Buy the car, not the story.

No. Second Drive has no affiliation with any manufacturer, and no OEM has any input on what we publish about a specific model. A verdict, fault list, or cost estimate is never adjusted because of who makes the car.

Every Report Card is compiled from real-world South African ownership data, independent mechanics, and manufacturer service records, cross-checked against multiple sources before publishing. We focus on faults reported repeatedly across different owners, not one-off or anecdotal complaints.

It's a quick summary of our overall research, not a guarantee. Every Report Card ends with a five-dot rating showing how strongly we'd recommend buying the car ourselves at its typical price and mileage. Five dots means we'd buy it without hesitation. Fewer dots means real concerns worth weighing, down to one dot for models we wouldn't recommend at all. Always still get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car you're considering.

We prioritise models that are common in the South African used market, so the research is useful to the widest number of buyers, starting with popular bakkies, hatchbacks, and SUVs, and expanding coverage from there based on what buyers are actually searching for.

Every model page shows a "last verified" date. Faults, prices, and recalls change over time, so we revisit and update Report Cards rather than leaving them static after first publish.

Get in touch through our Contact page and tell us what you're after. If it's not already listed on the site, we'll do what we can to help you find it.