As the electric vehicle market continued its meteoric rise in 2023, a significant milestone was reached: mainstream adoption. The tipping point had finally been hit, as EVs began to transcend their niche appeal among early adopters, appealing to an increasingly broader audience. It’s hardly surprising that Tesla topped Google Trends’ search data for electric vehicles (EVs) in the past year, given its status as a pioneer and industry leader in the field. Despite this, Toyota, a renowned fuel and hybrid specialist, emerged as the most sought-after car brand nationwide, without any notable regional variations.
What are the top searched automobile and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers online?
As electric vehicles continue to lead the global mobility conversation, significant obstacles still need to be overcome before achieving widespread adoption. As electric vehicle adoption gains momentum globally and domestically, it remains true that battery-powered cars still comprise a relatively small percentage of vehicles on the road compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts.
Four out of the top ten most searched automotive manufacturers in 2023 have offered one or fewer battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in the US market over the past year, highlighting a significant gap between consumer interest and product availability. To uncover these insights, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the top-searched automotive manufacturers and their corresponding models using key Google data. Here’s the way it was gathered.
Methodology
The data used to analyze included search volume metrics from Google Trends in the United States over a 12-month period, spanning from September 2022 to September 2023. Automotive-related search phrases were thoroughly examined, focusing on electric and combustion-powered vehicle models and their respective brands.
MarketWatch analyzed search data to determine which phrases were most and least relevant to each state, ranking them by total search volume in hundreds of thousands, searches per capita, and comparing state trends to the national average in the US.
Given that top-performing searches yielded highly relevant results, while poor performers produced irrelevant outcomes.
According to recent data, Toyota emerged as the topmost searched car model in the United States.
For decades, Toyota has dominated global automotive sales, simultaneously witnessing a surge in electric vehicle adoption among competitors. Despite its stronghold on the US electric vehicle (EV) market, Tesla is now closing in on traditional automakers General Motors, Ford, and Toyota, having significantly gained ground.
While Toyota proudly proclaims its commitment to electrification, the reality is that it currently offers only one fully electric model in the US market: the bZ4X. According to an examination, Toyota’s Prius, RAV4, and Tacoma were the top search results on Google, despite being unaffected.
Here’s a breakdown of the top 10 most searched automakers in the US:
| * | ||
| Toyota | 37.6 million | |
| Tesla | 34.6 million | |
| Honda | 22.2 million | |
| Ford | 20.3 million | |
| Hyundai | 18.6 million | |
| RAM | 17.1 million | |
| BMW | 15.7 million | |
| Kia | 15.4 million | |
| Mercedes-Benz | 15.1 million | |
| Subaru | 14.9 million |
While Toyota generated significantly more US Google searches (over 3 million) than runner-up Tesla, it wasn’t consistently the most or least searched brand at the state level compared to its national average.
Despite Tesla being the top choice among several automakers, one notable exception stood out: Nevada, where Tesla held a monopoly as the favored brand. Notably, that company stood out as the least connected automaker in an impressive 11 states, diverging significantly from the national average.
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- New Hampshire
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
Despite being the least searched model in one-fifth of the country, Tesla remains a dominant force in the national automotive conversation online and continues to be the darling of the electric vehicle sector, even as other competitors gain ground.
According to data, Tesla is the leading brand of electric vehicles (EVs) in terms of search volume in the United States.
While Tesla may trail Toyota in overall Google search volume over a 12-month period, its four most popular models still reign supreme on MarketWatch’s top-ten list of most searched electric vehicles (EVs) in the US. Right here’s the total checklist:
Although data collection predated the Tesla Cybertruck’s launch and delivery, it is likely that all five of Tesla’s available passenger EVs would have cracked the top ten in most searched vehicles in the US if not for its absence.
Although all four Tesla models share similarities, there is a striking disparity in search volumes between the more affordable Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles and their higher-end counterparts, the long-standing X and S models, with a significant gap of over half.
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Among the top five models behind Tesla, the search volume is relatively even, matching that of more well-known and established brands we typically cover frequently. As the electric vehicle panorama evolves, driving more consumers to seek out additional details, it will be intriguing to examine how Google search data compares a year hence.
I’d predict that Toyota’s top position is vulnerable to being eclipsed by Tesla, with Hyundai and Kia likely to gain more visibility among Google users. Let’s verify again in a year’s time!
