The South African auto industry maintained its positive momentum in May despite the challenging economic environment.
A grand total of 51,071 units were sold last month, a year-on-year improvement of 12.8% compared to May 2025.
As expected, Toyota led the charge with 10,667 sales, improving on the 10,188 units it sold in April.
Next up is Suzuki, which maintained a lead over VW with 5,546 sales compared to the latter’s 5,295.
Similarly, Hyundai held onto fourth place with 3,054 units while Ford came fifth with 2,932 customers.
The Chinese duo of GWM and Chery then came sixth and seventh, respectively, with 2,605 and 2,569 purchases to their names.
Another Chinese brand, Jetour, came eighth with 2,020 units, continuing with the success it achieved in April.
The last two spots in the top 10 saw a change this time around, as Omoda & Jaecoo and BMW fell out of the rankings.
In their places are Mahindra and Isuzu, which bounced back into the top 10 with 1,429 and 1,371 showroom victories.
Taking a holistic look at the auto sector, passenger car sales grew 16.3% YoY to 36,871 units.
Light commercial vehicle sales also improved, rising 2.5% YoY to reach 11,251.
Roughly 90.1% of May’s figure was attributed to dealership sales, while the rental industry accounted for 5.3%.
Another 2.5% went to corporate fleets, and the remaining 2.1% went to the government.
Unfortunately, vehicle exports declined last month, dropping 4.8% YoY to 29,392 units.
Best-selling car brands in South Africa
The following list shows the best-selling car brands in South Africa from May 2026, according to Naamsa.
Click on the underlined names for more information.
1. Toyota – 10,667 units
2. Suzuki – 5,546 units
3. VW – 5,295 units
4. Hyundai – 3,054 units
5. Ford – 2,932 units
6. GWM – 2,605 units
7. Chery – 2,569 units
8. Jetour – 2,202 units
9. Mahindra – 1,429 units
10. Isuzu – 1,371 units
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(source: TopAuto)