Best-selling second-hand electric cars in South Africa

The Volvo XC40, BMW i3, and Mini Cooper SE Hatch were the best-selling electric cars on AutoTrader, the company said in its 2023 Annual Car Industry Report.

Autotrader also reported that new energy vehicle (NEV) sales across South Africa surged nearly 65% last year, with 7,694 units sold across 19 brands in 2023.

The report revealed that NEV sales made up only 1.45% of total new vehicle sales in the country.

However, it noted that this figure was up from 0.88% in 2022, meaning it breached the 1% mark for the first time in 2023.

The growth in 2023 follows a storming year in 2022, when sales increased by 422% from 896 units in 2021 to 4,674 in 2022.

While it likely didn’t contribute much to NEV sales last year, AutoTrader noted the unveiling of the long-awaited EV White Paper in December 2023.

Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel released the document outlining a suite of policy interventions tailored to the automotive industry.

“It is a product of constructive engagement with stakeholders, including within government, industry and labour, to chart a viable and sustainable transition path for the industry,” said Patel.

“This vision is aligned with the foundational objectives outlined in the SAAM, a strategic framework implemented from 2021 to shape the nation’s automotive industry.”

The draft paper aims to establish a framework for developing a long-term automotive industry transformation policy on new EVs.

“The details for this policy have been announced in the 2024 Budget Speech with considerations to domestic market demand stimulus measures, establishment of renewable energy-based charging infrastructure, and production support,” AutoTrader said in its report.

“Part of the broader strategy includes collaborating with other African countries to develop battery production capacity on the continent by pooling the critical mineral resource base that Africa was endowed with.”

AutoTrader’s statistics for the ten most viewed and sold EVs on its platform revealed that the Volvo XC40 was the most sold EV on the platform in 2023, going for an average price of R1,154,666 with less than 6,000km on the clock.

Interestingly, despite the BMW i3 being discontinued in July 2022, it remains one of the most popular EVs on AutoTrader’s platform. It was one of the most affordable EVs in the country.

It took the second spot, with units selling for an average of R572,183, with around 55,000km on the clock.

Affordability could be a significant contributor to which EV buyers go for, with third place held by the Mini Cooper SE Hatch — another affordable EV.

It sold for an average price of R614,058 on AutoTrader’s platform, just under 16,000km of mileage.

BMW appears to be the most popular EV manufacturer in South Africa, with four of its EVs featured in AutoTrader’s most-sold EV models list.

These include the BMW iX, BMW iX3, and BMW i4, in addition to the older i3.

Audi and Volvo also appear to be popular, with both manufacturers featuring two models on the list.