SA's 10 most sold second-hand SUVs under R700,000

The global popularity of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) has been well documented; this is the fastest growing sector of the motor industry – by far. Even luxury car makers such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ferrari are following the trend.

But not everyone can afford one of those top-end vehicles. Instead, many South Africans are shopping in the sub-R700,000 price category. But the million-dollar question is this: which is the best SUV under R700,000?

An analysis of sales data on AutoTrader provides the definitive answer, and it’s the Toyota Fortuner. Motorists shopping on AutoTrader have voted for this SUV with their wallets, making it the most sold SUV by far (it sold almost double that of the second-placed SUV).

Buyers paid an average of R342,155 for their cherished Fortuners. And, given the reliability of the Toyota brand, they were perfectly happy with a vehicle that had clocked over 100,000 km. In fact, the average kilometre reading was 101,992km and the average registration year was 2014.

The second most popular SUV is the Ford EcoSport, which has sold for an average price of  R205,319 in 2019. The average mileage – at a mere 51,830 km – is far less than that of the Fortuner, while the average registration year is 2015.

A surprise entry perhaps, since it generally doesn’t feature near the top of the list in new vehicle sales, is the third most sold SUV under R700,000, namely the Jeep Wrangler. It has sold for an average of R303,792, with 2011 being the average registration year and 111,165km being the average mileage.

Number four is the Toyota RAV4, which has sold for an average of R280,827 in 2019. The average registration year is 2013 and the average mileage is 67,626km.

The Volkswagen Tiguan clocks in fifth, with an average sales price of R374,119 and an average registration year of 2014. The average mileage for this vehicle is 62,169km.

The other five SUVs in the top 10 are the Nissan Qashqai (6th), Nissan X-Trail (7th), BMW X3 (8th), Hyundai ix35 (9th) and Ford Everest (10th).

SA's most sold second-hand SUVs:*

1. Toyota Fortuner
2. Ford EcoSport
3. Jeep Wrangler
4. Toyota RAV4
5. Volkswagen Tiguan
6. Nissan Qashqai
7. Nissan X-Trail
8. BMW X3
9. Hyundai ix35
10. Ford Everest

*AutoTrader, January 2019 to October 2019 - under R700,000.