo Vivo 1.4 and a trio of bakkies in the form of the Toyota Hilux 2.8GD-6, Ford Ranger XL and Toyota Hilux 2.4GD-6. Adventure SUV Jeep Wrangler Sahara made a showing in sixth position with 3,007 sales.