The Burrow
Aug 19, 2020
Whether you’re searching for your dream car or simply looking for a set of wheels to get you from point A to B, many of us start our car journey on the web.
From teens who have just passed their learner’s test to seasoned drivers looking to travel in style, the internet has made it easier than ever to compare vehicles and their features.
But which car brands are the most sought after around the globe, and how do searches overseas differ to those from your country? As experts in car insurance, we’re interested in the trends of the car market. So, by analysing data from Google Trends for the top searched vehicle brands for 164 countries on Google for 2018 and 2019, we created a map highlighting some of the most popular car brands around the world.
Using the same data, we also observe just how much one year impacted the types of cars people were searching for. Of course, this data doesn’t necessarily reflect the cars people are buying or the sale numbers of specific vehicles.
As you can see from the map above, German manufacturer BMW was the most searched car brand from our 2019 analysis, topping the list in 122 of the 164 included countries (or almost 75% of countries included). A possible reason why BMW was so popular in 2019 is because it offers a range of both family and luxury cars globally. In fact, BMW released a number of new models and updates across the board in 2019, including the new BMW 3 Series Sedan, new BMW 8 Series Coupe and new BMW 8 Series Convertible.1
Based on our analysis only, we found that Toyota was the second most-likely brand to appear in a country’s top three searches (17.1%), followed by Mercedes-Benz (13.6%) and Audi (10.1%).
Only a handful of countries had brands other than BMW or Toyota as their top search. For example, in South Korea, it was Hyundai that topped the list, while lesser-known manufacturer AvtoVAZ was the most searched in Ukraine, and Porsche was the most searched in French Guiana.
Some countries prefer locally manufactured brands. For Sweden, it was their own manufacturing company, Volvo, that topped the list. The Japanese also favoured local cars, with Toyota topping their search results, while German-owned BMW was the most popular in Germany.
Although it’s a brand that many people around the world couldn’t afford, Mercedes-Benz was highly searched globally, and it was a surprise hit in Niger and Tajikistan. Given both these countries have high poverty rates (41.4%2 and 27.4%3), this could suggest people are looking at cars they desire and not necessarily cars they intend to purchase.
While BMW was still a popular brand in 2018, it didn’t top as many search lists as it did in 2019 – based on our analysis. BMW was the most searched brand for 33 of the 164 countries, while Toyota topped 66 countries (or 40.2% of all searches).
2018 also saw other car brands top countries around the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Hyundai, Audi, Ford and Fiat.
To obtain this information, we used Google Trends data to determine the most-searched vehicle brands for 164 countries around the world in 2018 and 2019. Some countries had limited or no data at all and were omitted from the list. Similarly, we’ve excluded brands or search terms that weren’t car brands from the list. Where we list additional popular brands in 2019, some countries have been excluded due to limited or unrelated data.
Due to the sampling mechanism of Google Trends, top results – even those historically – are subject to change. Data was collected between 21/05/2020 and 27/05/2020. Within these dates, BMW, Toyota, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Fiat, Volvo, Kia, Ford and AvtoVAZ were the brands that topped countries based on our analysis for 2019 and were included in the map. In 2018, Renault, Toyota, Hyundai, BMW, Honda, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Suzuki, Nissan, Opel, Fiat, Kia, Lexus, Ford, Jeep and Maserati displayed as the top results for our analysis and were included in the map.
Protect your car if the worst happens
Whether you’ve finally purchased your dream car after years of saving or you simply have a vehicle that makes life that little bit easier for you, it’s worth taking measures to ensure it’s financially protected. After all, there’s always a risk that your car could be stolen or become damaged, or you could be involved in an accident.
If the worst were to happen, car insurance could help cover the repair or replacement costs of your vehicle and cover you if you cause injury to another person or damage their property while behind the wheel.
Find cover today by using our free car insurance comparison tool.
Brought to you by Compare the Market: Making it easier for Australians to search for great deals on Car Insurance.
