Volkswagen still most popular brand for young South Africans, but Suzuki catching up
Polo stands for Popular, among buyers under 35.
Image: Supplied
For the past 10 years, Volkswagen has been the most popular brand for South Africa's new and used vehicle buyers aged under the age of 35.
According to Lightstone, financing data shows that the German brand has consistently remained the top choice for under 35s over the last decade, but below that, the rankings have shifted.
Around 2020, Toyota moved from third to second spot on the leaderboard.
Most popular car brands among South Africans under 35.
Image: Lightstone
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Around this time Suzuki entered the top 10 for the first time and by 2024 it had taken third spot from Ford, which was second in 2015. The Blue Oval's discontinuation of smaller cars like the Fiesta, Figo and EcoSport are likely behind this, although the brand's Ranger bakkie remains immensely popular.
Chery and Haval have also entered the top 10 in recent years, ranking eighth and ninth respectively in 2025, behind Hyundai, BMW and Nissan.
BMW fell from fourth to sixth place between 2015 and 2025, while Chevrolet, fifth in 2015, fell rapidly off the list following the brand's discontinuation in 2017.
Kia and Mazda have also fallen out of the top 10 in the past decade.
The study did not show any specific model preferences among the brands, but given that the Volkswagen Polo Vivo has consistently been South Africa's most popular new passenger car model during this time period, it is likely favoured among the youth too.
As for vehicle types, SUVs and crossover-type vehicles overtook hatchbacks as the most popular body style in 2024. These two formats account for 80% of sales to buyers under 35, with double cabs emerging in third, albeit with a share of less than 10%.
Premium brands remain popular
Interestingly, the Lightstone data also shows that since 2015 there has been a gradual increase in the average price point at which younger buyers were prepared to finance a vehicle, with this number rising from R200,000 to R321,500. This outpaces the inflation rate by just over R5,000.
ALSO READ: All you need to know about May 2025's vehicle sales, including the 50 top sellers
Premium vehicle brands also remain popular, albeit to a lesser extent, as Lightstone's automotive data analyst Andrew Hibbert explains.
There is still a demand for premium brands amongst the younger consumers as both Audi and BMW have retained spots inside the Top 10 over the past decade, although they have shifted slightly from where they were in 2015,' Hibbert said.
The percentage of female finance applicants has increased over the last decade.
Image: Lightstone
The Lightstone data analysis also showed some positive momentum on the gender front.
In 2015, just 35% of finance applicants below the age of 35 were women, but this has gradually grown to 40% over the past 10 years.
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