Plug-in hybrids take off
The balance of South Africa's new energy vehicle market is shifting rapidly, with plug-in hybrids reaching a new milestone in the second quarter of 2026.
Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 54.6% of new energy vehicle sales in Q2 of 2026, making it the first quarter in which plug-ins represented more than half the market. This marks a significant change from a year earlier, when they accounted for 22.9% of sales.
Conventional hybrids have seen a dip from 90.3% of sales in Q4 2024 to just 45.4%, even though the number of units sold has remained relatively stable.
The shift has been driven primarily by the rapid growth of plug-in hybrids. Sales increased from just 18 units in Q4 of 2022 to 3 346 in Q2 of 2026. However, some of this significant change can be attributed to more companies reporting their data to Naamsa starting in Q2 of 2026.
The latest figures also show a sharp increase in the size of the market as a whole. Total new energy vehicle sales almost doubled from 4 585 in Q1 2026 to 8 611 in Q2 2026.
If sustained, the Q2 figures suggest the market may be entering a new phase in which plug-in vehicles are no longer a niche market but the majority of the NEV market.
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