Brandwave

How popular isKia?

In September 2026, people searched for Kia by name about 69,500 times in Australia, a 39% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 8.9% of all Australia electric car brand searches, placing Kia fourth out of ten brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about electric car brands, Kia appeared in three of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Kia is the fourth most searched of 10 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. BYDShare of searches 31.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. TESLAShare of searches 21.1%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. ZeekrShare of searches 17.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. KiaShare of searches 8.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. DenzaShare of searches 6.3%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

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Top electric car brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kia was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Kia is the third most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. BYD1st
  2. TESLA2nd
  3. Kia3rd
  4. Zeekr–
  5. Denza–
  6. XPENG–
  7. Polestar–
  8. Leapmotor–
  9. Deepal–
  10. Ora–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • BYD5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • TESLA4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kia3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Zeekr0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Denza0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • XPENG0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Polestar0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Leapmotor0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Deepal0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ora0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about electric car brands

5 answers

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best electric car to buy in Australia?”

    1. 1TESLA
    2. 2BYD
    3. 3Kia

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best electric cars for families?”

    1. 1TESLA
    2. 2BYD
    3. 3Kia

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best value EV in Australia?”

    1. 1BYD

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “electric cars”

    1. 1BYD
    2. 2TESLA

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “ev cars”

    1. 1BYD
    2. 2Kia
    3. 3TESLA

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 26, 2026.

Which electric car brands compete with Kia?

Kia against electric car brands in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for BYD, TESLA, Zeekr, Kia, Denza, XPENG, Polestar, Leapmotor. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBYDTESLAZeekrKiaDenzaXPENGPolestarLeapmotorDeepalOra
Oct 202536.9%30.3%7.4%9.2%2.2%3.3%6.1%1.8%1.8%0.99%
Nov 202537.3%25.1%7.5%8.7%3.4%5%7.5%2.2%2.2%1%
Dec 202531.5%25.7%7.7%7.7%14.1%3.5%5.2%1.9%1.9%0.84%
Jan 202634.6%23.3%8.5%13.1%4.7%3.8%7%1.7%2.1%1.1%
Feb 202635.4%23.8%8.7%11%5.8%3.2%7.1%1.7%2.1%1.2%
Mar 202637.6%25.1%9.2%12.5%4.1%2.8%4.1%1.5%1.5%1.5%
Apr 202634.2%22.9%12.5%12.9%5.6%2.5%4.6%1.7%1.4%1.7%
May 202635.8%19.6%16%11.6%5.9%2.6%3.9%2.2%1.4%0.96%
Jun 202635.8%19.6%13.2%10.7%7.2%3.2%4.8%2.6%1.8%1.2%
Jul 202630.3%20.4%13.6%9.1%6.1%11.2%4.1%2.2%1.5%1.5%
Aug 202633.1%22.2%14.8%9.6%5.4%5.4%4.5%2%1.6%1.3%
Sep 202631.4%21.1%17.2%8.9%6.3%5.2%4.2%2.8%1.5%1.3%

  1. 1.BYD

    31.4%

    Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.7 points.

  2. 2.TESLA

    21.1%

    Held 2nd. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  3. 3.Zeekr

    17.2%

    Held 3rd. 135K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +2.4 points.

  4. 4.Kia

    8.9%

    Held 4th. 69.5K estimated branded searches, -2.5% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  5. 5.Denza

    6.3%

    Held 5th. 49.5K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  6. 6.XPENG

    5.2%

    Held 6th. 40.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  7. 7.Polestar

    4.2%

    Held 7th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  8. 8.Leapmotor

    2.8%

    Held 8th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.

  9. 9.Deepal

    1.5%

    Held 9th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  10. 10.Ora

    1.3%

    Held 10th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Kia and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Kia

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Kia changed in Australia over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Kia in Australia rose from 50K to 69.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kia’s share of searches among electric car brands in Australia peaked at 13.1% in January 2026 and was lowest at 7.7% in December 2025.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kia fell from 3rd to 4th among electric car brands in Australia.

How did search popularity change for Australia electric car brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Zeekr gained share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 14.8% to 17.2%.

  2. In September 2026, Denza gained share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 5.4% to 6.3%.

  3. In September 2026, Leapmotor gained share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 2% to 2.8%.

  4. In September 2026, BYD lost share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 33.1% to 31.4%.

  5. In September 2026, TESLA lost share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 22.2% to 21.1%.

  6. In September 2026, Kia lost share of searches among electric car brands in Australia, from 9.6% to 8.9%.

How are Kia’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kia’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • kia ev3
  • kia ev5
  • kia ev6
  • kia ev9

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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