June 2024 was a challenging month for South Africa’s automotive sector, with declines in both new and used car sales.
According to AutoTrader, the used vehicle market – at 27,750 units – contracted by -6.4% versus the same month last year. The accumulated value of used car sales also declined in June 2024 – by -6% – to R11.312 billion. The accumulated value of the used car market in June 2023 was R12.029 billion. According to naamsa | The Automotive Business Council, the June 2024 new passenger car market – at 26,928 units – declined by -9.0% versus June 2023.
As indicated by AutoTrader, the average value of used car sales in June 2024 was R407,655 – roughly R2,000 more than the average of R405,644 in June 2023. A year ago, the average mileage of used cars sold was 75,980km and the average year of registration age was 5 years-old. In June 2024, the average mileage decreased to 73,936km while the average registration age remained 5 years-old. The average value of financed new car sales in June 2024 was R410,740 – roughly R14,000 more than the value in June 2023 (R396,591)¹.
According to George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO, June was a particularly good month for Kia. “The Korean manufacturer sold 1,374 used cars in June 2024, which means that Kia was the seventh most sold brand last month. This is a strong improvement on both June 2023 and May 2024. In June 2023, the Korean manufacturer sold 1,015 cars, and was in 10th position overall. In May 2024, it sold 1,193 cars, earning it ninth position. The predominant reason for the brand’s success is the popularity of the Picanto; it moved from 14th to 10th position in the most sold used model sales ranking in June 2024,” he explains.
The top-selling used cars in May 2024 were the Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Polo Vivo and Toyota Fortuner, and this situation remained unchanged in June 2024. The top-selling new cars in May 2024 were the Volkswagen Polo Vivo, Toyota Corolla Cross and Suzuki Swift. In June, the Suzuki Swift dropped to position number six, and the Volkswagen Polo moved up to position number three.
The top-selling new bakkies in May 2024 were the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max and, as per the new car market, this ranking remained unchanged in June 2024. The top-selling used bakkies also remained unchanged. Once again, they were the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Nissan NP200, demonstrating yet again that South African motorists are extremely brand loyal.
Top 10 Sold Models in June 2024
| Ranked by most sold | Model | Sold Count | Price (R) Average | Mileage (km) Average | Registration year Average |
| 1 | Ford Ranger | 1,570 | R464,374 | 82,295 | 4 years-old |
| 2 | Toyota Hilux | 1,289 | R453,637 | 104,066 | 5 years-old |
| 3 | Volkswagen Polo | 1,254 | R255,498 | 73,326 | 5 years-old |
| 4 | Volkswagen Polo Vivo | 1,092 | R192,372 | 60,489 | 4 years-old |
| 5 | Toyota Fortuner | 678 | R470,448 | 103,511 | 6 years-old |
| 6 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 505 | R410,106 | 98,220 | 8 years-old |
| 7 | Suzuki Swift | 498 | R187,554 | 37,386 | 3 years-old |
| 8 | BMW 3 Series | 440 | R377,230 | 110,056 | 8 years-old |
| 9 | Nissan NP200 | 418 | R173,580 | 79,100 | 5 years-old |
| 10 | Kia Picanto | 378 | R184,774 | 38,954 | 3 years-old |
Source: AutoTrader Used Car Sales Data: 1 – 30 June 2024
Source: Wesbank Car Finance Data
