Ford Ranger beats Toyota Hilux in pre-owned bakkie battle

The Ford Ranger usually plays second fiddle to its great rival the Toyota Hilux in the monthly new car sales charts.

But in the pre-owned space, the shoe in on the other foot. According to pre-owned vehicles portal AutoTrader, 1 713 used Ford Rangers were sold in September compared to 1 391 Toyota Hiluxes.

ALSO READ: Toyota Hilux Raider X loses race against Ford Ranger single turbo

Ford Ranger rules the roost

The Ranger not only came out trumps in the bakkie battle, but was also the top overall pre-owned car for the month. It comfortably beat the ever-popular Volkswagen Polo, of which 1 441 pre-owned units found new homes in September.

The VW Polo Vivo (926), Toyota Fortuner (803), Jeep Wrangler (714), Mercedes-Benz C-Class (652), BMW 3 Series (564), Ford EcoSport (485) and Kia Picanto (423) completed the Top 10 sold models.

The three top used variants sold in September variants were the VW Polo 1.0TSI, VW Polo Vivo 1.4 and Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6.

However, with the exception of the Jeep Wrangler Top 10 newcomer the Kia Picanto, all models experienced a dip in sales.

ALSO READ: LISTEN: War between Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger gets X-rated

Dip in sales

“Adventure SUV the Jeep Wrangler continued its meteoric rise with a 9.2% month-on-month growth in sales,” says George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO.

“The Kia Picanto posted a 4.2% growth, ousting previous 10th spot holder, the Nissan NP200.

“The 5-door petrol hatchback was the most affordable of the Top 10 used models sold in September, with an average selling price of R170 518. The Wrangler was the costliest at an average price of R474 399.”

ALSO READ: Ford Ranger beats Toyota Hilux to April’s best-seller crown

The total value of used cars sold in September comes to R12.7 billion. It reflects a year-on-year growth of 10%, but used car shopping enthusiasm could not match August’s sales of just over R14 billion.

For the first time in three months, September used car sales went into negative territory. It fell -9% month-on-month from 34 725 sales in August to 31 636.

The average used car price crept up minimally to R403 626 from R403 203 the previous month.

ALSO READ: Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max and Ford Ranger rule the roost

The top 10

Top 10 used models sold in September are (average price, mileage and age):

1. Ford Ranger (R460 042, 80 245 km, four years old)
2. VW Polo (R260 828, 64 242 km, four years old)
3. Toyota Hilux (R445 642, 111 279 km, five years old)
4. VW Polo Vivo (R188 548, 66 870 km, four years old)
5. Toyota Fortuner (R459 762, 102 484 km, five years old)
6. Jeep Wrangler (R474 399, 125 420 km, nine years old)
7. Mercedes-Benz C-Class (R426 807, 102 144km, seven years old)
8. BMW 3 Series (R365 912, 104 512 km, seven years old)
9. Ford EcoSport (R242 698, 55 599 km, three years old)
10. Kia Picanto (R170 518, 40 806 km, three years old)

For more insights on the local pre-owned market, see AutoTrader’s 2023 Mid-Year Car Industry Report.