Brandwave

Kia vs Leapmotor:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Kia had more branded searches than Leapmotor among electric car brands in Australia. Kia had about 69,500 branded searches, while Leapmotor had 22,200. Kia made up 8.9% of all electric car brand searches we track, and Leapmotor accounted for 2.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about electric car brands, Kia appeared in three of the five answers and Leapmotor in none.

Among electric car brands in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Kia, about 3 searches for every 1 for Leapmotor

Kia 69.5K searchesLeapmotor 22.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Kia, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Leapmotor in 0

Kia in 3 of 5Leapmotor in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kia, the only one of the two named

Kia first in 3Leapmotor never named

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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. Leapmotor did not appear in any of the five answers.

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

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

Is Kia or Leapmotor more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kia and Leapmotor by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten electric car brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Kia and Leapmotor among electric car brands in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Kia, 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%

How has the Kia and Leapmotor comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Kia was ahead of Leapmotor in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kia’s share of searches among electric car brands in Australia moved from 9.2% to 8.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 50K to 69.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Leapmotor’s share of searches among electric car brands in Australia moved from 1.8% to 2.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 22.2K.

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

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

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

How are branded searches counted?

5 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kia’s and Leapmotor’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.

Kia

4 branded search terms

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

Leapmotor

1 branded search term

  • leapmotor

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among electric car brands

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