How well do Chinese cars hold their value after three to four years?

CHINESE vehicles have become irresistible to many South African vehicle buyers, thanks to pricing that often significantly undercuts the established brands and feature-packed interiors that belie those tempting price tags.

- JASON WOOSEY

SOME of South Africa's most popular Chinese vehicles have been around for four years now. But how much are they worth on the used market?

(JASON WOOSEY)

Chery and GWM are now regular fixtures on the top 10 vehicle sales charts, and their Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion models are among the bestselling SUVs in the country.

Naturally, there has also been a rise in demand for Chinese vehicles on the used car market, with Auto Trader's latest Mid-Year Report showing that searches for Chinese vehicles grew by 69% in the first half of 2025, while enquiries grew by 81%. But how well have Chinese vehicles held their value over the years?

As most Chinese brands are relatively new to the market, this has been a difficult factor to quantify. However, by late 2025, some of the bestselling models have been on the market for three to four years.