BakkiesSA

Guides

Buying, owning and paying for a bakkie

Written against the live market, not from a brochure. Every price in these guides is checked against what is actually listed for sale in South Africa.

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The black Toyota Hilux FCEV Concept in GR Sport dress with H2 fuel cell electric vehicle graphics

Models · 19 Sept 2026

The hydrogen Hilux is confirmed for 2028. Here is what it actually means for South Africa

Toyota has put a date on the fuel-cell Hilux, and the prototypes that got it there started life on the Prospecton line in Durban. The bakkie is real. Whether you will ever be able to fill one up in South Africa is a different question, and this is an honest look at both.

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A Ford Ranger and a Toyota Hilux double cab parked side by side on a Karoo road at sunset

Buying guide · 17 Sept 2026

Ranger vs Hilux: which double cab should you actually buy in South Africa?

The argument South Africans have at every braai, settled with numbers: like-for-like used asking prices by year and engine, what R300,000 to R700,000 buys on each side, the faults priced in rand, the Toyota tax, theft, insurance, resale and which one to buy.

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A Ford Ranger double cab on a gravel road in South Africa, dust hanging behind it and open veld to the horizon

Buying guide · 16 Sept 2026

Buying a used Ford Ranger: what to check, engine by engine

More South Africans buy a used Ranger than any other bakkie, and most of them are ex-fleet. This is what each engine costs, what goes wrong with it, what the repairs cost in rand, which recalls to check, and how it stacks up against a Hilux for the same money.

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Two white Toyota Hilux Raider double cabs side by side: a 2024 2.8 GD-6 on the left and a 2013 3.0 D-4D with the bonnet scoop on the right

Models · 14 Sept 2026

Buying a used Hilux: 2.4 or 2.8 GD-6, or one of the old D-4Ds?

Nine in ten used-Hilux buyers are shopping a GD-6 and arguing about the 2.4 against the 2.8. The tenth wants the old shape with the scoop, and pays Toyota tax to get it. Live asking prices for every Hilux engine sold here since 2005, the faults priced in rand, the Ranger comparison, and the theft, cloning and clocking checks that come with owning the most hijacked bakkie in the country.

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A black GWM P500 double cab in the desert at sunset, the flagship of the P-Series range

Models · 12 Sept 2026

The Chinese double cabs, compared: P-Series, T9, Tunland, Landtrek and the rest

Five years ago a Chinese bakkie was a punchline. Now the GWM P-Series outsells most of the established names and there are seven brands chasing it. What each one is, what it costs used, how fast it loses value and which ones the market has started to trust.

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A Toyota Hilux double cab on a rocky mountain ridge at sunset, dust rising behind it

Money · 11 Sept 2026

Bakkie resale values in South Africa: which models hold their money

Depreciation is the biggest cost of owning a bakkie and the one nobody quotes you. This is what the live market says about how each model loses value, how often sellers cut their price, and how long a Hilux takes to sell. From our own price-tracking, not a valuation book.

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A Ford Ranger double cab parked on a hillside in the Drakensberg foothills

Money · 09 Sept 2026

Financing a bakkie in South Africa: what a R500,000 double cab actually costs per month

The instalment is the number the dealer shows you. The number that matters is what the bakkie costs over the term, and how much of that is interest, fees and the balloon you were told not to worry about. Worked examples at real market prices, with the maths shown.

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A white Isuzu D-Max X-Rider parked on dry grass under trees

Buying guide · 07 Sept 2026

Buying an ex-fleet bakkie: what to check before you take the bargain

A large share of the cheapest bakkies on the market are ex-fleet: rental returns, mining and construction vehicles, municipal and security fleets. Some are the best-serviced vehicles in the country. Some have been driven into the ground by a different driver every day. Telling them apart takes twenty minutes and a torch.

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A Toyota Hilux single cab carrying hay bales along a dirt road through green farmland

Buying guide · 05 Sept 2026

Double cab or single cab: what the price gap actually buys you

On the same bakkie, in the same year, the second row of doors costs between R60,000 and R240,000. Here is the premium on every major model from live listings, why it exists, and when the single cab is the smarter buy.

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Rear view of a Ford Ranger double cab on a gravel road with mountains behind it

Ownership · 03 Sept 2026

Bakkie towing capacity in South Africa: every model's braked rating in one table

The 3,500 kg on the brochure comes with conditions most buyers never read. What each bakkie is rated to tow, what the gross combination mass does to that number once the bakkie is loaded, which licence you need, and which engines are actually pleasant with a caravan behind them.

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A Ford Ranger kicking up dust on a red gravel road

Ownership · 01 Sept 2026

Bakkie tyres in South Africa: the right size for every model, and what the all-terrain premium buys

The standard tyre size for every bakkie sold in South Africa, the common plus-size upgrades and what they do to the speedometer and the warranty, and an honest look at whether an all-terrain is worth the extra R1,000 a corner for the way you actually drive.

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