Interest in used hybrid vehicles surges in South Africa

An average of 10 hybrid car adverts are viewed every second by consumers on the AutoTrader website. Perhaps more significantly, there has been a 64% year-on-year increase in hybrid inquiries, according to AutoTrader’s latest Hybrid Car Buyers Survey.

“With its combination of electric and combustion power, the hybrid car is proving to be the best of both worlds. AutoTrader and new vehicles sales data reveal consumer interest in hybrid cars is at its highest point ever,” said AutoTrader CEO George Mienie. 

Converting interest (advert views) into intent (inquiries to seller) is high for hybrid models, seven of them featuring in AutoTrader’s 10 most viewed hybrid models and 10 most inquired on hybrid models. 

A hybrid supercar and locally-built hybrid SUV took top two honours in both rankings. Despite a 2017 model costing on average more than R1.3m, the BMW i8, an athletic and futuristic-looking plug-in hybrid sports car, was the most viewed, generating a total share of 19.3% of all hybrid views, almost double that of the popular and significantly more affordable Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid in second place.

Both also dominated within the top 10 inquiries, the Toyota Corolla Cross hot on the BMW i8’s wheels with 23.3% against the BMW i8’s 26.6% among the top performers. There was plenty of air between these two and third placed Mercedes-Benz S-class with its 8.4% share. Remaining inquiry spots were filled by the Toyota Yaris, Lexus RX, Volvo XC90, Ferrari SF90, Toyota RAV4 and Lexus CT. The Volvo XC60, a premium mid-size SUV, which claimed 10th position as the most viewed hybrid model, fell from the inquiries ranking.

Filling the final inquiries position with a 4.2% share was pioneering hybrid, the Toyota Prius. The “green” four-door sedan first hit the markets in 1997 when the eco movement started gaining traction.

Though the Prius and hatchbacks Toyota Yaris and Lexus CT failed to make the most viewed classification (which included the Lexus IS and UX), all three made an appearance in the top ten inquiries. This points to practicality and affordability influences.

Few of us have R14,987,032 to spend on a car. But that’s the average list price for one of the fastest road cars ever produced by Ferrari, the Ferrari SF90. It’s this eye-watering price tag that perhaps saw the Italian all-wheel drive supercar slipping to seventh in the inquiries ranking from third in advert views.

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