What is your sneaky car treat? A double-thick milkshake? Belting out cringy 90s pop? Self-reflecting on the week gone by? AutoTrader shares insights into what drives South Africans while on the daily commute.
South Africa (22 August 2025) – Whether packing padkos for the road, stopping for a sneaky chai latte or indulging in an ice-cream after dinner with the in-laws, we all have a sneaky car treat that we love! 27% of people recently surveyed by AutoTrader shared that they indulged in sneaky car treats, but that’s not all that drives them; a whole 34% become car pop-stars when nobody is looking.
2025 started as a year to “Do It Big” and it has not disappointed! South Africans have been busy motorists so far this year and have found their cars to be their “happy place” (when traffic isn’t ruining the narrative).
AutoTrader surveyed 3,500 car users who gave insights into life inside their cars. Where snacks and duets with Taylor Swift rank high on the happiness scale, 48.4% of car users used the time waiting at the stop-and-go robots to have a deep, meaningful conversation with themselves. These moments prove to be metaphorical oil checks for mental wellness.
“We surveyed 3,500 South Africans to determine new insights into the activities that our customers participate in to keep themselves occupied when they are behind the wheel.” – George Mienie, CEO at AutoTrader
Diving into the smaller percentages, some South Africans have become expert car makeup artists and the most heartwarming of all… of the 3,500 people surveyed, 47 of them (or 1.3%) became families. Yes, those moments of panic, rushing to the hospital when the baby decided it was time to arrive, turned into stories to last a lifetime. We hope at least one of those little miracles earned a car-worthy name to mark their interesting welcome into this world.
With so many South Africans sharing what drives them each day, George Mienie unpacks how these insights have inspired heartfelt (and successful) new ads.
“Our cars are our quintessential ‘Happy Place’. This insight, and human truth, coupled with the research data, inspired our latest campaign and series of ads.” – George adds.
Finding one’s happy place within their vehicle has been an integral part of life for South Africans, especially considering how much time is being spent in these mobile havens. When AutoTrader used its research to create a series of adverts, it proved to connect with South Africans.
The two latest adverts have earned high accolades for the company. The first ad has attracted over nine million views and 32,000 engagements on social media alone thus far.
“The second went live this past weekend, prior to the start of our national team’s defence of the Rugby Championship”
The advert, which is shared above, highlights how South Africans have been watching the Rugby in style. Bakkuzzi style!
Angelique Lynch, Marketing Director of AutoTrader, concludes:
“Whether you’re snacking, pouting to apply your make-up, or rocking out in your car, search for your Happy Place on AutoTrader.”
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