Top makes
- BMWn=252 · Established signal28.7%
- Toyotan=106 · Established signal12.1%
- Fordn=88 · Developing signal10.0%
- Mercedes Benzn=59 · Developing signal6.7%
- Hyundain=47 · Developing signal5.4%
Share of make-specific searches.
SearchMyRide Automotive Intelligence
Methodology & definitions →South African Car Buyer Index — Live 6-Month Report
Live rolling six-month SearchMyRide buyer-intent research for South Africa, covering specific makes, models, affordability, preferences, unmet demand and live vehicle supply with exact sample sizes and machine-readable data.
1,176 buyer searches analysed424 unique buyer journeysPast 6 monthsUpdated 6 Nov 2026
Buyer Index at a glance
What SearchMyRide car shoppers are telling us now
Five quick findings from the live six-month evidence window. Every card shows the evidence base behind it.
Most considered makeBMWn=252 · 28.7% of make-specific searchesMost searched specific carFord Rangern=46 · 7.2% of make+model searchesTypical stated vehicle budgetR240,000Median of n=74 explicit buyer budgetsMost requested body typeSUVn=83 · 42.6% of body-type-specific searchesQualified unmet-demand rate4.5%n=24 validated zero-result attempts
What buyers want
Cars and preferences shoppers are asking for
The strongest observed makes, models and vehicle preferences in plain language.
Top specific cars
- Ford Rangern=46 · Developing signal7.2%
- BMW 1 Seriesn=39 · Developing signal6.1%
- BMW 3 Seriesn=36 · Developing signal5.7%
- BMW X5n=33 · Developing signal5.2%
- Toyota Hiluxn=29 · Early signal4.6%
Share of make+model-specific searches.
Body typeSUV42.6% · n=83FuelDiesel86.8% · n=33TransmissionAutomatic98.7% · n=76
What buyers can afford
Stated budgets compared with available cars
Why this matters: Stated buyer budgets describe what shoppers say they can spend; live asking prices describe current SearchMyRide supply. They are shown separately and are not lending or affordability approvals.
What’s changing
Recent movement worth watching
Latest 30 days versus the previous 30 days. Headline cards avoid presenting tiny one-observation changes as major trends.
Haval Jolionn=4 · Very early signal
↑ 3.2 pp4.0% of recent specified searches
Land Rover Range Rover Sportn=3 · Very early signal
↑ 3.0 pp3.0% of recent specified searches
BMW 1 Seriesn=6 · Very early signal
↓ 2.3 pp6.1% of recent specified searches
Baic B30n=3 · Very early signal
↑ 2.2 pp3.0% of recent specified searches
Buyer mix in charts
How current SearchMyRide demand is distributed
Each pie uses a single, explicit denominator and groups the long tail into “Other” where needed so the whole circle remains statistically honest.
Buyer purpose mix
1,176qualifying searches
- General67.5% (n=794)
- Specific Vehicle22.7% (n=267)
- Affordability3.1% (n=36)
- Uber Bolt2.6% (n=30)
- Other4.2% (n=49)
Primary intent across qualifying SearchMyRide searches. Base n=1,176.
Body-style demand
195body-type searches
- SUV42.6% (n=83)
- Hatchback26.7% (n=52)
- Doublecab11.8% (n=23)
- Sedan11.3% (n=22)
- Other7.7% (n=15)
Only searches that explicitly specified a body type are included. Base n=195.
Decision intelligence
What happens after SearchMyRide makes a recommendation
This connects recommendation exposure, engagement, enquiry and downstream outcome evidence without exposing individual buyers. It measures SearchMyRide product behaviour, not national vehicle sales.
Recommendation outcome mix
397,778ranked exposures
- Qualified progression / purchase0.0% (n=1)
- Enquiry / dealer reply in progress0.0% (n=5)
- Engaged without enquiry7.4% (n=29,567)
- No recorded downstream action92.6% (n=368,205)
Each exposure is assigned to one strongest recorded downstream state, so the slices are mutually exclusive. Base n=397,778.
Buyer journey stage mix
93,901active journeys
- Discover99.0% (n=92,920)
- Explore0.9% (n=884)
- Enquiry Sent0.1% (n=65)
- Shortlist0.0% (n=15)
- Other0.0% (n=17)
Latest recorded stage among journeys active inside the rolling reporting window. Base n=93,901.
Shown → engagement → enquiry → dealer response → outcome
Rates use canonical ranked vehicle exposures as the common denominator. A single exposure can appear in multiple progression stages, so these bars are intentionally not a pie chart.
Base n=397,778 canonical ranked vehicle exposures in the rolling window. Recorded purchase/lost states depend on downstream outcome capture and may lag the original recommendation.
4.5% of quality-evaluated searches showed actionable unmet demand
24 quality-validated zero-result search attempts were observed across 24 unique buyer journey/day demand signals.
8 specific make/model combinations affected532 searches evaluated by the hardened classifier
Likely input mistakes, parsing uncertainty, system failures and over-constrained combinations are excluded from qualified unmet demand. Raw exact-zero telemetry: 4.7% (25 of 532 searches). Exact sourcing gaps remain available in subscriber Dealer Intelligence.
View detailed evidence & research tablesDenominators, trends, inventory distributions, methodology context and downloadable evidence.
About this live report
Past 6 months of SearchMyRide buyer activity
The report updates continuously as new qualifying buyer searches arrive. Small samples stay visible, but every figure keeps its exact n so readers can judge how mature the evidence is.
1,176 buyer searches analysed424 unique buyer journeysPast 6 months rolling 183-day window6 Nov 2026 data through
View data coverage
This shows how often shoppers explicitly supplied each field. A field can be absent from a valid search.
| Specified field | Observations | Share of searches | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Make specified | 878 | 74.7% | Established signal |
| Make + model specified | 637 | 54.2% | Established signal |
| Province specified | 647 | 55.0% | Established signal |
| City specified | 12 | 1.0% | Early signal |
| Body type specified | 195 | 16.6% | Established signal |
| Transmission specified | 77 | 6.5% | Developing signal |
| Fuel type specified | 38 | 3.2% | Developing signal |
| Condition specified | 29 | 2.5% | Early signal |
| Mileage ceiling specified | 15 | 1.3% | Early signal |
| Explicit vehicle budget | 74 | 6.3% | Developing signal |
| Explicit monthly payment | 21 | 1.8% | Early signal |
| Rent-to-own intent | 23 | 2.0% | Early signal |
| E-hailing intent | 34 | 2.9% | Developing signal |
| AI / natural-language / voice | 271 | 23.0% | Established signal |
| Zero-result search | 108 | 9.2% | Established signal |
Where the evidence came from
touch 70.8% · n=833text 16.2% · n=190voice 12.9% · n=152background 0.1% · n=1
Shows how qualifying SearchMyRide Buyer Index evidence entered the dataset. Traffic acquisition and product-surface mix can influence observed demand and should be considered when interpreting the sample.
View live-stock price distribution
Most current live prices fall between R189,900 and R499,900. 1,808 live indexed vehicles are included in this supply reference.
10th percentile R129,99525th percentile R189,900Median R289,99575th percentile R499,90090th percentile R1,137,950
Buyer searches collected across the six-month window
A simple monthly view of how much evidence contributes to the live report.
View detailed monthly evidence
| Month | Searches | Journeys | Make | Make + model | Budget n | Payment n | Zero-result rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 257 | 91 | 167 | 100 | 33 | 6 | — |
| Sep 2026 | 474 | 151 | 328 | 185 | 20 | 14 | 2.3% |
| Oct 2026 | 413 | 164 | 357 | 333 | 18 | 1 | 4.8% |
| Nov 2026 | 32 | 21 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 9.4% |
Permanent daily snapshots remain the audit source for custom historical reporting.
Specific models moving now
Last 30 days compared with the previous 30 days. Read movement together with the latest sample size.
BMW X3n=0 · No observations yet
↓ 6.4 pp0.0% now · 6.4% before
Ford Rangern=1 · Very early signal
↓ 5.1 pp1.0% now · 6.1% before
Haval Jolionn=4 · Very early signal
↑ 3.2 pp4.0% now · 0.8% before
Land Rover Range Rover Sportn=3 · Very early signal
↑ 3.0 pp3.0% now · 0.0% before
BMW 1 Seriesn=6 · Very early signal
↓ 2.3 pp6.1% now · 8.4% before
Baic B30n=3 · Very early signal
↑ 2.2 pp3.0% now · 0.8% before
Ford Ecosportn=3 · Very early signal
↑ 2.0 pp3.0% now · 1.0% before
Toyota Hi-Luxn=2 · Very early signal
↑ 2.0 pp2.0% now · 0.0% before
Volkswagen Polon=2 · Very early signal
↑ 2.0 pp2.0% now · 0.0% before
Isuzu D-Maxn=2 · Very early signal
↑ 2.0 pp2.0% now · 0.0% before
View detailed trend table
| Segment | Latest n | Latest share | Previous share | Change | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW X3 | 0 | 0.0% | 6.4% | -6.4 pp | No observations yet |
| Ford Ranger | 1 | 1.0% | 6.1% | -5.1 pp | Very early signal |
| Haval Jolion | 4 | 4.0% | 0.8% | +3.2 pp | Very early signal |
| Land Rover Range Rover Sport | 3 | 3.0% | 0.0% | +3.0 pp | Very early signal |
| BMW 1 Series | 6 | 6.1% | 8.4% | -2.3 pp | Very early signal |
| Baic B30 | 3 | 3.0% | 0.8% | +2.2 pp | Very early signal |
| Ford Ecosport | 3 | 3.0% | 1.0% | +2.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Toyota Hi-Lux | 2 | 2.0% | 0.0% | +2.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Volkswagen Polo | 2 | 2.0% | 0.0% | +2.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Isuzu D-Max | 2 | 2.0% | 0.0% | +2.0 pp | Very early signal |
Quote-ready findings
Key findings
Each statement below is generated from deterministic metrics and is scoped explicitly to SearchMyRide data.
For media & research
Cite this report
Use the SearchMyRide scope, reporting window and sample size when quoting a finding.
SearchMyRide, South African Car Buyer Index — Live rolling six-month report. https://searchmyride.co.za/car-buyer-index/ Sample scope and methodology published with the dataset.
Download report data (CSV) · Machine-readable claims · Methodology
Buyer searches over time
View chart data
| Date | Qualifying searches |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-16 | 2 |
| 2026-08-17 | 30 |
| 2026-08-18 | 30 |
| 2026-08-19 | 17 |
| 2026-08-20 | 3 |
| 2026-08-21 | 5 |
| 2026-08-22 | 45 |
| 2026-08-23 | 24 |
| 2026-08-24 | 1 |
| 2026-08-25 | 20 |
| 2026-08-26 | 41 |
| 2026-08-27 | 16 |
| 2026-08-28 | 10 |
| 2026-08-29 | 11 |
| 2026-08-30 | 1 |
| 2026-08-31 | 1 |
| 2026-09-01 | 11 |
| 2026-09-02 | 20 |
| 2026-09-03 | 22 |
| 2026-09-04 | 14 |
| 2026-09-05 | 17 |
| 2026-09-06 | 11 |
| 2026-09-07 | 4 |
| 2026-09-09 | 2 |
| 2026-09-10 | 60 |
| 2026-09-11 | 22 |
| 2026-09-12 | 79 |
| 2026-09-13 | 5 |
| 2026-09-14 | 55 |
| 2026-09-15 | 8 |
| 2026-09-16 | 32 |
| 2026-09-17 | 27 |
| 2026-09-18 | 5 |
| 2026-09-19 | 5 |
| 2026-09-20 | 1 |
| 2026-09-21 | 4 |
| 2026-09-22 | 3 |
| 2026-09-23 | 9 |
| 2026-09-24 | 2 |
| 2026-09-25 | 48 |
| 2026-09-26 | 7 |
| 2026-09-29 | 1 |
| 2026-10-01 | 41 |
| 2026-10-02 | 78 |
| 2026-10-03 | 27 |
| 2026-10-04 | 57 |
| 2026-10-05 | 48 |
| 2026-10-06 | 41 |
| 2026-10-07 | 4 |
| 2026-10-08 | 30 |
| 2026-10-09 | 6 |
| 2026-10-10 | 9 |
| 2026-10-11 | 4 |
| 2026-10-13 | 9 |
| 2026-10-14 | 7 |
| 2026-10-15 | 8 |
| 2026-10-16 | 5 |
| 2026-10-17 | 7 |
| 2026-10-18 | 7 |
| 2026-10-19 | 2 |
| 2026-10-20 | 1 |
| 2026-10-21 | 4 |
| 2026-10-23 | 1 |
| 2026-10-24 | 2 |
| 2026-10-25 | 1 |
| 2026-10-26 | 3 |
| 2026-10-27 | 9 |
| 2026-10-28 | 1 |
| 2026-10-30 | 1 |
| 2026-11-01 | 5 |
| 2026-11-02 | 3 |
| 2026-11-03 | 4 |
| 2026-11-04 | 4 |
| 2026-11-05 | 10 |
| 2026-11-06 | 6 |
Explicit vehicle budgets
74observations
- Up to R100k5.4%
- R100k–R150k8.1%
- R150k–R200k6.8%
- R200k–R300k51.4%
- Above R300k28.4%
Only explicitly stated maximum vehicle prices are included.
Specific cars buyers searched for
637make+model searches
- Ford Ranger7.2%
- BMW 1 Series6.1%
- BMW 3 Series5.7%
- BMW X55.2%
- Other75.8%
Share of qualifying searches that explicitly specified both make and model. Base n=637.
Which specific cars are over- or under-supplied?
Ford Ranger+7.2 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 7.2%
Live-stock share 0.0%
BMW 1 Series+5.4 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 6.1%
Live-stock share 0.7%
BMW 3 Series+4.9 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 5.7%
Live-stock share 0.8%
BMW X5+4.4 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 5.2%
Live-stock share 0.8%
Toyota Hilux+4.6 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 4.6%
Live-stock share 0.0%
BMW X3+3.3 pp demand-supply gap
Search share 3.9%
Live-stock share 0.6%
Search share uses qualifying searches that explicitly named both make and model. Live-stock share uses all current indexed SearchMyRide vehicles. The percentage-point gap is directional marketplace context, not national market share.
Specific car demand & live supply
| Vehicle | Search share | Live-stock share | Share gap | Searches | Live stock | Searches/listing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Ranger | 7.2% | 0.0% | +7.2 pp | 46 | — | — |
| BMW 1 Series | 6.1% | 0.7% | +5.4 pp | 39 | 13 | 3.00 |
| BMW 3 Series | 5.7% | 0.8% | +4.9 pp | 36 | 14 | 2.57 |
| BMW X5 | 5.2% | 0.8% | +4.4 pp | 33 | 15 | 2.20 |
| Toyota Hilux | 4.6% | 0.0% | +4.6 pp | 29 | — | — |
| BMW X3 | 3.9% | 0.6% | +3.3 pp | 25 | 11 | 2.27 |
| BMW X6 | 2.0% | 0.4% | +1.6 pp | 13 | 7 | 1.86 |
| Audi A3 | 2.0% | 0.5% | +1.5 pp | 13 | 9 | 1.44 |
Ford Ranger leads BMW 1 Series by 1.1 percentage points of make+model-specific search share. Exact make/model buyer-budget gaps are reserved for active dealership subscribers in Dealer Intelligence.
What happened after SearchMyRide enquiries
A separate 183-day lead-attribution cohort connects enquiry outcomes with buyer, dealer and inventory evidence. It does not change or inflate Buyer Index search-demand counts.
1Verified / confirmed
26Likely / possible
1No conversion
178Still active
Evidence rule: Only dealer/buyer confirmations or confidence-threshold evidence are labelled as sales. Inventory withdrawal alone is never reported as a verified transaction. When one vehicle has several recent leads, the stock event remains vehicle-level and unresolved until the correct enquiry is identified.
What buyers are asking for
Intent categories generated by SearchMyRide search classification. Base n=1,176.
Searches per live listing
| Vehicle | Qualifying searches | Live stock | Searches / listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Hilux 2.8 GD-6 Raider 4X4 A/T P/U D/C | 10 | 1 | 10.00 |
| Toyota Hilux 2.5 Double Cab 4X4 | 9 | 1 | 9.00 |
| BMW 1 Series | 39 | 13 | 3.00 |
| Audi A5 | 3 | 1 | 3.00 |
| BMW 5 Series | 8 | 3 | 2.67 |
| BMW 3 Series | 36 | 14 | 2.57 |
| Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross | 5 | 2 | 2.50 |
| Ford Mustang | 5 | 2 | 2.50 |
Directional SearchMyRide marketplace ratio. It does not measure national registrations or total market demand.
Brand consideration movement
Latest 30 days compared with the preceding 30 days inside the rolling six-month evidence window. Every observed make may appear; n and signal strength show how mature each movement is.
| Make | Previous 30d | Latest 30d | Change | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | 38.7% (n=200) | 20.9% (n=23) | -17.8 pp | Early signal |
| Audi | 4.4% (n=23) | 9.1% (n=10) | +4.7 pp | Early signal |
| Ford | 9.5% (n=49) | 5.5% (n=6) | -4.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Land Rover | 0.8% (n=4) | 4.5% (n=5) | +3.7 pp | Very early signal |
| Haval | 2.9% (n=15) | 6.4% (n=7) | +3.5 pp | Very early signal |
| Volkswagen | 2.5% (n=13) | 5.5% (n=6) | +3.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Hyundai | 3.5% (n=18) | 6.4% (n=7) | +2.9 pp | Very early signal |
| Nissan | 0.0% (n=0) | 2.7% (n=3) | +2.7 pp | Very early signal |
| Renault | 2.3% (n=12) | 0.0% (n=0) | -2.3 pp | No observations yet |
| Mitsubishi | 2.9% (n=15) | 0.9% (n=1) | -2.0 pp | Very early signal |
| Honda | 0.2% (n=1) | 1.8% (n=2) | +1.6 pp | Very early signal |
| Suzuki | 2.5% (n=13) | 0.9% (n=1) | -1.6 pp | Very early signal |
This measures SearchMyRide consideration share, not vehicle registrations or national sales. Percentage-point movement should be read together with the exact counts.
Deeper research
Buyer Index research views
Regional and conversational-intent views use the same live rolling six-month evidence base and publish exact denominators.
Publication-ready research assets
Use the underlying published data and methodology when quoting SearchMyRide. Downloads contain only aggregate-safe report data.
SMR-CBI-ROLLING-6M · Dataset v2.0 · n=1,176 · data through 6 Nov 2026
How to read the live six-month evidence
This report separates observed SearchMyRide buyer intent from live marketplace supply and publishes only segments that meet stated evidence thresholds.
Watch: Watch for sustained changes across multiple reporting periods rather than treating one short-term movement as a market-wide conclusion.
All numerical claims on this page come from deterministic calculations over the Buyer Index evidence table and the live inventory index.
Live stock
Live marketplace examples
Current SearchMyRide stock provides supply context; these listings are not used to manufacture buyer-demand observations.
2025 Mercedes-Benz V300D Exclusive
R2,150,00024,045 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →
2023 Mercedes-Benz S500 4Matric
R2,199,00027,761 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →
2026 Mercedes AMG G63
R5,699,00035 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →
2020 Mercedes AMG G63
R3,299,00045,495 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG V8
R1,199,00072,357 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →
2024 Maserati Grecale Modena
R1,550,0009,749 km · Sandton, Gauteng
View car →Source: SearchMyRide South African Car Buyer Index · Live rolling 6-month window · n=1,176 · SMR-CBI-ROLLING-6M · Dataset v2.0 · updated 6 Nov 2026
About this data
Questions readers often ask
Does the Buyer Index represent every South African car buyer?
No. It describes qualifying SearchMyRide search activity during the stated period. SearchMyRide publishes the sample size and methodology so the scope is explicit.
Can AI change or invent a Buyer Index statistic?
No. Statistics are calculated deterministically from stored evidence. The optional AI layer is restricted to non-numeric interpretation and is rejected if it introduces numbers or currency values.
How often is the data updated?
The primary report is a live rolling 183-day analysis that refreshes as new qualifying evidence arrives. Aggregate daily snapshots are retained for historical reporting, and fixed month boundaries remain available internally for audit and archive reconstruction.