The used vehicle market has spiked in recent years due to supply constraints on new cars causing extended waiting times.
Choosing to purchase a pre-owned car could allow buyers to skip the queue or potentially save some money.
As comprehensive car insurance comparison experts, we uncovered the used models with the most interest – indicated by global online search volume.
American and Japanese branded used vehicles are most in demand globally, despite the rapid rise of Chinese carmakers and well-established European and South Korean badges.
Used examples of the American Jeep Wrangler off-road SUV had the most interest, followed by the Mexico-made Toyota Tacoma truck, and Japanese-badged Honda Civic hatchback and sedan.
Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 sedan was the most sought after used electric car and edged out the venerable Toyota Camry petrol-engined sedan.
As per consumer trends, SUVs dominate the list with the higher-riding wagon body type making up 28 of the 50 most searched used cars internationally.
Rank | Used Make & Model | Global Annual Search Volume Average |
1 | Jeep Wrangler | 536,200 |
2 | Toyota Tacoma | 531,000 |
3 | Honda Civic | 505,600 |
4 | Honda City | 498,200 |
5 | Tesla Model 3 | 412,000 |
6 | Toyota Camry | 391,200 |
7 | Toyota RAV4 | 331,200 |
8 | Honda Accord | 321,400 |
9 | Ford Bronco | 291,700 |
10 | Honda CR-V | 281,100 |
11 | Toyota Highlander | 271,300 |
12 | Ford Ranger | 266,400 |
13 | Toyota Corolla | 258,200 |
14 | Jeep Grand Cherokee Range Rover | 245,900 |
15 | Mazda CX-5 | 241,800 |
16 | Subaru Outback | 190,800 |
17 | Ford Explorer | 187,500 |
18 | Kia Sportage | 184,800 |
19 | Toyota Tundra | 181,500 |
20 | Honda Pilot | 180,900 |
21 | Tesla Model Y | 173,400 |
22 | Mini Cooper | 164,100 |
23 | Kia Sorento | 161,400 |
24 | Porsche 911 | 156,500 |
25 | Subaru Crosstrek Subaru Forester | 156,000 |
26 | Tesla Model S | 146,200 |
27 | Audi A3 Audi A4 | 145,200 |
28 | Kia Telluride | 144,000 |
29 | BMW X5 | 143,000 |
30 | Toyota Yaris | 140,800 |
31 | Chevy Tahoe | 140,200 |
32 | Volvo XC90 | 136,400 |
33 | Tesla Model X | 134,700 |
34 | Audi Q5 | 129,800 |
35 | Hyundai Tucson | 128,400 |
36 | Honda HR-V Mazda 3 | 127,600 |
37 | Nissan Leaf | 125,800 |
38 | Audi Q3 BMW X3 | 123,200 |
39 | Ford Focus | 121,400 |
40 | Dodge Challenger | 119,600 |
41 | Nissan Rogue Porsche Cayenne | 117,000 |
42 | BMW M3 Toyota Prius | 115,200 |
43 | Honda Odyssey | 113,400 |
Australians have a slightly different used car appetite than the rest of the world.
Only 21 SUVs made up the top 50 list, with more interest in commercial utes as reflected by 2023 used sales figures.1
Japanese automaker Toyota dominated the top 10 list – led by the Yaris small hatchback, with the HiLux ute and Prado large SUV trailing.
Despite the increasing rise in electric vehicles, it seems Australians are more hesitant to buy a used example – with the first EV on the list, the Tesla Model 3, appearing 32nd in search traffic.
Rank | Used Make & Model | Australian Annual Search Volume Average |
1 | Toyota Yaris | 13,260 |
2 | Toyota HiLux | 12,720 |
3 | Toyota Prado Toyota RAV4 | 11,720 |
4 | Hyundai i30 | 11,340 |
5 | Toyota Camry | 11,120 |
6 | Ford Ranger | 10,240 |
7 | Toyota Corolla | 8,960 |
8 | Toyota Prius | 8,650 |
9 | Honda City Honda Civic Mazda CX-3 | 8,440 |
10 | Mazda 3 | 8,340 |
11 | Mazda CX-5 | 7,600 |
12 | Kia Sportage | 5,980 |
Mitsubishi Outlander | 5,980 | |
13 | Suzuki Swift | 4,920 |
14 | Kia Carnival Mazda 2 Mitsubishi ASX | 4,810 |
15 | Nissan X-Trail | 4,470 |
16 | Isuzu D-Max | 4,410 |
17 | Subaru Forester | 4,130 |
18 | Nissan Leaf | 3,900 |
19 | Kia Rio | 3,800 |
20 | Hyundai Kona Kia Cerato Nissan Patrol | 3,790 |
21 | Kia Sorento | 3,780 |
22 | Ford Everest | 3,570 |
23 | Toyota Kluger | 3,440 |
24 | Tesla Model 3 | 3,410 |
25 | Mini Cooper | 3,370 |
26 | Nissan Navara | 3,100 |
27 | Range Rover | 3,070 |
28 | Mitsubishi Triton | 2,990 |
29 | Mazda 6 | 2,980 |
30 | Subaru Outback | 2,890 |
31 | Audi A4 | 2,790 |
32 | Jeep Wrangler | 2,770 |
33 | Mazda CX-9 | 2,730 |
34 | Isuzu MU-X | 2,720 |
35 | Suzuki Jimny | 2,700 |
36 | Hyundai Tucson | 2,680 |
37 | Kia Stinger | 2,560 |
38 | Nissan Qashqai | 2,550 |
39 | Honda HR-V | 2,480 |
40 | Mitsubishi Lancer | 2,420 |
41 | Toyota HiAce | 2,310 |
42 | Audi A1 | 2,060 |
Compare the Market Australia’s Executive General Manager of General Insurance Adrian Taylor said a variety of factors contribute to car insurance premiums.
“Vehicle age is one of many indicators insurers look at to determine how much you pay for cover, along with factors including driver history, parking location, and vehicle type,” Mr Taylor said.
“It’s also generally cheaper to insure popular models that benefit from better parts availability locally and those that are easier to service.
“No matter how new or old your vehicle is, having car insurance is one of the most important considerations to help protect owners in the event of the unexpected.
“Different insurers will also offer various levels of cover, available extras and excess charges at different prices, so it pays to compare to find a policy that suits your wallet and requirements.”
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to check for the inclusions, limits and restrictions before purchasing.
Data is accurate as at 6 February 2024.
Using Keywords Everywhere, we analysed the average global and Australia-only online search volume of nearly 500 individual vehicle models between February 2023 to January 2024.
The search term researched was in English and in the following format:
Additional sources: