The influx of more affordable electric vehicles into the South African market has contributed to the surge in EV adoption among local consumers.report compiled by automotive marketplace, AutoTrader. It analyses vehicle selling and buying patterns and vehicle shoppers’ preferences based on data from its motoring platform.
Notwithstanding this and other factors including continued power issues and ‘range anxiety’, there has been a growing interest in EVs among South Africans car shoppers. AutoTrader's data also shows that EV advert views increased by 40% compared to the previous year, with over 1 million advert views opened by car shoppers in 2023.
Market research firm Rho Motion notes that EVs are no longer considered niche oddities globally; instead, adoption has become mainstream as more automotive firms commit to phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles.compared to the same period in 2023, with 1.9 million units sold. In 2023, a total of 332 pre-owned/used EVs were sold on the platform, marking another positive year in EV sales, it says.