Is a Used Toyota Fortuner Worth Buying in South Africa in 2026?

The Fortuner is Toyota's seven-seat SUV built on a ladder frame, the same tough way a bakkie is built. Toyota launched the first one in South Africa in 2006 and the current shape in March 2016. On 14 October 2026 Dryv listed 125 used Fortuners and three demo models, and the price you pay depends mostly on which of those two shapes you buy, and how far it has been driven.

What does a used Fortuner cost in 2026?

From R179,995 for a 2006 to R889,900 for a 2026. This is the ladder on Dryv this week, by model year.

Model years	Used on Dryv	Median asking price	Median odometer
2006 to 2015 (first shape)	48	R279,995	238,810 km
2016 to 2019	20	R389,995	172,097 km
2020 to 2022	20	R484,900	102,474 km
2023 to 2024	17	R587,990	63,931 km
2025 to 2026	20	R649,900	32,244 km

Look at the jump between 2016 to 2019 and 2020 to 2022. You pay a median R94,905 more and get cars with 69,623 fewer kilometres. That is the best trade on the ladder. The next step, to 2023 and 2024, costs R103,090 more for 38,543 fewer kilometres.

Should you buy a first-shape Fortuner?

Only with your eyes open. The 48 Fortuners from 2015 and older are the cheapest way into a seven-seat ladder-frame SUV, at a median R279,995. But 35 of them have done more than 200,000 km. Most have the 3.0 D-4D diesel (120 kW and 343 Nm) or the 2.5 D-4D (106 kW and 343 Nm), and they ride on 220 mm of ground clearance against 279 mm for today's Fortuner.

If your budget stops under R300,000, one of these can make sense. Buy only with a full service history, and pay for an independent inspection before you sign. A car this old is worth whatever its maintenance record says it is.

2.4 or 2.8: which engine should you buy?

The 2.4 GD-6 is enough for most families. The 2.8 is for towing and long trips with a full load. Toyota's current spec sheet gives these figures:

Current Fortuner	Power	Torque	Claimed consumption (raised body, auto)
2.4 GD-6	110 kW	400 Nm	7.2 litres per 100 km
2.8 GD-6	150 kW	500 Nm	7.6 litres per 100 km
2.8 GD-6 GR-S (4x4)	165 kW	550 Nm	7.6 litres per 100 km

One catch with older 2.8s: when Toyota launched this shape in 2016, the 2.8 GD-6 made 130 kW, with 420 Nm in the manual and 450 Nm in the automatic. A 2016 2.8 is not the same engine output as a 2025 one, so check the figures for the exact year you are looking at.

On Dryv, among 2020 to 2022 cars, the eight 2.4s asked a median R474,900 with 102,474 km and the twelve 2.8s a median R509,948 with 111,914 km. The 2.8 costs R35,048 more. My view: if you tow a caravan or a boat, pay it. If the Fortuner's hardest job is the school run and a December trip to the coast, the 2.4 does it.

Raised body or 4x4?

Raised body, unless you tow heavy or drive rough tracks. The raised body is rear-wheel drive with the same 279 mm ground clearance as the 4x4. Toyota rates the current 4x4s to tow 3,300 kg on a braked trailer, against 2,500 kg for the raised body, and the 2.8 4x4 auto claims 7.9 litres per 100 km against 7.6 for the raised body. Of the 77 Fortuners from 2016 onwards on Dryv, 24 are 4x4s and 53 are raised body. If you need a load bed more than a third row of seats, read our comparison of a used Hilux or Ranger.

Is a nearly new Fortuner better value than a demo?

This week, by a long way. Two used 2024 Fortuner 2.8 GD-6 VX automatics with the 48V system asked R679,900 each, with 25,284 km and 46,310 km. Two 2026 demos of the same model ask R888,100 and R897,000, with under 500 km each. The lower-mileage 2024 is R208,200 cheaper than the cheaper demo, for a car two model years older.

The 48V system, on sale since March 2024, is Toyota's mild hybrid for the 2.8 diesel. A small motor generator adds up to 12 kW and 65 Nm, and Toyota says it improves fuel efficiency by up to 5% over the regular diesel. See the 2024 Fortuners on Dryv.

What does a Fortuner cost to run?

Diesel is the big cost. Every Fortuner has an 80-litre tank. At Toyota's claimed 7.6 litres per 100 km for a 2.8 raised-body auto, every R1 on the diesel price adds R76 to every 1,000 km. Wholesale diesel went up by R2.84 (500ppm) and R3.24 (50ppm) a litre on 7 October 2026, so if stations pass the whole increase on, 1,000 km now costs R216.13 to R246.53 more than in September. Our October fuel price guide has the details.

A new Fortuner comes with a nine-service, 90,000 km service plan and a three-year or 100,000 km warranty, and Toyota's service interval is 12 months or 10,000 km. On a nearly new used one, ask the dealer how much of the service plan and warranty is left, in writing. If you are financing, our guide to what the average car loan buys shows the monthly side.

Does a Fortuner hold its value?

This one has. In March 2016 Toyota priced the new 2.8 GD-6 raised-body automatic at R531,400. On Dryv this week, a 2016 2.8 GD-6 raised-body automatic with 194,367 km asks R359,995, which is 67.7% of what it cost new in 2016. That is one car, not a rule, but it shows how much of its value a Fortuner can keep.

Where are the used Fortuners?

Mostly in the Western Cape: 88 of the 125 on Dryv, with 18 in Gauteng and 15 in KwaZulu-Natal. If you are in Gauteng, widen your search and budget for delivery or a trip. You can see them all on Dryv's Fortuner page, or only those under R500,000.

How were these numbers measured?

The used and demo figures are dealers' asking prices for every Toyota Fortuner listed on Dryv on 14 October 2026, not what the cars sold for. A median is the middle car when they are lined up by price or odometer; where two cars share the middle, we give their average, rounded to the rand or kilometre. Current specifications are from Toyota South Africa's Fortuner spec sheet issued on 14 October 2026. The 2016 launch figures and prices are from Toyota South Africa's launch release of 30 March 2016, the 48V details from its release of 18 March 2024, and the first-shape figures from Dryv's specification records, sourced from Toyota South Africa's own model pages.

Verdict: yes, a used Fortuner is worth buying. With up to R500,000, buy a 2020 to 2022 2.4 GD-6 raised-body automatic with a full service history. Stretch to the 2.8 only if you tow. With R750,000, buy a nearly new used one before a demo.