We’ve tallied up the sales figures to identify South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies of 2024. Here’s where your favourite pick-up placed last year…
With 2024 done and dusted, it’s time to tally up the sales figures and identify South Africa’s best- and worst-selling bakkies for the year. For the record, Mzansi’s broader light-commercial vehicle (LCV) segment ended 2024 on 133 254 units, translating to a 12.0% year-on-year decline (in a total market that was down 3.0% to 515 712 units).
So, which bakkies were the segment’s chief volume drivers in 2024? And which models achieved the most robust year-on-year growth in a declining market? And, of course, which contenders simply struggled throughout the year? Well, let’s break down the figures from the past 12 months and answer these questions and more…
Top 3 unchanged as Ranger narrows gap to Hilux
Yes, the Toyota Hilux remained South Africa’s best-selling bakkie – and indeed the country’s top-selling vehicle overall – in 2024, a title it has now held for more than 50 straight years. That said, sales of the Prospecton-built stalwart fell 12.6% year to year (largely in line with the overall LCV segment’s performance) to 32 656 units, for a monthly average of 2 721 units.
With the Hilux shedding sales compared with the prior year, the 2nd-placed Ford Ranger at least managed to narrow the gap to 7 103 units (from 12 764 units in 2023). In the end, the Silverton-made contender enjoyed a 3.8% year-on-year improvement in sales to finish 2024 on 25 553 units. As expected, the Struandale-produced Isuzu D-Max again completed the podium, with its registrations growing marginally (just 0.1%, in fact) to 18 973 units.
Mahindra Pik Up climbs as defunct NP200 falls
While the KwaZulu-Natal-assembled Mahindra Pik Up registered a handy 3.4% year-on-year increase in sales to finish 2024 on 8 336 units, its movement up a ranking to 4th position overall was largely thanks to the death of what was South Africa’s last-surviving half-tonne bakkie.
Yes, with production of the Nissan NP200 at Rosslyn having ceased back in March 2024, sales of the Japanese firm’s small bakkie plummeted 48.6% year on year to 6 544 units last year. However, the NP200 still managed to place inside the top 5, falling just a single spot (despite sales tapering to a mere 3 units in December 2024).
Ford-built Amarok rises as P-Series stumbles
Though the Rosslyn-made Nissan Navara enjoyed a 6.0% year-on-year increase to end on 4 874 units and retain 6th, it was the Ford-built Volkswagen Amarok that registered the strongest growth in the top 10, improving 18.2% (compared to 2023) to 3 957 units and rising 2 rankings to 7th in the process.
Meanwhile, local registrations of the GWM P-Series slid 18.0% year on year to 3 659 units, seeing this Chinese-made bakkie (which is due a facelift) drop a place to 8th. Similarly, the Japanese-built Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – which benefitted from a refresh early last year – suffered a 13.0% year-on-year fall in sales to 3 459 units, meaning it slipped a position to 9th. Finally, the GWM Steed retained 10th place, with sales up 4.8% to 1 197 units.
5 bakkies at the bottom of the 2024 sales charts
So, what about the bakkies at the foot of the table? Well, the Chinese-made Peugeot Landtrek was the best of the rest in 2024, registering a whopping 128% year-on-year increase in local sales to end on 782 units and climb 2 places to 11th. As a reminder, Stellantis SA plans to start local assembly of this bakkie from completely knocked-down kits at a new facility in Gqeberha towards the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026.
Having moved into a long-awaited new generation late in 2024, the Mitsubishi Triton had to settle for 12th place (a ranking lower than it achieved in 2023), with sales down 22.8% year on year to 563 units. That was only slightly ahead of the Mahindra Bolero, which enjoyed a 49% year-on-year improvement to finish on 520 units (though slipped a spot to 13th).
The Jeep Gladiator, meanwhile, finished 2024 on just 67 units, though this low-volume model’s year-on-year decline of 67.8% didn’t impact its ranking (which remained 14th). Finally, the Mazda BT-50 – which was discontinued in South Africa in the opening quarter of the year – again rounded out the top 15, reaching a total of 42 units (down 39.1%, year on year).
*For the record, we’ve focused on traditional bakkies in this feature, excluding models such as the Hyundai H100, Kia K Series, Volkswagen Transporter Pick Up and Suzuki Super Carry. We were also not able to include the JAC T6, T8 and T9 ranges as the Chinese automaker reported only a combined number (which we tallied up to 1 198 units, an increase of 85.2%, year on year).
Bakkie sales in South Africa for 2024
1. Toyota Hilux – 32 656 units (-12.6%)
2. Ford Ranger – 25 553 units (+3.8%)
3. Isuzu D-Max – 18 973 units (+0.1%)
4. Mahindra Pik Up – 8 336 units (+3.4%)
5. Nissan NP200 – 6 544 units (-48.6%)
6. Nissan Navara – 4 874 units (+6.0%)
7. Volkswagen Amarok – 3 957 units (+18.2%)
8. GWM P-Series – 3 659 units (-18.0%)
9. Toyota Land Cruiser 79 – 3 459 units (-13.0%)
10. GWM Steed – 1 197 units (+4.8%)
11. Peugeot Landtrek – 782 units (+128.0%)
12. Mitsubishi Triton – 563 units (-22.8%)
13. Mahindra Bolero – 520 units (+49.0%)
14. Jeep Gladiator – 67 units (-67.8%)
15. Mazda BT-50 – 42 units (-39.1%)
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