What you need to know about buying a car during lockdown

It might be lockdown, but you can still unlock a new car, as vehicle sales at all dealerships and used-car outlets are allowed, and vehicle manufacturing is on the go since the country went from level four to three in June. In this blog post, we outline everything you need to know about the new way to buy a car.

• Customer on-site contact is allowed, but kept to a minimum, while remote vehicle sales is encouraged.
• Test drives can be arranged on site by appointment only, and under  strict hygiene conditions including fully sanitised cars.
• On site pick-ups and deliveries of fully sanitised cars will be allowed under strict hygiene conditions, with an option of home delivery of fully sanitised cars if possible.
• Car auctions for all categories will be conducted online in compliance with the CPA Regulations and limited physical contact will be allowed for viewing prior to the auction under very strict hygiene conditions. These include fully sanitised cars and limits on the numbers of persons at auctions in order to maintain a distance of at least 1.5m between people at all times, including when entering or exiting from an auction.
• All car maintenance and repairs will be confirmed through appointment only.
• Unsolicited walk-ins will only be allowed under exceptional and emergency circumstances and a full record of each such instance will be kept in writing at the premises of the business for three months after the state of disaster has been lifted, the document said.
• No children may enter any dealership, and all customers must sign a register when entering a dealership.
• The new way to buy a car is summed up here: All car dealerships must adhere to strict health and safety measures. These include social distancing, sanitation of the site and the compulsory wearing of cloth masks, for both employees and customers alike.

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa’s (Naamsa) vehicle statistics for May showed a slight uptick in sales after dealerships resumed trading.

New vehicle sales saw a substantial decline of 27,496 units or 68% from the 40,428 vehicles sold in May last year compared to the aggregate domestic sales of 12,932 units in May 2020.

However, Naamsa stressed that this is a noteworthy improvement from the April 2020 performance, which saw a record drop of 98.4% in April, following a total lockdown across the country, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

A total of 12,932 vehicles were sold, 9,019 of which were passenger cars.

You can easily find your next car through MotorHappy, who, through our partners, can connect you with thousands of pre-loved quality cars. Our partners offer the following benefits:

• Over 4000 popular makes and models
• Finance and Insurance arranged
• Proven service history
• All our vehicles undergo a stringent 116-point quality assurance check