The Chery Tiggo 4 claimed the title of South Africa’s best-selling passenger vehicle in April 2026, pushing ahead of the locally built VW Polo Vivo. All the details here…
- Tiggo 4 crowned SA’s top-selling passenger car in April
- Swift returns to the podium as Corolla Cross slips to 6th
- Jetour T2 & Omoda C5 break into passenger-car top 10
In April 2026, South Africa’s new-vehicle market grew 13.0% year on year to 47 979 units, with the local passenger-car segment improving an even more robust 14.3% to 34 414 units. So, which passenger vehicles were most popular with local buyers last month?
Before we dive into the numbers, it’s worth noting the rental channel accounted for just 5.7% of Mzansi’s total passenger-vehicle sales in the 4th month of 2026 – the lowest percentage of the year thus far. For the record, that means 1 965 units were sold to rental companies in April.
Tiggo 4 beats Polo Vivo to crown in April
Yes, the Chery Tiggo 4 – which, as a reminder, somewhat contentiously includes both the Tiggo 4 Pro and the Tiggo Cross, the latter of which is now also available in entry-level LiT form – grabbed the title of SA’s best-selling passenger vehicle in April 2026, despite local registrations dipping 0.9% month on month to 1 871 units. That is, of course, the first time a Chinese vehicle has placed first in a single month.
This saw the Kariega-built Volkswagen Polo Vivo slip to 2nd place, with sales dropping 17.1% month on month to 1 847 units (the first time this model has dipped below the 2 000-unit mark this year). That figure excludes 29 units of the Xpress panel-van derivative registered in the light-commercial vehicle (LCV) space. The Indian-made Suzuki Swift, meanwhile, climbed a ranking to 3rd thanks to an 11.5% month-on-month improvement to 1 556 units.
SA-built Corolla Cross slips to 6th position
The Hyundai Grand i10 (1 347 units, down 1.0% month on month) and Haval Jolion (1 277 units, up 1.2% month on month) each gained a place compared to March 2026, finishing in 4th and 5th, respectively. For the record, the Grand i10 total excludes 17 units of the Cargo-badged panel van that were registered in the LCV segment.
Interestingly, 2026 continues to prove a topsy-turvy year for the Toyota Corolla Cross, with sales of the Prospecton-built model sliding 25.5% month on month to 1 144 units. That saw the crossover fall from 3rd position in March to 6th in April (after landing 14th in January and 9th in February), finishing just ahead of the Suzuki Fronx (1 113 units, down 5.6% month on month).
Jetour T2 and Omoda C5 break into top 10
Meanwhile, the Jetour T2 – which the Chinese company says will be produced from 2027 at the Rosslyn factory Chery is purchasing from Nissan – put in its best showing yet, cracking 4 figures for the first time and making its debut the top 10 in the process. In the end, local sales of the 8th-placed T2 surged 55.4% month on month to 1 004 units.
The Omoda C5 also broke into the top 10 in April (meaning Chinese models took 4 places), with registrations of this crossover increasing 4.6% month on month to 884 units. The Suzuki Ertiga was close behind in 10th, growing its sales a whopping 149.0% month on month to 874 units.
Models that narrowly missed out on a top-10 finish in April included the Volkswagen Polo hatch (817 units), Toyota Vitz (772 units), Toyota Rumion (747 units), Toyota Starlet (733 units) and Toyota Urban Cruiser (711 units).
SA’s 10 best-selling passenger vehicles in April 2026
1. Chery Tiggo 4 (including Cross) – 1 871 units
2. Volkswagen Polo Vivo (excluding LCV) – 1 847 units
3. Suzuki Swift – 1 556 units
4. Hyundai Grand i10 (excluding LCV) – 1 347 units
5. Haval Jolion – 1 277 units
6. Toyota Corolla Cross – 1 144 units
7. Suzuki Fronx – 1 113 units
8. Jetour T2 – 1 004 units
9. Omoda C5 – 884 units
10. Suzuki Ertiga – 874 units
Related content
4 Chinese brands in SA’s top 10 in April 2026
