Crossovers and SUVs continue to gain ground

Women buyers are choosing Crossover/SUV bodyshapes in ever greater numbers, as are their male counterparts. Lightstone’s analysis, using data sourced through its Signio system since the start of 2021, shows that this trend is particularly evident in the new vehicle market, where the Crossover/SUV share has jumped from 51% in 2021 to 72% in 2026.

All the other major bodyshape groupings have taken a knock, except for the Passenger market-focused MPV/Minivan, which has climbed from 1% in 2021 to a 3% share, which has been the situation since 2024.

In the Used vehicle market, the rise in popularity of the Crossover/SUV amongst women buyers has also been significant, jumping from 30% in 2021 to nearly 50% in 2026. This means that this segment has overtaken the Hatch bodyshape, which was 40% of the Used vehicle market for women in 2021.

What is also interesting in this market is the growth in demand for Double-Cab Pick-ups among female buyers, from 7% in 2021 to 9% in 2026. The MPV/Minivan segment has maintained a steady 3% share throughout the window.

New light vehicle bodyshape preferences amongst female buyers

Used light vehicle bodyshape preferences amongst female buyers

The preference for the Crossover/SUV is consistent across both new and used markets for women buyers, and this segment has been the largest over the last six years, making up half the sales to women in 2024, and growing to 56% in 2026. While the Hatch segment has lost ground over the last six years, the demand for the Double-Cab Pick-ups and MPV/Minivans has remained fairly steady.

Light vehicle bodyshape preferences amongst women buyers: 2021 – 2026

Sales of Chinese-branded vehicles to women (new and used combined) have grown significantly over the last six years, climbing from just 4% of sales in 2021 to 25% so far in 2026.

While the share of sales of Japanese vehicles has hovered between 39% and 43%, vehicle makes from most other countries have seen their shares decline over the period. Indian brands, which are also relatively new to South Africa, are bucking this trend, however, with their share of sales to women growing from 1% in 2021 to 3% currently.

Share of Chinese vehicle sales to women buyers: 2021 - 2026

When considering the price point at which women are actually making their purchases, the gap between New and Used vehicles is definitely narrowing. In 2021 the average price paid for a New vehicle by a woman was around R435k compared to R285k for a Used vehicle. This new: used ratio of 1.5 means that on average, a new vehicle cost 1.5 times more than a used vehicle.

Since 2021, Used prices have increased steadily and this average in 2026 is R360k, 21% more than it was in 2021. New vehicles purchased by women over the last six years have climbed to R480 000 on average, marking a 10% increase on 2021’s average (in fact, 2026 has seen the average price for a new light vehicle bought by a woman dropping from the 2025 average of R485 000).

What this means is that the new: used price ratio has declined from the 1.5:1 in 2021 to 1.3:1 in 2026. This could indicate that women are more appreciative of the larger selection of competitively priced new vehicles currently available on the market.

Average prices paid by women buyers: 2021 - 2026

Women are selecting a slightly larger balloon payment than men when structuring a finance agreement, and while this might mean a larger commitment at the end of the finance term, it reduces the monthly repayments. On average, women generally take a balloon payment of a little more than 1% greater than their male counterparts, and this number has been climbing gradually over the last six years.

Average balloon payment selected by buyers financing a light vehicle purchase: 2021 – 2026

Up until 2023, both men and women were selecting average finance terms of around six years, but over the last three years, this duration has been climbing, so that in 2026 we are seeing average finance terms for women of 77 months and 75 months for men.