The Burrow
Jan 3, 2023
The internet has made it easier than ever for shoppers looking to buy a new set of wheels. Practically every car brand in the world (whether or not it’s available in your country) is at your fingertips.
So, which car brands were people searching for the most over the past twelve months, and how does this compare to previous years? In a year where the shadow of COVID-19 lockdowns faded away and people across the world were able to start road tripping again, Toyota has managed to remain the most searched car brand of the year.
In the fifth rendition of their annual analysis, Compare the Market has compiled Google Trends data for 2022 and revealed the most desired brands in 155 countries. Here are some of the most popular brands across the globe.
Japanese behemoth Toyota is once again the most searched car brand overall in 2022, continuing its pole position from 2021 and 2020. Toyota was the most searched for car brand in 69 countries out of 155, accounting for 44.5% of all searches – an increase of roughly 10% from last year.
Why does Toyota remain so strong? One reason could be that Toyota was listed as the most reliable car brand of 2022 by consumer non-profit organisation Consumer Reports.1 Toyota was also named as the most trusted automotive brand in Australia in a survey by market research company Roy Morgan.2
These accolades speak to the marque’s pedigree and reputation for quality, dependable vehicles. In 2022 they also updated or released over 15 different car models,3 which could be a contributing factor for why interest has remained so high.
Yet another reason could be statements by the CEO that ran counter to the hungry demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and zero-emission cars.
While other car brands have promised to go completely electric in the near future, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda said that the Japanese powerhouse would focus on providing a variety of powertrains for future vehicles – including combustion engines.
Mr Toyoda said that EVs “are just going to take longer than the media would like us to believe,” and that it “wasn’t right” for his company to dictate to motorists what types of cars they can and can’t buy.4
While Toyota remained number one, BMW and Mercedes also maintained their respective positions on the podium from previous years. The German automakers have always stayed in the top three since Compare the Market began analysing search trends in 2018, though it appears Mercedes’ star may be fading.
While BMW increased the number of countries where it was the most searched car brand from 29 to 36, Mercedes saw a decline, falling from 23 countries to 10 in 2022.
While popular brands like Toyota, BMW and Mercedes were popular across the world, some brands are more popular in specific regions.
Kia is popular in some Middle Eastern and north-African countries. It was the most searched for brand in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Uzbekistan. It was also the most searched for brand in other countries including Ecuador, India and Vietnam.
Volvo is popular in Scandinavia and neighbouring regions of Europe. It was number one in Finland and Sweden – which isn’t too surprising given that’s where the brand was born and where it still produces its cars today. It was the second most searched car manufacturer in Norway and third most Googled car brand in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
While Tesla was the most-popular car brand in Google searches for five countries in 2021, 2022 saw the famous EV brand fall from the list with no countries listing it as their most searched car brand. In 2022, Tesla was the third-most searched car brand in three countries: Bhutan, French Guiana and Togo, a far cry from its performance in 2021.
It may be that Tesla is facing increasing competition from other new EV-only car brands like Polestar, Lucid and Rivian. Additionally, mainstream car manufacturers are shifting to only produce EVs, such as Volvo, where EVs will represent 100% of its line-up by 2030.5
One plucky brand that made the list for most searched car brands is the off-road icon Jeep. This is the first time Jeep has been the most-searched car brand of any country since Compare the Market began their annual analysis. Jeep tied with Honda, Peugeot, Lexus and Suzuki, who all had one country list them as the most searched car brand.
While it was good news for the 4WD brand, several car brands that had made the list last year were cut. Renault, Rolls Royce and Mazda had previously been the most-searched car brands for some countries, but in 2022 no country listed them as the most-searched brand in Google Trends data. As a consolation, they did make an appearance as the second and third-most searched brands for some countries, showing that there is still some interest in these marques.
Compare the Market’s General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, says it isn’t surprising Toyota is number one, but that it’s important to get car insurance no matter what type of car you drive.
“Our own insurance sales data shows that Toyota is the most popular brand here in Australia, so it’s not surprising to see that it’s so well loved across the world,” says Taylor, “specifically, our data shows that the Toyota Corolla is the most popular car on the road in Australia today.”
“However, no matter what type of car you drive, it’s important to make sure you have adequate car insurance for your needs. Cars are an essential form of transportation for many people across the world, and if something goes wrong on the road it’s good to have a financial safety net.”
Taylor encourages every car owner thinking of buying comprehensive car insurance to check the details before they purchase.
“The covered events, payout limits, exclusions and conditions will change from policy to policy, so it’s essential to read through the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for all the critical information you need when making a decision about what policy to buy.”
Compare the Market used Google Trends data to determine the most searched for vehicle brands in 155 countries for 2022, where data was available. Google Trends doesn’t recognise Polestar or Tesla as “vehicle brands”, so to include them in our analysis we compared the search terms for Polestar and Tesla with the top three most searched car brands for each country. If Tesla or Polestar was higher in search interest than one of the top three car brands, they were added into their rightful place for that country’s top three brands. Some countries had limited data and were omitted from the list.
Due to way Google Trends samples its data, the top results are subject to change – even historically. Data for 2018 and 2019 was gathered between 21/05/2020 and 27/05/2020. Data for 2020 was collected on 04/01/2021 and 2021 data was collected on 01/12/2021. The data for 2022 was gathered on 01/12/2022.
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