We’ve tallied up the sales figures and identified South Africa’s 10 best-selling Chinese vehicles in the first half of the year. Here are Mzansi’s H1 2026 favourites from China…
- Chery Group and GWM dominate list
- Jetour T2 rockets up to 4th position
- GWM P-Series the only bakkie here
- Tiggo 7 the only model to shed sales
Which Chinese vehicles are proving particularly popular in South Africa at the moment? Well, we’ve crunched the numbers from the opening half of 2026 to identify the local market’s 10 best-selling vehicles from Chinese brands.
Note we’ve included both the passenger-vehicle segment and the light-commercial vehicle space in this exercise, though just a single bakkie cracked the top 10. Predictably, the remaining 9 models are all unibody crossovers, with the list dominated by contenders from the Chery Group and GWM.
Furthermore, keep in mind that some Chinese brands operating in South Africa – including GAC, Geely, iCaur, JMC and Lepas – unfortunately don’t currently report sales figures to Naamsa. It’s also worth pointing out that BYD Auto SA started reporting sales figures only in March 2026.
Right, let’s dive into the figures. The Chery Tiggo 4 range – which, as a reminder, includes both the Tiggo 4 Pro and the Tiggo Cross – ranked as South Africa’s best-selling Chinese vehicle in H1 2026. Local sales of this crossover increased 39.0% year on year to 11 322 units, enough to see the Tiggo 4 also take 2nd on the list of Mzansi’s most popular passenger cars for H1 2026.
Interestingly, the 3 podium positions were unchanged from the same reporting period in 2025, with the GWM Haval Jolion taking 2nd and the Omoda C5 securing 3rd. Still, the Jolion saw an 18.8% year-on-year increase in sales to reach 7 588 units, while the C5 enjoyed a 62.1% surge to end H1 2026 on 5 219 units.
However, a new entrant came close to making the podium. Yes, the Jetour T2 – which launched locally late in 2025 – secured 4th place on the list of SA’s top-selling Chinese vehicles in the opening half of 2026, with as many as 4 942 units registered. Improving 87.3% year on year to 3 647 units, the GWM P-Series rounded out the top 5, ranking as SA’s most popular Chinese bakkie.
Meanwhile, the Jetour T1 grabbed 6th position with a total of 2 471 units, seeing it slot in just ahead of the 7th-placed GWM Haval H6 (2 408 units), despite the latter experiencing a 28.0% year-on-year increase in sales. The Jetour Dashing ended this 6-month reporting period in 8th, gaining 16.9% compared to H1 2025 to reach 2 222 units.
Interestingly, the Chery Tiggo 7 was the only model in the top 10 to suffer a year-on-year decline in sales, with local registrations of this crossover falling 12.5% to 2 173 units in H1 2026. Still, that was enough for the Tiggo 7 to rank 9th, putting it ahead of the 10th-placed Jaecoo J5 (1 568 units) – the 3rd new entrant in the top 10.
SA’s 10 most popular Chinese vehicles in H1 2026
| VEHICLE | H1 2026 SALES | Y-O-Y CHANGE | |
| 1 | Chery Tiggo 4 | 11 322 units | +39.0% |
| 2 | GWM Haval Jolion | 7 588 units | +18.8% |
| 3 | Omoda C5 | 5 219 units | +62.1% |
| 4 | Jetour T2 | 4 942 units | no H1 2025 data |
| 5 | GWM P-Series | 3 647 units | +87.3% |
| 6 | Jetour T1 | 2 471 units | no H1 2025 data |
| 7 | GWM Haval H6 | 2 408 units | +28.0% |
| 8 | Jetour Dashing | 2 222 units | +16.9% |
| 9 | Chery Tiggo 7 | 2 173 units | -12.5% |
| 10 | Jaecoo J5 | 1 568 units | no H1 2025 data |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Which models were South Africa’s best-selling Chinese vehicles in the first half of 2026?
A: The Chery Tiggo 4 range comfortably led the market in H1 2026 with 11 322 units sold, marking a 39.0% year-on-year increase and securing 2nd place overall in SA’s total passenger car market. The GWM Haval Jolion retained the 2nd spot with 7 588 units (+18.8%), followed by the Omoda C5 in 3rd place with 5 219 units (+62.1%).
Q: How did new vehicle entrants from Chinese sub-brands perform in the H1 2026 sales rankings?
A: New brands made a major impact on the local sales ladder. The Jetour T2 rocketed into 4th place with 4 942 units registered, while its stablemate, the Jetour T1 (2 471 units) , clinched 6th place. Additionally, the newly launched Jaecoo J5 snuck into the top 10 list, claiming 10th position with 1 568 units.
Q: What were the notable brand trends, exceptions and light-commercial market performers on this list?
A: The list was thoroughly dominated by the Chery Group and GWM across 9 unibody crossovers. The GWM P-Series was the sole light-commercial vehicle (bakkie) to crack the top 10, rounding out the top 5 with an 87.3% surge to 3 647 units. Conversely, the Chery Tiggo 7 was the only vehicle in the top 10 to suffer a year-on-year drop, with sales dipping 12.5% to finish in 9th position with 2 173 units.
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