Car marketplaces in Australia:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, carsales was the most searched car marketplace in Australia, accounting for 92.1% of all searches among the six marketplaces we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, CarsGuide showed up in every answer. carsales was recommended most often, coming first in all three responses that gave a list.
carsalesShare of searches 92.1%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
CarsGuideShare of searches 3%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
CarmaShare of searches 2.5%Mentioned in 0 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
DriveShare of searches 1.1%Mentioned in 1 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
AutotraderShare of searches 0.74%Mentioned in 1 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
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Top car marketplaces in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, CarsGuide appeared every time. carsales was recommended most often, coming first in all three answers that gave a list. Gumtree was second, and CarsGuide was third. Carma, which ranked third in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- CarsGuide4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- carsales3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Gumtree3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers- Drive1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Autotrader1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Carma0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about car marketplaces
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which website should I use to buy a used car in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best car marketplaces in Australia?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best website in Australia to sell my car privately?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“used cars for sale”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“buy a car online”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.
Which car marketplaces do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each car marketplace by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six car marketplaces we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.
Share of searches by month for carsales, CarsGuide, Carma. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | carsales | CarsGuide | Carma | Drive | Autotrader | Gumtree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 94.1% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.62% |
| Nov 2025 | 93.9% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.51% |
| Dec 2025 | 94.8% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.77% | 0.63% | 0.51% |
| Jan 2026 | 93.2% | 3.1% | 1.4% | 0.92% | 0.76% | 0.62% |
| Feb 2026 | 93.8% | 2.5% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 0.62% | 0.51% |
| Mar 2026 | 93.9% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.51% |
| Apr 2026 | 94.3% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.41% |
| May 2026 | 93.9% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.51% |
| Jun 2026 | 94% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.76% | 0.62% | 0.41% |
| Jul 2026 | 93.1% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 0.75% | 0.61% | 0.41% |
| Aug 2026 | 93.4% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 0.92% | 0.62% | 0.5% |
| Sep 2026 | 92.1% | 3% | 2.5% | 1.1% | 0.74% | 0.49% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 92.1% | 823K | -17.7% | -1.2 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 3% | 27.1K | 0% | +0.5 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 2.5% | 22.2K | 0% | +0.4 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 1.1% | 9.9K | 0% | +0.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 0.74% | 6.6K | 0% | +0.1 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.49% | 4.4K | -18.5% | 0 points |
1.
carsales92.1%
Held 1st. 823K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.
3%
Held 2nd. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.
3.
Carma2.5%
Held 3rd. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.
4.
Drive1.1%
Held 4th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
0.74%
Held 5th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
6.
Gumtree0.49%
Held 6th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among car marketplaces in Australia?
6 brands
In September 2026, carsales was the most searched among car marketplaces in Australia, with an estimated 823K branded searches, 92.1% of all searches for the six we track. CarsGuide is in 2nd place, 89.1 percentage points behind at 3%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| carsales | 94.1% → 92.1% | 94.8%Dec 2025 | 92.1%Sep 2026 | 1st |
| CarsGuide | 2.5% → 3% | 3.1%Jan 2026 | 2.1%Dec 2025 | 2nd |
| Carma | 1.4% → 2.5% | 2.5%Sep 2026 | 1.1%Dec 2025 | 3rd |
| Drive | 0.76% → 1.1% | 1.1%Feb 2026 | 0.75%Jul 2026 | 4th |
| Autotrader | 0.62% → 0.74% | 0.76%Jan 2026 | 0.61%Jul 2026 | 5th |
| Gumtree | 0.62% → 0.49% | 0.62%Oct 2025 | 0.41%Jul 2026 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, carsales’ share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia decreased from 94.1% to 92.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Carma’s share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia increased from 1.4% to 2.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, carsales’ share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia peaked at 94.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 92.1% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Carma’s share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia peaked at 2.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 1.1% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, CarsGuide, Drive, Autotrader and Gumtree held steady: their share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for Australia car marketplaces in September 2026?
5 changes
In September 2026, CarsGuide gained share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia, from 2.5% to 3%.
In September 2026, carsales lost share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia, from 93.4% to 92.1%.
Carma’s share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.7% to 2.5% in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Drive in Australia rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Gumtree in Australia fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 4.4K in September 2026.
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