SA's EV market thrives despite challenges, witnessing 421% sales surge

25 May 2023

According to Lightstone, new hybrid and electric passenger vehicle sales, which include traditional hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, charged to 4,668 in 2022, 421% up on 2021, which in turn had grown 177% from 2020. Lightstone is a provider of data, analytics and systems on property, automotive and business assets.

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The sales of hybrid and electric in 2022 also topped 1% of new passenger sales for the first time. According to Naamsa, the full passenger market share for these vehicles was 1.3% in 2022.

January to December – hybrid and electric vehicle share of passenger sales

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Sales for traditional hybrid vehicles (HEVs), which include Lexus UX, Haval H6 and Toyota Corolla Cross made up 87% (4,050) of all units sold in 2022. Moreover, sales for HEVs in 2022 proved to be significantly up on those in 2021, 546% to be precise, whilst 2021 was 305% ahead of 2020.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which include Land Rover Defender, Ferrari SF90 and Volvo XC60 continued to be a niche product in the domestic market, contributing just 3% to the overall sales for this segment. This meant that PHEV sales for 2022 amounted to 122 units, which was 139% greater than 2021.

Full electric vehicles (BEVs), which include BMW X3, Mini Hatch and Volvo XC40 accounted for 11% of all hybrid and electric vehicle sales in 2022. Four hundred and ninety-six BEVs were sold in South Africa in 2022, which was 128% more than the 218 units sold in 2021.

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“Looking ahead at the market in 2023, we expect further progress as the global markets shift towards greener engine alternatives. This should lead to growth in sales volumes of around 30% for the hybrid and electric segment,” says Andrew Hibbert, data analyst and team lead at Lightstone Auto.

“It is also interesting to note that the medium commercial market saw single-digit sales in 2022 of BEV and compressed natural gas vehicles. There is no denying that market watchers will be keeping an eye on whether this will trend into 2023,” concludes Hibbert.