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South Africa March 2026: Record market, BYD and Tata now share figures
The Dolphin Surf is BYDβs best-seller in South Africa in March.
18th straight month of year-on-year gains for the South African new vehicle market, with March volumes up a splendid 17.3% to 58,060. For the second consecutive month, this is a new record, eclipsing the previous March best ofΒ 56,110 hit in March 2012. The year-to-date tally is now up 12.4% to 161,978 units. In contrast exports drop -5.3% to 37,388 and are down -11.6% over Q1 to 86,281.
Toyota (+14.3%) scores a 22.9% share, similar to the 23.1% it holds year-to-date. The VW Group (+13.5%) is back above Suzuki (-4.5%) for the first time this year. Isuzu (+27.3%) surges three spots on February to #4, overtaking Hyundai (+5%), Ford (-2.7%) and GWM (+34.4%). Chery (+25.7%) is also in excellent shape at #8 while Jetour (+238%) manages a second ever Top 10 finish after last December and breaks its volume record at 1,768. BYD (#21) and Tata Passenger Cars (#22) now report sales. BYDβs best-sellers are the Dolphin Surf (239 sales) and Shark (94).
Model-wise, the Toyota Hilux (+40.9%) surges ahead to 7.1% share, its highest since December 2024, and cements its YTD dominance at 6.1% of the market, the only nameplate above 4%. The Isuzu D-Max (+33.7%) climbs up three ranks on February to #2, its best ranking since exactly a year ago in March 2025 when it was also #2. The VW Polo Vivo (+32.6%) is another great performer at #3 whereas the Ford Ranger (-4.8%) is in trouble at #4. The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro (+71.3%) remains the best-selling Chinese vehicle in the country.
Previous month: South Africa February 2026: Chinese shine in record market
One year ago: South Africa March 2025: Sales up 12.5%, Mahindra breaks records
Full March 2026 Top 46 All manufacturers and Top 50 models below.
South Africa March 2026 β manufacturers:
| Pos | Manufacturer | Mar-26 | % | /25 | Feb | 2026 | % | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Toyota | 13,323 | 22.9% | + 14.3% | 1 | 37,381 | 23.1% | + 5.1% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Group | 5,574 | 9.6% | + 13.5% | 3 | 15,243 | 9.4% | β 3.8% | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Suzuki | 5,047 | 8.7% | β 4.5% | 2 | 18,019 | 11.1% | + 1.6% | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Isuzu | 3,513 | 6.1% | + 27.3% | 7 | 7,490 | 4.6% | + 10.3% | 7 | 7 |
| 5 | Hyundai | 3,258 | 5.6% | + 5.0% | 4 | 9,442 | 5.8% | + 5.7% | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Ford | 2,828 | 4.9% | β 2.7% | 5 | 8,434 | 5.2% | + 4.8% | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | GWM (incl. Haval) | 2,777 | 4.8% | + 34.4% | 6 | 7,912 | 4.9% | + 42.9% | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Chery | 2,390 | 4.1% | + 25.7% | 8 | 6,960 | 4.3% | + 21.3% | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Mahindra | 2,280 | 3.9% | + 1.2% | 9 | 5,947 | 3.7% | + 11.7% | 9 | 10 |
| 10 | Jetour | 1,768 | 3.0% | + 238.0% | 11 | 4,991 | 3.1% | + 249.0% | 11 | 15 |
| 11 | Kia | 1,646 | 2.8% | + 17.4% | 10 | 5,280 | 3.3% | + 22.2% | 10 | 9 |
| 12 | BMW Group | 1,588 | 2.7% | + 18.8% | 14 | 3,919 | 2.4% | + 3.8% | 14 | 13 |
| 13 | Nissan | 1,487 | 2.6% | β 35.4% | 15 | 3,824 | 2.4% | β 22.9% | 15 | 12 |
| 14 | Omoda and Jaecoo | 1,433 | 2.5% | + 77.8% | 13 | 4,143 | 2.6% | + 78.5% | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | Renault | 1,407 | 2.4% | + 0.4% | 12 | 4,246 | 2.6% | β 0.7% | 12 | 11 |
| 16 | Stellantis | 714 | 1.2% | + 36.0% | 16 | 1,911 | 1.2% | + 35.5% | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | MG | 689 | 1.2% | new | 17 | 1,790 | 1.1% | new | 17 | 24 |
| 18 | FAW Trucks | 621 | 1.1% | + 43.4% | 19 | 1,473 | 0.9% | + 24.7% | 20 | 18 |
| 19 | Foton | 604 | 1.0% | + 107.6% | 20 | 1,529 | 0.9% | + 183.7% | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Mercedes | 595 | 1.0% | + 5.7% | 18 | 1,614 | 1.0% | + 10.9% | 18 | 17 |
| 21 | BYD | 589 | 1.0% | new | Β β | 589 | 0.4% | new | 26 | Β β |
| 22 | Tata PC | 515 | 0.9% | new | Β β | 515 | 0.3% | new | 30 | Β β |
| 23 | Honda | 348 | 0.6% | + 92.3% | 23 | 930 | 0.6% | + 46.2% | 21 | 25 |
| 24 | Jaguar Land Rover | 319 | 0.5% | + 3.2% | 24 | 802 | 0.5% | β 0.4% | 24 | 21 |
| 25 | JAC | 314 | 0.5% | + 24.1% | 21 | 900 | 0.6% | + 35.5% | 22 | 22 |
| 26 | Daimler Trucks | 273 | 0.5% | β 22.9% | 22 | 805 | 0.5% | β 4.8% | 23 | 20 |
| 27 | Volvo Group | 251 | 0.4% | + 70.7% | 31 | 439 | 0.3% | + 7.9% | 31 | 29 |
| 28 | Mitsubishi | 241 | 0.4% | + 22.3% | 27 | 528 | 0.3% | β 5.0% | 29 | 30 |
| 29 | UD Trucks | 227 | 0.4% | + 9.1% | 26 | 543 | 0.3% | + 9.0% | 28 | 28 |
| 30 | Mazda | 209 | 0.4% | β 9.1% | 25 | 666 | 0.4% | β 8.8% | 25 | 23 |
| 31 | BAIC | 177 | 0.3% | + 2.9% | 28 | 551 | 0.3% | β 17.3% | 27 | 26 |
| 32 | Scania | 155 | 0.3% | β 7.7% | 29 | 387 | 0.2% | β 16.1% | 32 | 27 |
| 33 | Man | 131 | 0.2% | β 10.9% | 34 | 317 | 0.2% | β 17.0% | 34 | 31 |
| 34 | Changan | 118 | 0.2% | new | 30 | 321 | 0.2% | new | 33 | 41 |
| 35 | Volvo Cars | 101 | 0.2% | β 33.1% | 36 | 250 | 0.2% | β 18.3% | 37 | 34 |
| 36 | Porsche | 92 | 0.2% | β 8.9% | 32 | 287 | 0.2% | + 2.5% | 35 | 33 |
| 37 | Sinotruk | 92 | 0.2% | + 46.0% | 33 | 271 | 0.2% | + 64.2% | 36 | 36 |
| 38 | Powerstar | 85 | 0.1% | β 11.5% | 35 | 248 | 0.2% | β 14.5% | 38 | 32 |
| 39 | Babcock | 64 | 0.1% | + 77.8% | 40 | 107 | 0.1% | + 50.7% | 42 | 42 |
| 40 | Subaru | 48 | 0.1% | + 26.3% | 42 | 87 | 0.1% | β 37.9% | 43 | 37 |
| 41 | VECV South Africa | 46 | 0.1% | + 84.0% | 38 | 139 | 0.1% | + 124.2% | 39 | 40 |
| 42 | Tata | 41 | 0.1% | β 39.7% | 39 | 134 | 0.1% | β 36.5% | 40 | 35 |
| 43 | Shacman | 40 | 0.1% | n/a | 41 | 72 | 0.0% | n/a | 44 | 43 |
| 44 | Iveco | 26 | 0.0% | β 42.2% | 37 | 121 | 0.1% | β 5.5% | 41 | 39 |
| 45 | Proton | 10 | 0.0% | β 85.9% | 43 | 20 | 0.0% | β 87.5% | 45 | 38 |
| 46 | Ferrari (Scuderia) | 6 | 0.0% | + 500.0% | 44 | 11 | 0.0% | + 10.0% | 46 | 44 |
South Africa March 2026 β models:
| Pos | Model | Mar-26 | % | /25 | Feb | 2026 | % | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Toyota Hilux | 4,118 | 7.1% | + 40.9% | 1 | 9,955 | 6.1% | + 22.0% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Isuzu D-Max | 3,008 | 5.2% | + 33.7% | 5 | 6,290 | 3.9% | + 12.6% | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | VW Polo Vivo | 2,258 | 3.9% | + 32.6% | 4 | 6,344 | 3.9% | β 1.5% | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Ford Ranger | 2,074 | 3.6% | β 4.8% | 3 | 6,236 | 3.8% | + 0.5% | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Chery Tiggo 4 Pro | 1,888 | 3.3% | + 71.3% | 6 | 5,322 | 3.3% | + 57.9% | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | Toyota Corolla Cross | 1,536 | 2.6% | β 2.2% | 12 | 3,431 | 2.1% | β 18.9% | 12 | 5 |
| 7 | Hyundai Grand i10 | 1,410 | 2.4% | β 6.3% | 7 | 4,152 | 2.6% | + 1.3% | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Suzuki Swift | 1,400 | 2.4% | β 12.9% | 2 | 5,937 | 3.7% | β 9.9% | 5 | 4 |
| 9 | GWM Haval Jolion | 1,262 | 2.2% | + 14.5% | 11 | 3,542 | 2.2% | + 11.2% | 10 | 11 |
| 10 | Suzuki Fronx | 1,179 | 2.0% | + 12.1% | 10 | 3,492 | 2.2% | + 18.4% | 11 | 10 |
| 11 | Toyota Starlet | 1,174 | 2.0% | + 9.2% | 8 | 3,787 | 2.3% | β 16.5% | 8 | 9 |
| 12 | Nissan Magnite | 1,078 | 1.9% | β 25.3% | 18 | 2,710 | 1.7% | β 16.4% | 16 | 15 |
| 13 | Mahindra XUV3X0 | 1,063 | 1.8% | + 37.2% | 19 | 2,581 | 1.6% | + 33.6% | 17 | 23 |
| 14 | Mahindra Scorpio Pik Up | 1,037 | 1.8% | β 14.7% | 13 | 2,764 | 1.7% | β 0.5% | 15 | 18 |
| 15 | Toyota Fortuner | 1,000 | 1.7% | + 26.1% | 22 | 2,132 | 1.3% | + 2.5% | 22 | 20 |
| 16 | Kia Sonet | 975 | 1.7% | + 18.5% | 14 | 2,886 | 1.8% | + 14.0% | 13 | 12 |
| 17 | Toyota Vitz | 931 | 1.6% | + 189.1% | 9 | 3,644 | 2.2% | + 114.6% | 9 | 16 |
| 18 | Omoda C5 | 845 | 1.5% | + 51.2% | 17 | 2,576 | 1.6% | + 58.2% | 18 | 21 |
| 19 | VW Polo | 837 | 1.4% | β 10.2% | 20 | 2,353 | 1.5% | β 6.6% | 19 | 17 |
| 20 | Toyota Urban Cruiser | 816 | 1.4% | + 15.6% | 21 | 2,131 | 1.3% | β 13.8% | 23 | 14 |
| 21 | GWM P-Series | 785 | 1.4% | + 95.3% | 27 | 1,805 | 1.1% | + 116.4% | 26 | 29 |
| 22 | Toyota Starlet Cross | 779 | 1.3% | β 18.6% | 15 | 2,805 | 1.7% | β 6.8% | 14 | 13 |
| 23 | Toyota Hiace | 771 | 1.3% | + 25.0% | 24 | 2,020 | 1.2% | + 4.7% | 24 | 22 |
| 24 | Jetour T2 | 646 | 1.1% | n/a | 25 | 1,930 | 1.2% | n/a | 25 | n/a |
| 25 | Renault Kiger | 509 | 0.9% | + 40.2% | 34 | 1,289 | 0.8% | + 11.1% | 33 | 33 |
| 26 | Toyota Rumion | 502 | 0.9% | + 25.8% | 23 | 2,225 | 1.4% | + 85.3% | 20 | 27 |
| 27 | Hyundai i20 | 494 | 0.9% | + 59.9% | 29 | 1,551 | 1.0% | + 61.2% | 28 | 38 |
| 28 | VW Amarok | 466 | 0.8% | + 69.5% | 36 | 1,188 | 0.7% | + 46.7% | 37 | 36 |
| 29 | Toyota Prado | 458 | 0.8% | β 7.5% | 28 | 1,407 | 0.9% | + 19.1% | 29 | n/a |
| 30 | Suzuki S-Presso | 457 | 0.8% | + 111.6% | 41 | 1,139 | 0.7% | + 47.2% | 38 | 40 |
| 31 | VW T-Cross | 453 | 0.8% | β 3.2% | 43 | 1,325 | 0.8% | β 10.8% | 32 | 24 |
| 32 | Renault Triber | 439 | 0.8% | + 25.1% | 26 | 1,641 | 1.0% | + 51.4% | 27 | 37 |
| 33 | Jetour T1 | 437 | 0.8% | n/a | 32 | 1,326 | 0.8% | n/a | 31 | n/a |
| 34 | Hyundai Exter | 437 | 0.8% | + 3.8% | 30 | 1,220 | 0.8% | + 3.6% | 35 | 32 |
| 35 | GWM Haval H6 | 434 | 0.7% | + 43.2% | 38 | 1,232 | 0.8% | + 37.2% | 34 | 31 |
| 36 | Tata Tiago | 426 | 0.7% | new | Β β | 426 | 0.3% | new | n/a | Β β |
| 37 | Jetour Dashing | 414 | 0.7% | + 36.2% | 37 | 1,093 | 0.7% | + 29.2% | 40 | 34 |
| 38 | Renault Kwid | 411 | 0.7% | β 28.1% | 42 | 1,132 | 0.7% | β 37.1% | 39 | 25 |
| 39 | Toyota Land Cruiser 70 | 406 | 0.7% | β 19.9% | 33 | 1,375 | 0.8% | β 17.1% | 30 | 26 |
| 40 | VW Polo Sedan | 405 | 0.7% | β 4.3% | 50 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 41 | Citroen C3 | 389 | 0.7% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 42 | BMW X3 | 388 | 0.7% | + 38.1% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 43 | Nissan Navara | 380 | 0.7% | β 54.5% | 39 | 1,068 | 0.7% | β 30.9% | 42 | 30 |
| 44 | Suzuki Baleno | 363 | 0.6% | β 28.0% | 35 | 1,215 | 0.8% | β 4.3% | 36 | 28 |
| 45 | Suzuki Ertiga | 351 | 0.6% | β 52.9% | 16 | 2,145 | 1.3% | + 6.7% | 21 | 19 |
| 46 | Ford Territory | 342 | 0.6% | + 50.7% | 31 | 1,085 | 0.7% | + 32.0% | 41 | 39 |
| 47 | Jaecoo J5 | 319 | 0.5% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 48 | Ford Everest | 300 | 0.5% | β 12.5% | 44 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 49 | VW Tiguan | 293 | 0.5% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 50 | Chery Tiggo 7 Pro | 290 | 0.5% | β 31.0% | 40 | 1,050 | 0.6% | β 13.7% | 43 | 35 |
Source: NAAMSA
