SA bakkie sales in H1 2025: the winners and losers

With half of the year gone, which bakkies registered growth and which ones lost ground? We crunch the numbers for H1 2025 to identify SA’s best- and worst-selling bakkies…

In the opening half of 2025, sales in South Africa’s light-commercial segment – which includes bakkies, mini-buses and vans, though is dominated by the former – declined 1.7% year on year to 68 161 units. But how did sales pan out for the individual contenders in Mzansi’s traditional bakkie space in H1 2025?

Well, we’ve tallied up the figures for the first half of 2025, allowing us to both identify SA’s best-selling bakkies for this 6-month period and track instances of year-on-year growth. Of course, we’ll also detail the bakkies that failed to crack the top 10 in H1 2025 as well as show which models didn’t improve their numbers compared to H1 2024 (spoiler: 4 saw year-on-year declines).

Bakkie podium unchanged in H1 2025

There were no surprises at the very top of the table, with the Toyota Hilux – which took pole position in each of the year’s 6 months so far – still reigning supreme. In H1 2025, as many as 16 526 units of the Prospecton-built bakkie were sold in South Africa. That total represents a 5.0% year-on-year increase (compared with the corresponding period in 2024).

The Ford Ranger thus predictably retained the runner-up position in this reporting period, with sales of the Silverton-manufactured model (including the imported Raptor derivative) growing 1.5% year on year to 12 398 units – putting it some 4 128 units behind its Japanese rival. Meanwhile, Isuzu D-Max sales increased 4.2% year on year to 9 846 units, seeing this Struandale-made model retain its long-held 3rd position.

Pik Up grabs 4th as Land Cruiser 79 soars

With the Nissan NP200 – which occupied 4th place in the corresponding period last year – now very much dead and buried, the Mahindra Pik Up assumed this just-off-the-podium position in H1 2025. In the end, Pik Up sales improved an appreciable 21.3% year on year to 5 079 units, with the Indian brand’s bakkie – which is assembled from semi-knocked down kits in KwaZulu-Natal – climbing a spot to 4th place.

However, the model that posted the strongest growth in the top 5 was the Toyota Land Cruiser 79, with sales surging 45.0% year on year to 2 897 units. This performance saw the evergreen 70 Series bakkie – which is shipped over from Japan and thus ranks as the segment’s top-selling fully imported model – clamber 4 places to grab an impressive 5th.

Navara, P-Series and Amarok retain places

Despite its maker’s well-publicised global (and potentially local) struggles, the Rosslyn-manufactured Nissan Navara (2 630 units; +7.7% year on year) held steady in 6th position. The GWM P-Series likewise retained 7th place, though sales of this Chinese bakkie dipped 5.3% year on year to 1 947 units in H1 2025. Meanwhile, the SA-built Volkswagen Amarok (down 15.7% to 1 688 units) suffered the most significant year-on-year decline in the top 10, but still kept hold of 8th.

The Foton Tunland G7 placed 9th in the opening half of 2025, with 1 089 units sold (this model launched only in June 2024, so there are no comparative numbers from H1 2024). Finally, the combined tally of the JAC T-Series – comprising sales of the T6, T8 and T9 line-ups – grew 47.5% year on year to 903 units, representing the strongest instance of growth in the traditional-bakkie segment for this 6-month reporting period.

SA’s slowest-selling bakkies in H1 2025

What about the relative bit-part players? Well, the GWM Steed – which is these days offered exclusively in single-cab workhorse form – placed just outside the top 10, with sales growing 2.9% year on year to 644 units. That saw it finish well ahead of the 12th-placed Peugeot Landtrek (484 units), despite this likewise Chinese-built bakkie enjoying a 29.8% year-on-year boost in local registrations.

Meanwhile, sales of the long-in-the-tooth Mahindra Bolero increased 26.4% year on year to 311 units, seeing the Indian-made model climb a ranking to 13th. The Mitsubishi Triton had to settle for a lowly 14th place, suffering a 7.9% year-on-year dip to 269 units, while the Jeep Gladiator (up 25.0% year on year to 30 units) remained in 15th. Finally, sales of the no-longer-in-production Nissan NP200 dropped a whopping 99.7% compared to H1 2024, with the since-departed half-tonner ending on just 18 units.

For the record, we’ve focused on traditional bakkies here, excluding models such as the Hyundai H100, Kia’s K Series, the Volkswagen Transporter Pick Up and the Suzuki Super Carry from this exercise. In addition, note that the BYD Shark, Ineos Grenadier Quartermaster, LDV T60 and Maxus T90 are not represented here as their respective makers don’t currently report sales figures to Naamsa.

Bakkie sales in South Africa in H1 2025

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