In May 2025, South Africa’s overall new vehicle market grew by 22% compared to the same period the previous year, reaching a total of 45,308 units sold. Meanwhile, the light commercial vehicle (LCV) segment recorded its second consecutive month of growth, increasing by 5.8% to 10,938 units.
In May 2025, although sales of the Toyota Hilux dropped by 8.3% compared to the previous month to 2,548 units — its lowest figure so far this year — it still retained the top spot. The Toyota Hilux continued to be South Africa’s best-selling bakkie in May 2025.
At the same time, the Ford Ranger saw a 24.2% increase in sales from April, finishing May with 2,147 units, holding onto second place, just 401 units behind the leader. The Isuzu D-Max recorded 1,473 units, growing 32.9% from the previous month, earning it third place.
Local registrations of the Mahindra Pik Up rose 20.2% from the previous month to 786 units, allowing the Indian-brand bakkie to retain fourth place. The Nissan Navara achieved 389 units in sales, an increase of 32.8% month-on-month, climbing two spots to fifth place. This was despite the Japanese automaker’s global struggles (including reports of a potential shutdown of the Rosslyn plant). This marks the second time this year that the Navara has made it into the top half of the table.
After climbing into the top 5 in April, China’s GWM Poer (348 units, down 30%) slipped to joint sixth place in May 2025, sharing the spot with the Japan-built Toyota Land Cruiser 79 (348 units, down 16.5%). The Volkswagen Amarok (282 units, up 11%) and Foton Tunland G7 (216 units, up 1.9%) retained eighth and ninth place, respectively.
Finally, the JAC T-Series closed out the top 10 with a total of 162 units sold — a slight 0.6% increase from April. Previously, the T-Series had not been ranked as JAC only reported combined sales figures for the T6, T8, and T9 to Naamsa.
The Mahindra Bolero recorded 95 units sold last month. Among bakkies that did not make the top 10 in May 2025, the GWM Steed performed the best with 118 sales, followed by the Mahindra Bolero (95 units). Meanwhile, the Chinese-built Peugeot Landtrek (66 units) fell out of the top 10.
Despite an improvement in sales compared to April, the Mitsubishi Triton still found itself near the bottom of the rankings with 48 units sold. Lastly, the Jeep Gladiator — which is expected to receive a facelift soon — managed just 9 units sold in May.
Top 10 Best-Selling Bakkies in South Africa – May 2025
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Toyota Hilux – 2,548 units
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Ford Ranger – 2,147 units
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Isuzu D-Max – 1,473 units
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Mahindra Pik Up – 786 units
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Nissan Navara – 389 units
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GWM P-Series – 348 units
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Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 348 units
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Volkswagen Amarok – 282 units
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Foton Tunland G7 – 216 units
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JAC T-Series – 162 units
Source: Cars.co.za
