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Plug-in hybrids are the hottest thing in South Africa right now in terms of sales growth. Sales of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) were up 280% in 2025 compared with sales figures from 2024. naamsa’s quarterly review of business conditions for the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry during the first quarter of 2026 just came out and PHEVs were yet again the fastest growing vehicle type. In Q1, PHEVs were up by a whopping 430%, from 241 units sold in Q1 2025 to 1,277 in Q1 2026. BEVs were up 97%, from 276 in Q1 of 2025 to 544 in Q1 2026. Plugless hybrids continue to slide, falling 7% from 2,970 units in Q1 2025 to 2,764 units in Q1 2026. So, it appears consumers are now starting to favour plug-in vehicles over HEVs in South Africa. In the overall picture, sales of new energy vehicles still make up a tiny share of South Africa’s new vehicle sales market, which is still dominated by pure ICE vehicles.
The overall market is growing in South Africa, with some monthly sales hitting highs last seen over a decade ago. Here is a summary of Q1 2026 from naamsa:
Aggregate new vehicle sales during the first quarter 2026 recorded an increase of 12.4% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2025 and an increase of 1.2% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. In 2026, first quarter new passenger car sales totaled 114,482 units, an increase of 12,706 units compared to the 101,776 new passenger cars sold during the corresponding quarter of 2025. Aggregate commercial vehicle sales during the first quarter of 2026 were 47,464 units, recording an increase of 5,108 units compared to the 42,356 units sold during the fourth quarter of 2024.
