In these tough economic times, South African car buyers are desperate to find good value, which is generating increased demand for quality, well-priced vehicles in the used car market.

We have analysed used car data which indicatesthat low-mileage vehicles priced at just under R290 000, which were first registered between 2016 and 2019, are the most popular cars on the site, which, at the time this report was compiled exceeded 70 000 used vehicles for sale.

“We looked at the number of enquiries put through to dealers during the past 90 days, rather than the majority of vehicles listed,” says Cars.co.za’s Consumer Experience Manager, Hannes Oosthuizen. “An enquiry, also called a ‘lead’, is, of course, an indicator of intent to purchase.”

A deeper analysis of the headline numbers (of vehicles first registered between 2016 and 2019) reveals that user enquiries about listed used cars that were first registered in 2017 and are priced between R200 000 and R300 000 represent the lion’s share of the lead volume (in fact, 24,4% of leads for vehicles first registered from 2016 to 2019 are from that price bracket).

“It comes as no surprise to find that the ‘R150 000 to R200 000’ and ‘R300 000 to R400 000’ brackets are the next biggest. For vehicles of this particular age (2016- to 2019 models), nearly 60% of leads fall into the price range of R150 000 to R400 000,” Oosthuizen says.

It is also clear that consumers who are shopping in the previously mentioned price and vehicle age categories (2016-2019 and R150 000-R400 000) are looking for low-mileage vehicles.

“A whopping 31,8% of leads are for vehicles with mileages of between 10 000 km and 50 000 km and the overwhelming majority (81,4%) of all leads put through in those categories are for vehicles with a mileage of less than 100 000 km,” he adds.

Top 10 Most Popular Used Cars on Cars.co.za

Based on lead volume during the past 90-day period, the most requested vehicles on Cars.co.za (with no limit on price and mileage) are the following;

Volkswagen PoloToyota HiluxFord RangerVolkswagen Polo VivoMercedes-Benz C-ClassBMW 3 SeriesNissan NP200Volkswagen GolfToyota FortunerFord EcoSport

Impact of the New Vehicle Market

Rising new vehicle prices (some examples are shown below), the economic impact of repeated Covid-19 lockdowns and stock challenges (caused by several factors, including the international semiconductor shortage), have all put the new vehicle market under significant pressure. “All of these factors have a compounded impact on the used-car market,” says Oosthuizen.

“Firstly, new vehicle prices have risen sharply in the past year and, in some cases, by more than double the country’s official CPI inflation rate. This alone will result in some buyers now simply being forced to purchase their next vehicle in the pre-owned market.

“The result is a decline in new-car sales, which ultimately leads to pressure on used-car stock availability. Meanwhile, the increasing demand for quality used cars, combined with lower stock availability, will inevitably drive up used-car prices,” he adds.

Top 10 Best Value Used Cars on Cars.co.za

“We’ve used the results of previous iterations of the Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank (#CarsAwards) to rank various brands’ performances in terms of after-sales support, reliability and other criteria. By combining that data with the availability and -pricing of stock on Cars.co.za, we‘ve been able to identify the 10 best buys in the used car market right now,” Oosthuizen explains. “The biggest challenge, of course, is to find a vehicle from a reputable brand at a good price, but also with relatively low mileage.”

“A lot of research goes into the annual Cars.co.za Consumer Awards, including surveying thousands of South African car owners on their ownership experiences,” he concludes.

If you’re shopping for a vehicle that’s no older than 5 years, has a mileage of under 100 000 km and is priced between R200 000 and R300 000, the Cars.co.za editorial team – and our data – suggest the following vehicles. Note that the emphasis is on vehicles in the B/C-segment hatch, C/D-segment crossover/SUV and Double-Cab bakkie categories, as most South Africans are currently shopping for private vehicles of those types. Safety features have also been prioritised.

Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSI Comfortline AutoFord Ranger 2.2 TDCi XL Double-CabBMW 320i (previous generation)Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI ComfortlineIsuzu KB250 D-Teq Double-Cab Hi-RiderHyundai Tucson 2.0 Premium AutoMazda CX-5 2.0 Active AutoNissan Qashqai 1.2T Acenta AutoToyota RAV4 2.0 GX Auto (previous generation)Suzuki Vitara 1.6 GL+ Auto

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