AfriCar Group
AfriCar Group operates online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a used-car transactional platform (Auto24), new-car price comparison (Koto), and dealer SaaS (autobox365) serving individual buyers, dealers, and fleet customers across 45+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What AfriCar Group does
AfriCar Group builds, operates, and commercializes online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa. Its core product is AUTO24.africa, a transactional used-car marketplace active in Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Morocco, Rwanda, and South Africa, where the company buys and resells vehicles to individual buyers with bundled trust services including a 5-day refund policy, 6-month warranty, 1-year roadside assistance, 1-year maintenance package via AutoFast by CFAO, and a 100-point vehicle inspection report. The portfolio also includes Koto (new-car price comparison platforms: Koto.ci, Koto.sn, Koto.rw, BuyNewCar.co.za), autobox365 (a SaaS dealership management system for inventory, leads, and sales), EV24.africa (an electric-vehicle adoption initiative that introduced Rwanda's first Tesla EVs and built charging infrastructure in Abidjan), and over 150 locally branded online assets spanning content portals, Facebook Pages, Groups, Instagram, and YouTube channels across 45+ countries and 15 languages. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with operations run virtually and through regional teams across Africa, the company is a portfolio company of Emerging Classifieds Ventures (ECV Group) and has received corporate investment from Stellantis to scale the used-car marketplace with a stated target of 1 million used cars sold online by 2030.
AfriCar Group generates revenue through four streams: transaction fees and margins on Auto24 vehicle resales, recurring SaaS subscription fees from dealers using autobox365, advertising across its 150+ online assets, and data monetization through the Koto price comparison platforms. The business serves two primary customer segments — individual consumers seeking trusted vehicle transactions in fragmented African markets (B2C) and automotive dealers and professionals seeking digital tools to manage inventory, leads, and sales (B2B). The integrated B2C/B2B platform architecture, combined with content-driven traffic from country-specific automotive news portals (e.g., automag.ci, imotonews.co.za), creates an ecosystem that bridges offline dealer operations with online discovery and transaction. Geographic focus is Sub-Saharan Africa plus Morocco, reaching markets with more than 900 million people, and the company has stated ambitions in electric mobility and price transparency that extend its addressable market beyond used-car transactions into new-vehicle pricing data and EV distribution.
AfriCar Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AfriCar Group
- Legal name
- AfriCar Group
- Website
- https://africargroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- AfriCar Group operates online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa, offering a used-car transactional platform (Auto24), new-car price comparison (Koto), and dealer SaaS (autobox365) serving individual buyers, dealers, and fleet customers across 45+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AfriCar Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Automotive Marketplaces
- NAICS
- Used Car Dealers (44112), Automobile Dealers (4411), Motorcycle, ATV, and All Other Motor Vehicle Dealers (441227)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto & Home Supply Stores (5531), Wholesale-Motor Vehicles & Motor Vehicle Parts & Supplies (5010)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C (CRAFAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Automotive Parts & Accessories Online Retailers (CRAFADAK), Automotive Parts, Tires & Workshop Supplies Marketplaces (CRAFAHAD)
Keywords
Where AfriCar Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
AfriCar Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketplace Transaction Fees / Commission: Africar Group moved from traditional online classifieds to transactional marketplaces, earning a margin on primary or secondary vehicle transactions. Auto24 buys back vehicles and resells them to individuals, capturing transaction margin on each sale.
- SaaS Subscription (autobox365): Africar Group powers local African automotive businesses with cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms, enabling them to grow, operate more professionally, and manage their operations — generating recurring subscription revenue.
- Advertising: Africar Group's 150+ online assets (portals, social media pages, groups) create a high-reach digital ecosystem enabling advertising revenue from automotive brands and dealers across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Data Monetisation: Africar Group aggregates substantial automotive pricing and market data across 45+ African countries, which can be monetised through structured pricing data products such as the Koto price comparison platforms.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Used vehicle sales with bundled services |
| Subscription | Monthly | SaaS CRM subscription for automotive dealers |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
AfriCar Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AfriCar Group operates online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa and Morocco through Auto24.africa (a transactional used-car marketplace that buys and resells vehicles with bundled inspection, warranty, roadside-assistance and maintenance services) and Koto price-comparison platforms (Koto.ci, Koto.sn, Koto.rw, BuyNewCar.co.za) that provide structured new-car pricing data. The company also sells autobox365, a proprietary SaaS dealership management system (CRM/DMS) to local automotive dealers, and runs EV24.africa, an electric-mobility initiative that introduced Rwanda's first Tesla EVs.
Product overview
AfriCar Group operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa. The core offering consists of AUTO24.africa (used car marketplace with warranty and inspection services) integrated with the Koto price comparison platforms (Koto.ci, Koto.sn, Koto.rw, BuyNewCar.co.za) for new car pricing transparency. The portfolio includes autobox365 (proprietary dealership management SaaS), EV24.africa for electric mobility, and over 45 country-specific automotive portals in local languages. The company services 45+ markets through centralized technology and operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AutoBox365: Dealership Management System (DMS) - SaaS automotive management platform for local African businesses to manage inventory, leads, teams and sales.
- Auto24
- Koto platforms
Products and services
- Auto24.africa Used-Car Marketplace Transactional online used-car marketplace operating in Côte d'Ivoire (auto24.ci), Senegal (auto24.sn), Morocco (auto24.ma), Rwanda (auto24.rw) and South Africa (auto24.co.za). Vehicles are bought and resold to individual buyers, with each sale bundled with a 100-point inspection report, 6-month warranty, 5-day refund policy, 1-year roadside assistance, and 1-year maintenance package via AutoFast by CFAO. Targeted at individual African consumers seeking a trusted alternative to fragmented local used-car markets.
- Koto Price-Comparison Platforms New-car price-comparison platforms providing structured and verified pricing data across multiple brands and models. Brands include Koto.ci (Côte d'Ivoire), Koto.sn (Senegal), Koto.rw (Rwanda) and BuyNewCar.co.za (South Africa). Targeted at consumers seeking price transparency when buying new vehicles in markets where pricing information is fragmented.
- autobox365 Dealership Management SaaS Proprietary cloud-based automotive management system (DMS/CRM) sold to local African automotive businesses on a subscription basis. Enables dealers to manage inventory, leads, teams, and sales online, bridging paper-based or spreadsheet-based operations with online marketplace presence.
- AfriCar Group Country-Specific Automotive Listings Portals Locally-branded, country-specific online automotive marketplaces enabling consumers across 45+ African countries to list, search, buy and sell cars, trucks and motorbikes. Each portal has a local domain name, language, currency and content, and is paired with B2B business-management portals that help dealers promote inventory and manage leads, catalogues, teams and sales.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 500,000 new cars sold annually in South Africa alone — the continent's largest automotive market
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AfriCar Group
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AfriCar Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
AfriCar Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CFAO (AutoFast)minorAuto24 partnered with CFAO to offer AutoFast, providing a 1-year maintenance package for each vehicle sold through Auto24 marketplaces in Côte d'Ivoire. This partnership bundles CFAO's automotive maintenance services with Auto24's used car sales, enhancing the trust and transparency proposition for buyers.
- Koto.cicoreAfricar Group acquired Koto.ci, Côte d'Ivoire's leading new car price reference platform, in August 2025. Following the acquisition, Africar Group launched three new price comparison platforms: Koto.sn (Senegal), Koto.rw (Rwanda), and BuyNewCar.co.za (South Africa), expanding the Koto brand across Africa to provide structured and verified new-car pricing data across multiple brands and models.
- EV24.africaminorAuto24.africa is part of EV24.africa, an initiative to promote electric vehicle adoption across Africa and reduce pollution. Auto24 Rwanda introduced Rwanda's first Tesla EVs through this initiative, and the firm previously erected charging stations in Abidjan as part of its EV push.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AfriCar Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- CarDekho: Indian new- and used-car platform with price comparison, listings, and dealer SaaS — directly comparable to Africar's combined Auto24 + Koto + autobox365 product portfolio in another high-growth emerging market.
- Spinny: Indian used-car full-stack platform combining inventory-led retail, inspection, warranties, and dealer SaaS. Strong model parallel to Auto24's buy-and-resell approach in a similarly fragmented emerging market.
Direct peers
- Cars.co.za: Established South African automotive marketplace offering new and used car listings, dealer leads, and price comparison. Competes head-on with Africar's Auto24.co.za and BuyNewCar.co.za in the same geography and category.
- AutoTrader South Africa: Dominant automotive classifieds and listings marketplace in South Africa, the continent's largest vehicle market and Africar Group's most recent expansion focus (BuyNewCar.co.za, Auto24.co.za). Directly competes for dealer inventory and consumer attention in the same category.
- OLX (OLX Group / AutoTrader Africa): Global classifieds marketplace with strong African automotive verticals across multiple countries. Overlaps with Africar's C2C marketplace and listings business, serving similar consumer and dealer segments in fragmented African markets.
- Carsome: Southeast Asia's largest used-car ecommerce platform with a near-identical model: inspection centers, warranties, financing, and transactional resale. Operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore — the closest analog to Auto24's buy-and-resell model outside Africa.
- Cheki (CFAO Group): African automotive classifieds platform owned by CFAO — itself a partner of Africar Group via AutoFast. Operates across Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and other African markets with similar car listings, dealer tools, and consumer trust features.
- Carro: Asia-Pacific automotive marketplace and used-car platform with SaaS dealer tools, financing, and insurance — strikingly similar multi-product stack to Africar's Auto24 + autobox365 combination. Targets emerging-market vehicle ownership growth.
Broad incumbents
- CarGurus: Global used-car listings and comparison platform with significant dealer SaaS subscriptions. Larger, more mature business operating in the US, UK, and Canada; serves as a benchmark for the Koto-style price-comparison and dealer-tool model Africar is pursuing.
Regional players
- Dubicars: Leading automotive marketplace in the UAE and broader Middle East. Operates a similar listings + dealer tools model in a different geography, providing a useful regional comparable for emerging-market automotive marketplace economics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AfriCar Group social profiles
Digital presenceAfriCar Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AfriCar Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
AfriCar Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
AfriCar Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AfriCar Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AfriCar Group
What does AfriCar Group do?
AfriCar Group operates online automotive marketplaces across Sub-Saharan Africa and Morocco through Auto24.africa (a transactional used-car marketplace that buys and resells vehicles with bundled inspection, warranty, roadside-assistance and maintenance services) and Koto price-comparison platforms (Koto.ci, Koto.sn, Koto.rw, BuyNewCar.co.za) that provide structured new-car pricing data. The company also sells autobox365, a proprietary SaaS dealership management system (CRM/DMS) to local automotive dealers, and runs EV24.africa, an electric-mobility initiative that introduced Rwanda's first Tesla EVs.
Is AfriCar Group a public or private company?
AfriCar Group is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was AfriCar Group founded?
AfriCar Group was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is AfriCar Group based?
AfriCar Group is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does AfriCar Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Marketplace Transaction Fees / Commission is the primary driver. The others are saaS Subscription (autobox365), advertising and data Monetisation.
Who are AfriCar Group's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are CarDekho and Spinny. Direct peers are Cars.co.za, AutoTrader South Africa, OLX (OLX Group / AutoTrader Africa), Carsome, Cheki (CFAO Group) and Carro. CarGurus is listed as a broad incumbent. Dubicars is listed as a regional player.
Does AfriCar Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for AfriCar Group.
What industry is AfriCar Group in?
AfriCar Group's product category is Online Automotive Marketplaces. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAKAE, Automotive Vehicles & Parts C2C, with a secondary code of CRAFADAK, Automotive Parts & Accessories Online Retailers. Its NAICS code is 44112 and its SIC code is 5531.