Are popular Chinese cars really saddled with poor resale values in SA? Here are some fascinating insights from the recently released Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025…
With lofty levels of standard specification and attractive pricing, several Chinese cars offer strong value on South Africa’s new-vehicle market. But what about resale values? Well, the recently released Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025 offers some fascinating insights.
Drawing on Cars.co.za’s proprietary market data, the wide-ranging report includes a look at the residual values of several popular Chinese vehicles, comparing them to those of competitor products from so-called legacy brands.
Download the Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025
Calculated using pricing data on Cars.co.za for 2022 models, the tables below effectively show average depreciation over a 3-year period. In short, the report suggests residuals are looking healthy for most of the major Chinese players.
2025 resale values of 2022 compact crossovers
In the highly competitive compact-crossover segment, the locally produced Toyota Corolla Cross boasted incredibly strong residuals, losing only approximately 15% of its value over the 3-year period. From this sample, the Volkswagen T-Roc placed a strong 2nd.
What about the top-selling Chinese models in this class? The Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and the Haval Jolion both performed well, each depreciating under 30% on average over the 3-year period. Based on this dataset, these Chinese contenders thus offered stronger residuals than the likes of the Renault Duster, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Creta.
Interestingly, Stellantis South Africa’s Opel Crossland, Peugeot 2008 and since-discontinued Jeep Renegade all showed depreciation levels in excess of 40% over the 3-year reporting period, as did the Mazda CX-30.
Family crossovers: 2025 resale values of 2022 models
In the family-crossover class, Cars.co.za‘s market data shows the Volkswagen Tiguan experienced the lowest depreciation (under 20%) over the 3-year period, closely followed by a fellow segment stalwart in the form of the Toyota RAV4 (just over 20%).
However, a Chinese vehicle placed 3rd, with the Chery Tiggo 7 sitting at around the 25% mark. The Haval H6 showed 3-year depreciation of just under 30%, seeing it finish largely in line with models like the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson.
As an aside, the dataset indicates Nissan’s recent versions of the since-discontinued Qashqai and the X-Trail were overpriced in the new-vehicle market, with the former suffering a near-40% loss in value and the latter closer to 45%. Interestingly, earlier this month, Nissan SA temporarily slashed prices across its 3-strong X-Trail range.
2025 resale values of 2022 model-year bakkies
What about the bakkie market? Well, it’s clear that residuals of the since-departed Nissan NP200 benefited from strong demand at a time when this half-tonner was on run-out (production ended in March 2024). Losing only around 15% over the 3-year period, the NP200 was the single contender to beat the locally made Toyota Hilux (just under 20%).
In the Chinese corner, the GWM Steed 5 workhorse – having depreciated approximately 25% – finished broadly in line with the likes of the Isuzu D-Max, Mahindra Pik Up and Mitsubishi Triton. Intriguingly, the GWM P-Series’ depreciation was closer to 30%, seeing it finish behind the JAC T8 (of which the sample size was small), match the Rosslyn-built Nissan Navara, and edge out the Silverton-made Ford Ranger.
The Volkswagen Amarok (in this instance, the original generation, since the Ford-built version debuted only in 2023) and the Chinese-made Peugeot Landtrek suffered the highest levels of depreciation in this sample, both ending well over 30%.
Released in conjunction with DealerCon 2025, the Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025 provides smart insights based on the proprietary market data of South Africa’s leading digital automotive marketplace, complemented by finance and consumer insights from partner TransUnion. The report utilises Cars.co.za’s lead and stock data from 2015 onwards to illustrate how much has changed in a decade, thereby enabling automotive dealers to identify market-demand hot spots.
Download the Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions on Chinese Car Resale Value in SA
Q: Are popular Chinese cars really saddled with poor resale value in South Africa?
A: The Cars.co.za Industry Report 2025 suggests that residuals are looking healthy for most of the major Chinese car players. Models like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Haval Jolion depreciated well under 30% on average over a 3-year period (2022-2025).
Q: How do Chinese compact crossovers compare to established rivals in terms of resale value in SA?
A: Chinese compact crossovers like the Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Haval Jolion performed strongly, each depreciating well under 30%. This is a better result than several competitor products from legacy brands such as the Renault Duster, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-3 and Hyundai Creta.
Q: Which Chinese vehicle placed highest in the family-crossover resale value comparison?
A: The Chery Tiggo 7 placed 3rd in the family-crossover class, behind only the Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota RAV4. The Chery Tiggo 7 showed a 3-year depreciation of around 25%, outperforming models like the Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson.
