South Africa's top 5 car brands for February 2025 revealed

Zawya

05-03-2025

The month of February has just passed, which makes it a perfect opportunity to have a look at the best-selling car brands for the past 30 days in South Africa. In January, Suzuki overtook Volkswagen (which includes Audi sales). The Japanese-based brand previously managed to do this in the past, but was it able to maintain its position for another month?
Before looking at the top five selling car brands for February, let's look at the new car sales figures for the month. Aggregate domestic new vehicle sales in February 2025 totalled 47,978 units, reflecting an increase of 3,229 units, or a gain of 7.3%, compared to the 44,749 vehicles sold in February 2024, according to Naamsa.
'Despite February being a short month, it was not a particularly short sales month, providing wherewithal for consumers to act on renewed confidence and easing affordability,' said Lebo Gaoaketse, head of marketing and communication at WesBank.
Three consecutive downward interest rate adjustments have provided a 0,75% relief in prime lending rates, with the most recent cut in January.
'While further expected cuts would continue to address affordability and stimulate market activity, other inflationary increases, including electricity tariffs and fuel prices, persist and have many economists questioning the expected pace of interest rate cuts, warning there may be fewer cuts throughout the year than previously envisioned,' says Gaoaketse.
Top 5
In first place is Toyota South Africa. For February 2025, the brand slid 3.4% year on year to 11,743 units, but still maintains a healthy lead as South Africa's best selling car brand.
At the helm of the Toyota sales charts, the Corolla Cross with 1435 units, followed closely with strong performances by the Starlet and Starlet Cross duo with 1,279 and 1,003 units respectively.
The Urban Cruiser, finished off with volumes totalling 875 units, whilst the Vitz continued to display character with 551 units. With an additional 64 units sold in comparison to January sales, the Prado luxury SUV boasted a 375 sales tally.
In second place is Suzuki South Africa again after besting Volkswagen in January. Suzuki totalled 6,044 units while Volkswagen managed 5,249 in units in third place. In fourth place is Hyundai South Africa with a tally of 3,074 and coming in fifth is Ford South Africa with 2,900 units.
On a possible reason smaller brands are performing better month to month, Nada commented: "A notable trend in the market is the growing presence of OEMs competing in the entry and lower segments of the market in the top 10 rankings, with brands such as Suzuki, Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra and Chery gaining traction.
"This shift suggests that affordability is playing a key role in driving unit sales, enabling consumers who previously could not afford a new vehicle to enter the market.
"Additionally, a 0.25% decrease in interest rates at the end of January as well as speculation over a potential VAT increase may have encouraged some buyers to expedite their purchases."