Established in 1957, CAR is South Africa’s longest-running and leading automotive platform. The brand built its reputation by providing South African consumers with relevant, unbiased, and comprehensive car-buying advice, supported by independent road test data and measurements.
Since 2000, CAR’s annual Top 12 Best Buys awards feature has distinguished itself by recognising vehicles across the SA market’s 12 most popular segments. Drawing on first-hand experience with every vehicle available in our market — from budget cars to double-cab bakkies and luxury vehicles — the focus of these awards goes beyond perceived build quality and efficiency to include value for money, aftersales support, dealership networks, and resale values for each category winner.
Proudly sponsored by Discovery Insure, Engen Xtreme and SVI Engineering, this year’s CAR Top 12 Best Buys awards once again recognises our top choices in each respective segment — Budget car, Budget crossover, Small car, Compact crossover, Midsize SUV, New-energy vehicle, Premium midsize SUV, Adventure SUV, Large SUV, Luxury, Performance, and Double-cab bakkie — before crowning our Company of the Year.
1. Budget car (<R260 000) — Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+
With its hard-to-beat balance of enjoyable driving manners, frugal yet willing powertrain, solid, practical packaging, and an array of standard-fitment convenience and safety features, the Suzuki Swift GL+ manual, priced from R249 900, claims the top spot in this category.
2. Budget crossover — Kia Sonet
With its blend of favourable attributes — including stylish looks, solid build quality, and easy-going road manners — the Kia Sonet remains our go-to choice in the ever-competitive budget-crossover segment. Priced from a hair below R300 000, the local Sonet lineup is available with the choice of two powertrain and three transmission options, and five trim lines.
3. Small car — Volkswagen Polo
Globally, the small-car segment may have lost some ground to the likes of compact crossovers/SUVs, but with living costs soaring and value for money more of a consideration than ever, small cars remain a relevant part of our motoring menu. The Polo may not be the most affordable offering out there, but few in this segment can emulate its perceived quality and assured road manners. The range is diverse, too — spanning the 70 kW TSI to the 145 kW GTI; all of which are built at Volkswagen’s Kariega plant.
4. Compact crossover — Kia Seltos
Having run short- and long-term tests of several models, we’ve come to appreciate the Seltos’ road manners, good perceived quality, and packaging that seems to bridge the divide between the compact and midsize segments. Our 2025 SUV Shootout gave us newfound appreciation for the Seltos, with the 1.5-litre turbodiesel model seeing off some stern competition in back-to-back assessment. With a range spanning 10 models, available with the option of three powertrains, four transmission options, and five spec levels, the Seltos holds a broad appeal. A four-year/60 000 km service plan and Deal Assist offers that trim a healthy sum off the asking price further cements its placement as our compact crossover of choice.
5. Midsize SUV — Volkswagen Tiguan
While there has been a fair bit of movement in the midsize-SUV segment, the Tiguan remains a difficult package to beat. The six-strong local model lineup incorporates proven powertrains — 1.4 TSI, 2.0 TSI and 2.0 TDI — as well as FWD and AWD drivetrains. Three trim lines are on offer: base, Life and R-Line. Our time with the Tiguan left us particularly impressed by its composed road manners, especially the ride quality; mechanical refinement; well-considered, spacious packaging; impressive finishes; and intuitive infotainment system.
6. New-energy vehicle — BYD Sealion 6 Premium
The BYD Sealion 6 Dynamic impresses not only with its solid build quality, composed road manners, and generous standard specification, but also for a powertrain that cleverly combines the best traits of EV motoring with the operating range of internal combustion engines. The system, which essentially utilises the 1.5-litre petrol engine as means to charge the onboard lithium-ion battery and supplement the electric motor some measured propulsion, returned an impressive 4.8 L/100 km under testing. This equates to a theoretical range of around 1 000 km. This solution to the nagging issue of range anxiety, along with pricing that’s very competitive for its segment, goes a long way to making NEV motoring more palatable.
7. Premium midsize SUV — BMW X3
You can learn a lot about a product from how good its base derivative is. In the case of the fourth-generation X3, the introduction of the entry-level (X3 20) model reinforced our favourable opinion of BMW’s best-selling SUV. Indeed, even without the popular M Sport package and xDrive all-wheel drivetrain, the X3 20 offers class-leading levels of refinement, comfort and interior convenience at a notably enticing price point. The X3 continues to find favour for offering a broad selection of powertrain options, including 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and diesel units, a 3.0-litre inline-six in the impressively nimble M50 flagship, and a frugal but powerful plug-in hybrid.
8. Adventure SUV — Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
The Land Cruiser Prado retains the title in this category thanks to its impressive breadth of ability. An extended test period with the Prado reconfirmed just how comfortable, versatile and assured this member of the Land Cruiser family remains. Indeed, we’ve yet to encounter a scenario where the proven 2.8GD-6 engine hasn’t been up to the task. Including genuine off-road ability few rivals can match, extra arrows in the Land Cruiser Prado’s quiver are Toyota’s local dealership network and aftersales service, and market-leading resale values.
9. Large SUV — BMW X5
Like its X3 sibling, the X5 captured our votes thanks to its compelling blend of refinement and comfort, overall poise, and a broad model offering that includes a selection of powertrains, such as best-in-class inline-six turbodiesel and the brawny 4.4-litre V8 turbopetrol in the X5 M Competition. While we’d select the SUV over its striking, though less practical, X6 sibling, the current X5 has set the bar high for the arrival of the next-generation model next year.
10. Luxury — Range Rover
The Range Rover has evolved from being a capable off-road vehicle with a semblance of luxury to a supremely comfortable, sophisticated SUV that happens to house Land Rover’s newest all-wheel-drive technologies. The broad adoption of equipment such as air suspension, carefully curated choice of materials throughout, and the evolution of the brand’s SV Bespoke customisation programme has ensured the Range Rover continues to fulfil its original mandate of ticking as many boxes as possible. A wide choice of powertrains, including turbodiesel and plug-in hybrid, as well as the imminent introduction of an all-electric derivative, adds to the appeal.
11. Performance — Porsche 911 Carrera T Coupé
Of all the cars featured in our 2026 Performance Shootout, few could match the level of back-to-basics thrill and driver engagement afforded by the 911 Carrera T. Sold exclusively with a short-throw manual transmission and packaged to allow as much (real) exhaust note into the cabin as possible, while we can only marvel at the level of engineering that is going into modern hybridised powertrains, we remain partial to the old-school charm and character of a finely-tuned internal combustion engine and eminently poised chassis that will you to learn their characteristics.
12. Double-cab bakkie — Ford Ranger
Even before its imminent mid-life update, the Ford Ranger package remains the benchmark for blending everyday comfort, versatility and relative ease-of-use with ruggedness and a keen sense of adventure. While it’s tempting to look at flagship models such as the Raptor, our time spent with the Tremor proved, once again, that a combination of a comfortable, well-appointed interior with modern infotainment, a relatively efficient powertrain and an “un-bakkie-like” considered ride quality are key ingredients for a well-rounded leisure-focused double-cab.
Company of the year — Chery Group South Africa
Including the rapid expansion of both its broad product portfolio encompassing several sub-brands, dealership network, aftersales promise and, indeed, its steady rise up the monthly sales charts since returning to the SA market in 2021, Chery has also recently shown intent to invest in our market, including as an employer, via the purchase of an established manufacturing facility in Nissan’s Rosslyn plant.
“With so many new players in the South African market, and, indeed, ever-increasing pressure on value-for-money new-car purchases, I’m proud that CAR remains the trusted source of buying advice,” said Editor lan McLaren. “Including a key focus on aftersales promises, dealership network and what’s offered throughout a respective range of vehicles, the annual Top 12 Best Buys Awards provides South African motorists with invaluable consumer advice, showcasing where CAR’s experienced editorial team would spend their own money.”
“It’s a privilege to have Discovery Insure, Engen Lubricants and SVI on board as sponsors of this year’s Top 12 Best Buys Awards. Including proudly South African innovations and product offerings, each brand aligns with CAR’s aim of helping fellow South Africans make positive buying decisions,” McLaren concluded.
