Automotive industry in South Africa
South Africa has a well-developed automotive industry, and is the leader in Africa in terms of production volume. The country produces more than half a million automobiles annually, of various types. While domestic development of certain vehicles, like trucks and military vehicles, does exist, most are built under license from major foreign brands.
South Africa has thriving new and preowned car markets, comprising a variety of competing automotive dealerships, including branded franchises for new vehicles, and private preowned dealerships and dealer groups. Some groups maintain exclusive import rights for certain foreign vehicle brands. Major dealership groups include Motus, ROLA, Hatfield Motor Group, CFAO, Fuzion, and Super Group.
Over 500,000 new passenger vehicles and over 120,000 preowned passenger vehicles are sold in South Africa annually.
The National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) is a professional body representing the interests of automotive dealerships in SA, and is one of eight Constituent Associations of the Retail Motor Industry Organization (RMI). The Independent Dealer Association (IDA) also operates in South Africa, and regulates the conduct of its members.
The automotive industry also involves the operations of numerous large vehicle and general insurance companies, including OUTsurance, Naked, Pineapple, King Price, Santam, and Discovery, as well as quote aggregation website Hippo.
In terms of fuel, major players in South Africa are locally-headquartered Engen (SA's largest petrol station chain) and Sasol, and foreign-owned brands Astron Energy, Shell, and BP. Forecourt chains Total and Puma Energy also have a presence, albeit smaller. PetroSA is the national oil and petrol company of South Africa, and is focused on natural gas extraction and production of synthetic fuels, as well as crude oil extraction. The interests of the industry in SA are represented by the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA), of which the aforementioned companies are all members.
In 2024, the average purchase price of a new passenger vehicle in South Africa was around R400,000. In the same year, it was estimated that there were around 1,500 distinct passenger vehicle models for sale in South Africa, 1,082 of which cost over half a million rand. The price of new vehicles increased by an average of 4.7% the first quarter of 2024, with the steepest increases in the hatchback and crossover segments.
As of 2025, Toyota remains the top-selling new passenger vehicle brand in South Africa, with its best-selling model being the Corolla Cross compact SUV, which is manufactured locally. Toyota sells almost double the number of units per month than runner-up Suzuki, whose best-selling model is the Swift hatchback.
Crossovers are the most popular new vehicle segment, accounting for 37.7% of sales, followed by hatchbacks at 36.2%. Luxury cars and sports cars each accounting for just 0.1% of sales.
Both new and preowned EVs and PHEVs are becoming more available (in terms of the number of models on offer from various manufacturers), affordable, and popular in the South African market. As of 2025, the local EV industry is already worth around R3 billion, and is expected to grow steadily. Public charging infrastructure is also set to expand significantly over the coming years, with investments from the likes of BYD, Zero Carbon Charge, and the National Automobile Association of South Africa.