Can the New Wave of BEV & PHEV Pickups Boost EV Sales in South Africa?

Pickups are a big deal in South Africa. The Toyota Hilux, the Ford Ranger, and the Isuzu D-Max usually feature prominently at the top of South Africa’s vehicle sales charts. The Toyota Hilux usually tops the annual sales charts. The Hilux was top of the charts again in June 2025. The sales numbers for June 2025 are in and there were 3,035 Hiluxes sold in South Africa last month. These were followed by 2,318 Ford Rangers, 2,132 Toyota Corolla Crosses, 1,962 VW Polo Vivos, and 1,678 Isuzu D-Maxes.

To 5 Best Selling Vehicles In South Africa, June 2026

As you can see from the table above, three out of the top 5 best selling vehicles in South Africa are pickups. Essentially over 99% of vehicles sold in South Africa are still internal combustion vehicles. 515,712 vehicles were sold in South Africa in 2024. Only 1,257 BEVs were sold in South Africa, up 35% from 929 units sold in 2023. That means BEVs only had a market share of 0.24%. That’s still very low! With only 3,212 BEVs sold since 2018, it’s clear to see that sales of BEVs have been slow in South Africa compared to similar auto markets around the world. This is due to the limited variety of BEV models in the country, coupled with high import duties and taxes levied on electric vehicles. 

Looking at the PHEV market in South Africa, 737 PHEVs were sold in 2024, up 100% from 368 units sold in 2023. However, PHEVs only made up 0.14% of total vehicle sales in South Africa in 2024. There weren’t any BEV of PHEV pickups available last year in South Africa, one of the most popular vehicle segments. That has changed or is changing now in 2025, so will the new range of BEVs and PHEVs out now plus those coming soon to South Africa shake up the South African pickup market, and ultimately the entire market? Let’s take a look at some of the BEVs and PHEVs in the South African market along with a list of the popular pickups that are currently available in South Africa.

This list tries to map vehicles with similar specifications (power/torque etc.) to see which ICE pickups on the market are sort of closely related to the upcoming BEV and PHEV pickups that have either been launched or confirmed for South Africa. The BEV and PHEV pickup models listed here are double-cab options that have been confirmed for South Africa, and therefore the list leaves out single-cab ICE pickup options. Single-cab ICE pickups contribute significantly to annual vehicle sales in South Africa. Hopefully in the near future we can also get single-cab BEV and PHEV pickup options in South Africa.

List of BEV and PHEV pickups confirmed for South Africa along with a list of comparable, popular ICE pickups

So, South Africans this year will have a decent pool of BEV and PHEV pickups to choose from. Will this help boost EV sales in South Africa? Probably. Let’s take a look at a similar market, Australia, to get a feel for how it’s evolving Down Under and how this could be similar to what is to come in South Africa. Just like in South Africa, Australians love pickups. Pickups are known as “utes” in Australia, and the usual suspects shine there as well. These are the Toyota Hilux, the Ford Ranger, and the Isuzu D-Max. Just over half a million vehicles are sold in South Africa each year, and about 1 million in Australia each year, so the Aussie market is about double the South African market.

The PHEV BYD Shark 06 pickup has already landed with a bang in Australia, and in June it was the 5th best selling vehicle in Australia, helping to propel BYD to 5th best selling auto brand in Australia. The BYD Shark 06 is already on sale in South Africa. Unfortunately, BYD South South Africa does not report its sales figures, so we have no idea how well or how badly BYD’s models are performing in South Africa. Come on, BYD, do the right thing and start reporting sales figures like everyone else does!

Price wise, the Shark is priced from R959,900, making it very competitive with equivalent ICE pickups on the market. Another brand that has seen its ICE vehicle sales and brand grow in South Africa is Great Wall Motors (GWM). The imminent launch of the P500 PHEV pickup with its 110 km electric range should help boost PHEV sales in South Africa. The vehicle is already getting rave reviews in Australia, where it is known as the Cannon Alpha.

Now to some exciting full BEVs: Geely is bringing the Geely Riddara BEV pickup range to South Africa in collaboration with Enviro Automotive. The lineup includes the top-of-the-range dual-motor variant powered by an 86 kWh battery pack paired with electric motors, giving a combined 315 kW of power. This “Ultra” version gets an 86 kWh battery and provides a range of up to 455 km (NEDC). The dual-motor setup in the all-wheel drive models of the Geely Riddara RD6 provides 315 kW of power and 595 Nm of torque. All of this is good for a 0–100 km/h time of around 4.5 seconds according to the spec sheet. The RD6 has a frunk that can hold 70L. The main bed has a 1,200L capacity. Tow capacity is listed as 3,000 kg. The RD6 supports up to 11 kW AC charging. It has multiple power outlets to support vehicle-to-load capability (6 kW), which is a cool feature that really should come standard in modern day EVs. Pricing is not yet available, but estimates range from R900,000 to just over R1,000,000, which makes them competitive with equivalent ICE pickups on the market.

The 63 kWh rear-wheel drive and the 73 kWh all-wheel drive versions will also be available in the South African market soon. The 63 kWh rear-wheel drive version has an LFP battery pack providing a range of 377 km (NEDC). It has a single, rear-mounted electric motor (max 200 kW and 384 Nm of torque). The all-wheel drive version has two variants, including the “Pro” version with the 73 kWh battery pack (424 km NEDC range). 

The Maxus eTerron 9 arrives later this year as the most powerful pickup on the South African market at 325 kW and 700 Nm of torque. In fact, both the eTerron 9 and the BYD Shark 06 are more powerful than the popular ICE Ford Ranger Raptor and the ICE Toyota Hilux GR-Sport. The eTerron 9 is powered by a 102.2 kWh battery giving a range of 430 km.

There are rumours of even more BEV and PHEV pickups being added to the South African market from companies such as Changan and JAC. The more, the merrier! Let’s hope we get more BEV and PHEV pickups in South Africa soon!