Best Auto Companies in South Africa
The 107 best Auto companies in South Africa in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Naked.
Auto in South Africa is more concentrated than you'd expect: 107 companies tracked, $35M in total disclosed funding, and one name — Naked — accounts for $32M of it. That's not a typo. Everything else in the directory is splitting the remaining $3M, with Leatt at $846K, Getworth at $742K, and Michanic and Fixxr rounding out the mid-tier. No unicorns yet. But the investor list tells you the sector's taken seriously: Naspers and BlueOrchard don't show up in markets they're not watching.
So what's actually moving? Median app installs across 552 automotive and automotive insurance apps are up roughly 22% year-on-year, which tracks with rising consumer demand for digital-first auto services. Coverage themes are shifting too, with vehicle sales forecasts and autonomous systems drawing more editorial attention, and autonomy-level decisions becoming a live strategic question for operators. I'd also flag that sales satisfaction data is flashing amber for traditional dealers, which opens the door wider for the insuretech and marketplace models Naked and Getworth are already building. The funding gap between leader and field is wide. That's the story right now.
- Auto-Encoding Variational Bayes
Our analysis of 256 Auto companies
$29.3b in tracked funding; 77% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2021.
Ranked: Best Auto companies in South Africa
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naked AI-driven app that provides usage-based car insurance | $32M | 17 mo ago | Series B | Alex Thomson Co-Founder | 2016 | SentryZendeskApple iCloud Mail+24 | 2 job openings · 2 launchs |
| 2 | RNR Online platform providing vehicle breakdown assistance and repair services | $1M | 26 mo ago | Seed | Michelle Witherspoon Co-Founder & Managing Director | 2019 | BootstrapVue.jsFont Awesome+11 | — |
| 3 | Leatt Manufacturer of outdoor sports equipment | $847K | 208 mo ago | Public | Christopher Leatt Founder & Chairman | 2001 | — | 1 launch |
| 4 | Getworth Online P2P marketplace to buy & sell cars | $743K | 106 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2016 | PleskTypeScriptAngular+23 | 1 job opening |
| 5 | Michanic Provider of repair services for car | $400K | 46 mo ago | Funding Raised | Lesetja Dikgale Founder | 2018 | WordPressMySQLPHP+25 | 1 partnership |
| 6 | Fixxr Online platform that provides on-site vehicle repair & maintenance services | $70K | 91 mo ago | Funding Raised | Curtis Young Founder: Head of Strategy & Product Development | 2018 | WordPressMySQLPHP+35 | — |
| 7 | Everlectric Provider of electric vehicle fleet transition, charging infrastructure, and finance solutions | — | 16 mo ago | Seed | Paul Plummer Co-Founder | 2020 | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | — |
| 8 | Motus Provider of car dealership services | — | 28 mo ago | Public | Osman Arbee CEO | 2017 | WordPressPleskMySQL+19 | 1 expansion |
Top 12 Auto companies in South Africa
#1
Series B · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2016 · 102 employees$31.8Mraised▾
AI-driven app that provides usage-based car insurance. It offers a chatbot for usage-based quotes and prices. It also offers roadside assistance services, claims approval, and more. Its app is available for iOS and Android platforms.
- Jan 2025Series B$38M
- Feb 2023Series B$17M
- Aug 2021Series A$11.1M
- Dec 2018Seed$2.2M
#2
Seed · Pinetown, Kwazulu-natal · founded 2019$1.2Mraised▾
Online platform providing vehicle breakdown assistance and repair services
- Apr 2024Seed$640K
- Feb 2023Seed$555K
#3
Funding Raised · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2018 · 15 employees$400Kraised▾
Provider of repair services for car
- Jul 2022Conventional Debt$400K
#4
Acquired · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2016 · 35 employees$742.8Kraised▾
getWorth is an online peer-to-peer marketplace to buy and sell cars. It offers cash offers to the users for their cars and a getMore quote (if the cars qualify) which allows the users to set up the price at which their cars are marketed. This allows the users to earn a bonus amount which is the difference between the final selling price, and the initial upfront cash amount out and the company's fees. It also helps users to finance their car purchase plans with users having to submit the request for review online. Offers additional features to car buyers such as the "Get Seven Guarantee" which is a grace period given to car buyers to drive the car they are purchasing for 7 days/700 KM and if not satisfied with the car can return it for a full refund. It claims that all cars that it buys are subject to a 100-point inspection and that it reconditions the car to a standard, after the inspection.
- Aug 2017Seed—
- Apr 2017Seed$742.8K
#5
Public · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2001 · 89 employees$846.7Kraised▾
Leatt is a manufacturer of outdoor sports equipment across categories such as cycling and winter sports. Their products include protective neck braces, body armor and sports gear for motorsports, bicycle, snowmobile and other extreme sports athletes. Their products are available worldwide.
- Feb 2009Post IPO$846.7K
#6
Funding Raised · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2018$69.9Kraised▾
Online platform that provides on-site vehicle repair & maintenance services. Users can provide the service details they want, get pricing, and schedule repair services at their location through the platform.
- Nov 2018Grant (prize money)$69.9K
#7
Seed · Pretoria, Gauteng · founded 2020 · 2 employees—raised▾
Provider of electric vehicle fleet transition, charging infrastructure, and finance solutions. The company packages electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. It offers financial solutions designed to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles. The company aims to streamline the transition to electric fleets. It provides access to a charging network and operational electricity.
- Feb 2025Venture Debt—
- Sep 2021Seed—
#8
Public · Edenvale, Gauteng · founded 2017 · 19250 employees—raised▾
Provider of car dealership services
- Feb 2024Post IPO—
#9
Seed · Germiston, Gauteng · founded 2003—raised▾
Provider of remanufacturing services intended for the heavy machinery sector. The company engages in the rebuilding of high horsepower (HHP) diesel engines used in the mining process, providing clients a chance to reuse current materials while recovering the effectiveness and output of their equipment
#10
Series B · Johannesburg, Gauteng · founded 2021 · 59 employees—raised▾
Online auction-based marketplace for used & accident cars. Buyers can find the cars, view details, log in with their account & place a bid on the cars & buy them via the platform. Car owners can advertise their cars on the platform.
- Mar 2021Series B—
#11
Acquired · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2017 · 8 employees—raised▾
JaSure provides an app-based platform for on-demand P&C insurances. It features policies for bicycle, binoculars, golf clubs, and cameras. It offers coverage for accidental damage, loss, and theft. It enables users to file and monitor claim through the app. The app is available for Android and IOS platforms.
- Feb 2020Seed—
#12
Seed · Cape Town, Western Cape · founded 2016 · 2 employees—raised▾
CarZar is an online C2B car selling platform. It provides a free online valuation of the car based on its make & model, year of make, and mileage. Users can schedule an online appointment for the inspection of their cars at one of its inspection centres or at their homes. Based on the physical inspection of the car, it makes a final offer to the users who can choose to accept or deny it.
- May 2017Seed—
- 2016Seed—
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Auto coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.