Swift helps Suzuki buck slowdown in Mzansi’s used-car market

Having established itself as South Africa’s second best-selling new car brand behind Toyota, Suzuki is also making waves in the pre-owned market.

The Japanese carmaker in August stood out as the only top-10 brand to record year-on-year sales growth as overall activity declined.

A total of 2 426 used Suzukis were sold through AutoTrader from 1 to 31 August. This is 8.3% more than the 2 240 units recorded in August 2025, despite sales easing slightly from the 2 461 vehicles sold in July.

The brand’s performance was notable given the direction of the broader market. Total used-car sales through AutoTrader declined by 3.1% year-on-year in going from 34 402 units in August 2025 to 33 346 last month. Sales were also 4.1% lower than the 34 759 vehicles recorded in July.

Not one of the other brands in the top 10 managed annual growth. Similar to the new car market, Toyota remained the market leader with 5 750 sales but slipped -0.5% year-on-year. Volkswagen declined by 10.1% to 4 287 and Ford fell 4.4% to 3 460.

Suzuki Swift shines

Similar to new sales, the Suzuki Swift was key to the brand’s pre-owned performance. With 874 sales in August, it was the fifth-best-selling used model overall and one of only five models to record more than 800 sales during the month.

Suzuki Swift sales increased by 7.5% from the 813 units recorded in August 2025, although they were marginally lower than July’s 883 units. The hatchback was fifth behind the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Polo Vivo and Volkswagen Polo.

The average used Suzuki Swift sold for R205 810. The typical Swift sold during August was a 2023 model with 33 821km on the odometer. Average mileage was around 11% lower than the 38 027km recorded for Swift models sold during August 2025, while the average model year moved from 2022 to 2023.

Suzuki still trails the three largest used brands, Toyota (5 750), VW (4 287) and Ford (3 460). But the carmaker did manage to outmuscle Hyundai by 309 units, a rival they trailed by 147 in August 2025.