Brandwave

How popular isTESLA?

In September 2026, people searched for TESLA by name about 165,000 times in Australia, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 21.1% of all Australia electric car brand searches, placing TESLA second out of ten brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about electric car brands, TESLA appeared in four of the five answers and was the second most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

TESLA is the second most searched of 10 competitors and the second 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, TESLA was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. TESLA is the second 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 TESLA?

TESLA 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 TESLA and its closest rivals

Every comparison with TESLA

9 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for TESLA in Australia held steady at 165K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TESLA’s share of searches among electric car brands in Australia decreased from 30.3% to 21.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, TESLA’s share of searches among electric car brands in Australia peaked at 30.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 19.6% in May 2026.

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 TESLA’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

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

  • tesla

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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