Brandwave

Autotrader vs Drive:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Drive had more branded searches than Autotrader among car marketplaces in Australia. Drive had about 9,900 branded searches, while Autotrader had 6,600. Drive made up 1.1% of all car marketplace searches we track, and Autotrader accounted for 0.74%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car marketplaces, Autotrader and Drive each appeared in one of the four answers.

Among car marketplaces in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Drive, about 50% more searches than Autotrader

Drive 9.9K searchesAutotrader 6.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 1 of 4 answers.

Autotrader in 1 of 4Drive in 1 of 4

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Top car marketplaces in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Autotrader and Drive were each mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. carsales1st
  2. Gumtree2nd
  3. CarsGuide3rd
  4. Drive4th
  5. Autotrader5th
  6. Carma–

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?”

    1. 1carsales
    2. 2CarsGuide
    3. 3Gumtree

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best car marketplaces in Australia?”

    1. 1carsales
    2. 2Gumtree
    3. 3CarsGuide
    4. 4Drive
    5. 5Autotrader

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best website in Australia to sell my car privately?”

    1. 1carsales
    2. 2Gumtree
    3. 3CarsGuide

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “used cars for sale”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “buy a car online”

    1. 1CarsGuide

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.

Is Autotrader or Drive more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Autotrader and Drive 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.

Autotrader and Drive among car marketplaces in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Drive, Autotrader. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthcarsalesCarsGuideCarmaDriveAutotraderGumtree
Oct 202594.1%2.5%1.4%0.76%0.62%0.62%
Nov 202593.9%2.5%1.7%0.76%0.62%0.51%
Dec 202594.8%2.1%1.1%0.77%0.63%0.51%
Jan 202693.2%3.1%1.4%0.92%0.76%0.62%
Feb 202693.8%2.5%1.4%1.1%0.62%0.51%
Mar 202693.9%2.5%1.7%0.76%0.62%0.51%
Apr 202694.3%2.6%1.4%0.76%0.62%0.41%
May 202693.9%2.5%1.7%0.76%0.62%0.51%
Jun 202694%2.5%1.7%0.76%0.62%0.41%
Jul 202693.1%3.1%2.1%0.75%0.61%0.41%
Aug 202693.4%2.5%2.1%0.92%0.62%0.5%
Sep 202692.1%3%2.5%1.1%0.74%0.49%

How has the Autotrader and Drive comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Drive was ahead of Autotrader in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Autotrader’s share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia moved from 0.62% to 0.74%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 6.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Drive’s share of searches among car marketplaces in Australia moved from 0.76% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.1K to 9.9K.

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

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Drive in Australia rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 9.9K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

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

Autotrader

1 branded search term

  • autotrader australia

Drive

1 branded search term

  • drive.com.au

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among car marketplaces

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