Toyota Could Help Accelerate Transition To Electric If It Promoted More Plug-Ins in South Africa

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Since introducing the first generation BMW i3 to the South African market around 2015, BMW South Africa has been a lead promoter of electric vehicles in South Africa. BMW had been the leader in South Africa in terms of consistently bringing battery-electric vehicles to South Africa since about 2015 when it brought the i3. The i3 went on to top the battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales charts in South Africa for several years. The iX3, the iX, and the MINI Cooper SE followed and were also regular features on the BEV podium. BMW is still there and thereabouts, with the BMW iX3 coming in second place in the 2024 BEV sales charts in South Africa. Volvo has since joined the party, bringing in several PHEVs and BEVs to the South African market with significant success in this small but growing market. BMW continues to add several plug-in models as well. 

Looking at last year’s sales,  the Volvo EX30 led the way with 406 units, taking 32.3% of the BEV market. In second place was the BMW iX3 with 221 units, taking 17.6% of the BEV market. In third place was the Volvo XC40 with 103 units, which was 8.2% of the BEV market. In the overall market, 515,712 vehicles were sold in South Africa in 2024. 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.

BMW and Volvo have really been promoting EVs in South Africa, and their efforts should be commended in a tough environment where EVs face higher import duties compared with ICE vehicles. High import duties and taxes are applicable to electric vehicles in South Africa: Petrol and diesel vehicles imported from the EU into South Africa have a customs duty of 18%, while for electric vehicles it is 25%. There are also the Ad Valorem Customs Excise Duties and VAT. Elon Musk said some time ago that Tesla would not sell its vehicles in South Africa due to these high import duties. That was long before the new era of tariffs that started in the USA this year.

So who else is raising their hand up and trying to promote plug-ins in South Africa? Let us start with a look at firms bringing in plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEV). We will follow this up with an article looking at the BEV market. Besides BMW and Volvo cars, Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, and Haval are also actively promoting plug-in hybrids in South Africa. The introduction of new models from Chery, Omoda, Jaecoo, and Haval has played a huge part in this. Chery’s PHEVs made up 27% of all PHEVs sold in South Africa in H1 of 2025.

How about the traditional giants like Toyota? Well, not much! Toyota South Africa appears to be favoring plug-less hybrids (HEV) over PHEVs. A look at the sales for H1 2025 supports this. From January 2025 to June 2025, Toyota South Africa sold a whopping 4,257 HEVs and only 4 plug-in hybrids. Yes, just 4 plug-in hybrids. The 4 were all Toyota Rav 4 PHEVs. Which is a real shame, as the PHEV Rav 4 is doing quite well in other markets around the world and it has decent electric range from its 18.1kWh battery. On the flipside, Toyota sold 521 Rav 4 HEVs. That’s a lot of HEVs compared with the PHEVs sold. The other popular HEV during this period was the Toyota Corolla Cross and it sold 3,374 units in the first 6 months of 2025. Toyota could singlehandedly boost the plug-in market in South Africa if it actually tries to promote them more. Toyota is the number one brand in South Africa by a significant margin. Take a look at the latest sales for July 2025. The gap between Toyota and others is very large.  

The Toyota brand is very big in Africa in general. The Washington DC-based Brookings Institution says consumers in Africa are brand conscious and brand loyal. When it comes to cars, that brand is Toyota! In the brand new vehicle market, the Toyota Hilux is King in South Africa. Other popular models in the new vehicle market are the Corolla, the Fortuner, and the Yaris. Excluding Egypt, South Africa, Sudan, and Morocco where the importation of used vehicles is banned, the majority of vehicles brought to the continent are used vehicles, and here Toyotas are amongst the favorites as well. 

Toyota’s Lexus division is doing much better in South Africa. Here are HEV and PHEV sales figure for Lexus from January to June 2025.

From that table, it’s clear to see that Toyota’s Lexus brand seems to be doing much better in terms of promoting plug-ins. Lexus sold 265 HEVs but also sold 31 plug-in hybrids and even 4 battery-electric vehicles. Lexus is of course positioned in the more premium and pricier segments. Plug-ins from Toyota brands itself, with its more mass market positioning, would make a huge difference and really move the needle when it comes to EV adoption in South Africa.

Since pickup sales are huge in South Africa, a PHEV version of the iconic Toyota Hilux would really help move the needle. We know that PHEVs divide opinion all the time, as they have for years. A lot of people feel that with the way BEV tech has advanced in recent times, PHEVs are no longer needed as a transition option to full electric. However, as Dr. Maximilian Holland says, “BEVs pollute less than PHEVs, but the latter still have a critical role in certain niches where BEVs may not yet fully meet users’ needs. PHEVs (or EREVs) — when plugged in as designed — pollute a lot less than HEVs, which in turn pollute less than diesels!” With many consumers still on the fence and concerned about charging infrastructure and range anxiety, the new generation of PHEVs we are seeing now in places like China that have electric ranges between 150km and 200km could be a good stepping stone for some consumers.