Forget TVs, Black Friday Is Becoming a Car-Buying Weekend

For most people, Black Friday means two things: a trolley full of things you definitely didn’t need, and a checkout page that mysteriously keeps refreshing while you pray that the last pair of size 8 trainers doesn’t vanish.

But here’s the plot twist: Black Friday isn’t just about fashion, flatscreens and air fryers anymore. South Africans are now using it to buy… cars.

AutoTrader’s latest data from 2024 quietly dropped a hint that we’re witnessing a shift in buying behaviour, and if you blinked, you might have missed it.

So what exactly happened?

When AutoTrader analysed vehicle sales over three consecutive weekends last year, the numbers painted a very interesting picture:

• The weekend before Black Friday: 2,145 cars sold.

• Black Friday weekend: 2,414 cars sold — a 12.5% jump.

• The weekend after: 2,203 cars sold, meaning Black Friday weekend outperformed it by 19.3%.

  
  

In simple terms: people are treating Black Friday as a decision-making moment, not a window-shopping one. The data shows intent.

Why the shift?

As George Mienie, AutoTrader’s CEO, put it: South Africans aren’t sitting around waiting for year-end clearance sales anymore. They’re responding to opportunity. When the timing feels right, the offer aligns, and the stock is available, they move.

And honestly, it makes sense. With used-car demand high and hybrid deals popping up more often, a strategically timed purchase can save you a lot more than knocking R500 off a pair of trainers.

What were people actually buying?

Nothing surprising at the top of the leaderboard, bakkies and hatchbacks always run the show:

• Ford Ranger — 153 units

• VW Polo — 125

• Toyota Hilux — 112

• VW Polo Vivo — 110

• Toyota Fortuner — 60

A mix of luxury sedans, family SUVs and affordable compacts fill out the rest, which suggests the behaviour isn’t limited to one type of buyer. The market was active across the board.

Do big discounts explain it? Not really.

What’s interesting is that the spike happened even without massive, loud, retail-style discounts across the industry. The deals were there; AutoTrader usually lists over a thousand Black Friday specials, but it wasn’t the “70% OFF EVERYTHING” frenzy you’d expect.

This hints at something deeper: Black Friday has become a psychological “moment”. A deadline. A nudge. A reason to finally commit to the car you’ve been eyeing for months.

So what does this mean going forward?

We might be looking at the start of a new consumer trend, where car buying lines up with retail behaviour rather than traditional automotive sales cycles.

It’s too early to call it a long-term shift, but one thing is clear: Black Friday is no longer just a retail event. It’s becoming a high-intent buying period for car shoppers too.

And if 2024 was anything to go by, 2025 could turn that hint into a pattern worth watching; whether you’re a buyer, a dealership, or someone who still gets emotional about a good Black Friday deal.