WeBuyCars
WeBuyCars is a South African used-vehicle retailer and automotive services company operating showrooms, smaller buying and sales pods, warehouses, and customer-visit services.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
WeBuyCars is a South African automotive company focused on buying and selling pre-owned vehicles. Founded in Pretoria in 2001 by brothers Faan and Dirk van der Walt, the business developed a vertically integrated model for acquiring, assessing, preparing, displaying, financing, and selling used vehicles at scale. Its inventory includes passenger cars and other vehicle categories such as motorcycles, caravans, trailers, boats, and jet skis. The company’s operating model combines large-format branches or “supermarkets,” smaller pods located in convenient retail and parking environments, and a customer-visit service in which a vehicle assessor travels to a seller. When an agreement is reached, WeBuyCars can purchase the vehicle immediately. This format allows the company to source inventory beyond its physical network while offering sellers a relatively direct alternative to private listings or traditional trade-ins. The company also facilitates trade-ins, vehicle finance, and insurance, expanding its role beyond simple vehicle resale. WeBuyCars grew from a small Pretoria East operation into a national network. It established its first dedicated warehouse in Pretoria in 2010, hired its first vehicle buyers in 2012, expanded buying operations to Cape Town in 2014, and opened branches in Cape Town and Durban in 2016 and 2017. Its Midstream Car Supermarket, opened in 2017, provided capacity for approximately 1,100 vehicles. The business subsequently added warehouses and showrooms in Cape Town, Johannesburg South, Gqeberha, Durban, and other locations, eventually operating across all nine South African provinces. Capital and ownership changes were important to the company’s development. Fledge Capital acquired a significant shareholding in 2017 and supported modernization and expansion. In 2020, Transaction Capital acquired a 49.9% non-controlling interest, later increasing its stake to 74.9%, with the balance remaining with trusts associated with the founding family. A proposed 2020 acquisition of 60% of WeBuyCars by Naspers through OLX was blocked by the South African Competition Commission because of concerns about reduced competition and the relationship between vehicle-listing platforms and the proposed buyer. The company has increasingly emphasized scale, technology, and standardized customer processes. In 2020 it introduced online public auctions and began supplying DEKRA inspection reports with vehicles it sold. Its WeBuyCars Dome in Johannesburg, created after the acquisition and conversion of the former Ticketpro Dome, became a major used-vehicle showroom with capacity for approximately 2,000 vehicles and an underground area for testing aquatic vehicles. In 2024, WeBuyCars was unbundled from Transaction Capital and separately listed on the JSE Limited. By 2025, the business reported a network of 18 showrooms and more than 100 pods, monthly purchasing and sales volumes in excess of 15,000 vehicles, and substantial online traffic. It was also investigating whether to enter the sale of new vehicles, partly because a significant proportion of people selling vehicles to the company subsequently purchased new vehicles elsewhere. In the same period, WeBuyCars announced the use of Blue, a machine-learning system intended to conduct vehicle valuations and purchases with limited or no human intervention, and outlined plans to expand buying stations and vehicle capacity by 2028. The company remains primarily a South African used-vehicle platform rather than a vehicle manufacturer. Its competitive environment includes online and technology-enabled used-car businesses such as GetWorth, traditional dealerships, vehicle marketplaces, and increasingly competitive new-vehicle brands. In 2026, the company faced regulatory and investor scrutiny after settling a National Consumer Commission matter concerning vehicle-condition complaints and consumer-protection compliance. The settlement required customer redress, an administrative penalty, and changes to terms and operating procedures.
History
WeBuyCars was founded in 2001 by brothers Faan and Dirk van der Walt in Pretoria East. The founders initially handled vehicle sales themselves. As demand and inventory increased, the company formalized its infrastructure, opening a Pretoria warehouse in 2010 with room for approximately 100 vehicles and acquiring adjoining land soon afterward. A significant operational transition occurred in 2012, when the company appointed its first vehicle buyers. This reduced reliance on the founders and created a repeatable acquisition process. Buying personnel were added in Cape Town in 2014, followed by expansion into other major South African cities. The company opened branches in Cape Town in 2016 and Durban in 2017. In 2017 it also opened a large Car Supermarket in Midstream, with capacity for about 1,100 vehicles, and sold a significant shareholding to Fledge Capital. Fledge contributed investment and operational expertise during a period of rapid modernization. The network expanded further in 2018 and 2019. WeBuyCars opened a second warehouse in Cape Town, a Johannesburg South warehouse, a Gqeberha warehouse, and another Durban warehouse. It also opened a purpose-built Cape Town showroom. By December 2019 the company had reached 1,000 employees. Despite this growth, some internal processes remained relatively basic; in 2018, inventory and sales were still being tracked through Google Sheets. Ownership became a major issue in 2020. Naspers attempted to acquire 60% of WeBuyCars for R1.4 billion through OLX, but the South African Competition Commission blocked the proposal. The Commission was concerned that the deal could weaken competition because OLX and AutoTrader were among the platforms that supplied vehicle leads or inventory to WeBuyCars. Later in 2020, Transaction Capital acquired a 49.9% non-controlling interest for R1.8 billion. Its holding subsequently rose to 74.9%, while trusts connected with the founders retained 25.1%. The company continued to develop digital and inspection-related services. In July 2020 it introduced public online auctions and began providing DEKRA reports for pre-owned vehicles sold through its platform. In December 2021 it opened the WeBuyCars Dome in Johannesburg after purchasing and redeveloping the former Ticketpro Dome. The facility became one of the company’s most prominent retail sites, with capacity for roughly 2,000 vehicles and an underground testing area for boats and jet skis. In early 2024, Transaction Capital announced plans to unbundle WeBuyCars. The process was completed later in the year, and WeBuyCars became separately listed on the JSE Limited. The company subsequently reported continued network and volume growth. In 2025 it described expansions or relocations involving facilities in Pietermaritzburg, George, Polokwane, Johannesburg South, the Dome, Riverhorse Valley, and Gqeberha, while announcing planned sites in Vereeniging, Lansdowne, and Montana. Technology and scale became central to the company’s later strategy. In 2025 WeBuyCars reported more than 15,000 monthly vehicle purchases and sales and described plans to increase buying capacity, double the number of buying stations, and add larger facilities in Vereeniging, Cape Town, and Pretoria. It also began considering whether to sell new vehicles, noting that many people who sold cars to WeBuyCars later purchased new cars elsewhere. Blue, an artificial-intelligence and machine-learning system, was introduced to automate vehicle valuations and purchases using the company’s proprietary pricing information. The business has operated across all nine South African provinces through large supermarkets, smaller pods, and customer visits. It sells used vehicles to retail cash buyers, customers using finance, and pre-owned dealers. In 2026 it encountered regulatory pressure after the National Consumer Commission investigated complaints about responsibility for problems arising within six months of purchase. A settlement required payments to affected consumers, an administrative penalty, and revisions to contractual terms and compliance procedures. The matter, together with competitive pressure from affordable new-vehicle brands and broader automotive-market changes, contributed to increased investor scrutiny.
- 2025
Autonomous purchasing technology introduced
[1]The company announced Blue, a machine-learning system for autonomous vehicle valuation and purchasing.
- 2024
Separate JSE listing
[1]WeBuyCars was unbundled from Transaction Capital and listed separately on the JSE Limited.
- 2021
WeBuyCars Dome opens
[1]The company opened its Johannesburg super-showroom in the former Ticketpro Dome, with capacity for approximately 2,000 vehicles.
- 2020
Transaction Capital becomes strategic shareholder
[1]Transaction Capital acquired a 49.9% interest, later increasing its holding to 74.9%.
- 2019
Workforce reaches 1,000 employees
[1]WeBuyCars reported reaching 1,000 employees while expanding its national warehouse and showroom network.
- 2017
Midstream Car Supermarket opens
[1]The company opened a large-format site capable of holding approximately 1,100 vehicles and sold a significant shareholding to Fledge Capital.
- 2012
First vehicle buyers appointed
[1]WeBuyCars hired its first vehicle buyers after the founders had personally managed purchases since inception.
- 2010
First dedicated warehouse
[1]The company opened a Pretoria warehouse with capacity for approximately 100 vehicles.
- 2001
Company founded
[1]Faan and Dirk van der Walt founded WeBuyCars in Pretoria East.
Products and positioning
A national, high-volume omnichannel used-vehicle retailer that combines physical showrooms, compact pods, mobile buying, digital auctions, vehicle assessment, and related finance and insurance services.
Used vehicles · 2001
Pre-owned cars
WeBuyCars’ core offering is a broad inventory of inspected pre-owned passenger vehicles. Cars are sourced through the company’s buying network, customer visits, trade-ins, and other acquisition channels, then sold through supermarkets, pods, and digital channels to retail consumers and dealers.
Specialty used vehicles
Motorcycles, caravans, trailers, and boats
The company also trades in non-car vehicle categories, including motorcycles, caravans, trailers, boats, and jet skis. The WeBuyCars Dome includes an underground test area intended for aquatic vehicles, reflecting the breadth of inventory beyond ordinary passenger cars.
Vehicle acquisition service · 2001
Vehicle buying and customer visits
Sellers can bring vehicles to a branch or pod, or request an assessor to travel to a convenient location. WeBuyCars assesses the vehicle, provides a valuation, and can complete the purchase on the spot when the parties agree.
Digital automotive marketplace · 2020
Online auctions
Introduced in 2020, the online auction service extended the company’s digital sales model and allowed public users to participate in vehicle auctions through the WeBuyCars website.
Automotive financial services
Vehicle finance and insurance facilitation
WeBuyCars facilitates finance and insurance connected with vehicle purchases. It has partnered with Capitec to enable customers to apply for loans at selected vehicle warehouses.
Controversies
2026
National Consumer Commission settlement
Following an investigation into customer complaints, the National Consumer Commission found that aspects of WeBuyCars’ terms and conditions conflicted with the Consumer Protection Act. The company agreed to pay R3.4 million to 31 complainants and a R2.5 million administrative penalty, and undertook to revise its terms and strengthen compliance.
Brand decisions
2026
Consumer-protection compliance changesOtherBackground
The National Consumer Commission found that aspects of the company’s customer terms concerning post-sale vehicle problems were inconsistent with the Consumer Protection Act.
Action taken
WeBuyCars agreed to consumer redress, an administrative penalty, revised terms and conditions, and strengthened compliance procedures.
Aftermath
The settlement increased regulatory and investor scrutiny of the company’s customer-protection practices.
Consumer redress and administrative penalty. R3.4 million paid to 31 complainants and a R2.5 million administrative penalty (2026 settlement)
2025
Expansion of buying capacityStrategyBackground
The company reported strong monthly purchase and sales volumes and sought to extend its national footprint.
Action taken
WeBuyCars announced plans to nearly double average monthly purchases, double buying stations, and add larger facilities in Vereeniging, Cape Town, and Pretoria.
Aftermath
The plans represented a continued scale-led strategy, although the full outcome is not established in the supplied material.
2025
Introduction of Blue purchasing technologyProduct launchBackground
WeBuyCars sought to use its proprietary vehicle data and pricing models to make acquisition more scalable.
Action taken
The company began using Blue, a collection of machine-learning models, to conduct vehicle valuations and purchases without human intervention in qualifying cases.
Aftermath
The company said Blue had autonomously purchased approximately 2,800 vehicles by the time of the announcement.
2024
Separate listing on the JSEStrategyBackground
Transaction Capital announced an intention to unbundle WeBuyCars as a separately traded business.
Action taken
The unbundling was completed and WeBuyCars became separately listed on the JSE Limited.
Aftermath
The company obtained an independent public-market identity separate from Transaction Capital.
2020
Launch of online public auctionsOtherBackground
WeBuyCars was expanding its digital sales and inspection infrastructure.
Action taken
The company launched public vehicle auctions through its website and added DEKRA reports to vehicles it sold.
Aftermath
The move broadened the company’s digital sales channels and provided customers with additional vehicle-condition information.
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