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Top 10 most popular cars on sale in South Africa

Written by Prime Team
June 12, 2018

Sometimes it’s not too clear which are the 10 most popular cars on sale in South Africa in 2018. This is because some car manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, only release sales of their cars as aggregate figures.1 However, other passenger car manufacturers such as BMW, Kia and Hyundai provide sales statistics on their individual models, which makes the overall sales picture a lot clearer.

Which 10 cars were the most popular in March 2018?

Let’s examine the list of the top 10 cars, according to South African sales figures released in March 2018.

1. Volkswagen Polo Vivo 1.4 Trendline (2736 Cars)

The most recent Volkswagen Polo Vivo, as the entry level 1.4 Trendline1,2 is based on the fifth-generation Polo hatchback. It changed places with the new Polo to become the most popular car in March 2018. The Polo Vivo is priced from R179 000 to R245 000 (February, 2018). The 1.4 Trendline has a 4-cylinder, petrol engine, providing 55kW of power and 130 Nm of torque. It is connected to a 5-speed manual transmission, with fuel consumption standing at a great 5.7 litres/100 km. Some of the safety features include ABS brakes, and two airbags.

2. Volkswagen Polo (2121 Cars)

kW.1,3 There are five models in this range. The Polo does the 0 – 100 km/h in 10.8 seconds, with a maximum speed of 187 km/h.The 70 kW Polo is available either with a 6-speed manual or an optional 7-speed DSG, with the latter being the more preferable choice. The January 2018 price of the 1.0 TSI 70 kW Trendline is R235 900.

3. Toyota Fortuner (1274 Cars)

The Toyota Fortuner moved up two spots from the previous month to reach third place. This displaced Toyota (Corolla, Auris, and Corolla Quest combined) to fourth place.1 This new range comprises eight models. If you are thinking of going for serious off-roading, you need to choose a 4×4 model.1.4 The Fortuner displays Toyota’s new GD series of engines, with the 2.8-litre, turbo diesel engine delivering 130 kW of power, and a torque of 450 Nm. The engine is sufficiently powerful to cover the 100 km/h dash in just 10.8 seconds.

4. Toyota Corolla, Auris And Quest (1189 Cars)

The Toyota Corolla is offered with four engines. The 1.3-litre, petrol engine delivers a power output of 73 kW and 128 Nm of torque, reaching 100 km/h in 12.6 seconds. Its fuel consumption is at 6 litres/100 km.1,5The Toyota Auris has a 1.6-litre, petrol engine, although its generation of 97 kW and 160 Nm appears to be not enough for the car.1,6 Fuel consumption is at a proven 8.2 litres/100 km, compared to the claimed 6.2 litres/100 km.The Toyota Quest is powered by a 1.6-litre, petrol engine that generates 90 kW and 154 Nm. It is either connected to a 6-speed manual, or 4-speed automatic transmission.1,7

5. Hyundai Grand I10 (1032 Cars)

The ‘Glide’ version of the Hyundai Grand i10 has a 1.25-litre engine,1,8 producing 64 kW and 120 Nm. The new 1.0-litre engine has a power output of 48 kW and torque of 94 Nm. The car is light on petrol, requiring 5.9 litres/100 km for the 1.25-litre manual, and 6.9 litres/100 km for the automatic.

6. Renault Kwid (856 Cars)

The bottom-of-the-range Renault Kwid 1.0 Dynamique has a 3-cylinder, 1-litre engine, that generates 50 kW of power and 91 Nm of torque.1,9 Average claimed fuel consumption is 4.7 litres/100 km.

7. Ford Eco-Sport (813 Cars)

The Ford Eco-Sport has a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, petrol engine, delivering 82 kW and 138 Nm of power and torque, respectively. The engine requires 6.6 litres/100 km.1,10

8. Kia Picanto (789 Cars)

The new-looking Kia Picanto 1.2 Smart has a 1.2-litre Kappa unit delivering 61 kW of power and 122 Nm of torque. 1,11 The 5-speed manual gearbox is particularly smooth to operate. The claimed fuel consumption is 4.6 litres/100 km, but 5.2 litres/100 km in practice.

9. Toyota Etios (696 Cars)

The Toyota Etios fell from third position in February 2018 to ninth in March. The Etios is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine, with a power output of 66 kW and 132 Nm of torque. The car does the 100 km/h dash in 11 seconds. The sedan uses fuel at a claimed 5.9 litres/100 km, whilst the hatchback needs 6 litres/100 km.1,12

10. Toyota Yaris (664 Cars)

A new Toyota Yaris, this time built in Thailand, was launched in South Africa in February 2018.1,13 It comes either with a manual or automatic transmission (CVT). Although the automatic is reported to be slow, the perky manual gearbox feels more attractive. The Yaris’s 1.5-litre engine gives 79 kW of power and 140 Nm of torque.The two most popular cars sold in South Africa in March 2018 belong to the Volkswagen group. If you happen to be a VW fan, than this article has been for you. For the Toyota admirers, at least the Fortuner came in at position number 3, while other Toyota models were at positions 4, 9, and 10.