Brandwave

Kia vs Zeekr:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Kia had more branded searches than Zeekr among car brands in Australia. Kia had about 296,000 branded searches, while Zeekr had 161,000. Kia made up 4.6% of all car brand searches we track, and Zeekr accounted for 2.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car brands, Kia appeared in three of the five answers and Zeekr in none.

Among car brands in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Kia, about 84% more searches than Zeekr

Kia 296K searchesZeekr 161K searches

Who does AI mention more?

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

Kia in 3 of 5Zeekr in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Kia, the only one of the two named

Kia first in 3Zeekr never named

Follow Kia vs Zeekr and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top 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. Zeekr 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. Toyota1st
  2. Hyundai2nd
  3. BYD3rd
  4. Honda4th
  5. Kia5th
  6. Ford6th
  7. Mazda7th
  8. Suzuki8th
  9. Nissan9th
  10. +5 more
  11. Zeekr–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Toyota5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hyundai5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • BYD4 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
  • Ford3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mazda2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Tesla2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Honda2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Suzuki2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Zeekr0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about car brands

5 answers

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.

Is Kia or Zeekr more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kia and Zeekr by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 57 car brands we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Kia and Zeekr among car brands in Australia, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthToyotaBYDMitsubishiMazdaKiaTeslaFordHyundaiSubaruHondaNissanPorscheZeekrGeelySuzuki
Oct 202513.4%4.6%4.9%5.3%5%3.7%4.9%4.3%4%3.1%3.3%3%0.69%0.48%3%
Nov 202513.2%4.8%5.2%5.5%4.9%3.3%4.9%4.1%3.7%3.2%3.6%3.1%0.72%0.52%2.7%
Dec 202513.4%4.5%5.2%5.3%5%3.2%4.7%4.2%3.9%3.5%3.3%2.9%0.76%0.53%2.8%
Jan 202613.6%4.9%5.3%5.8%5.4%3.1%4.8%4.5%3.9%3.1%3.3%2.6%0.81%0.57%3%
Feb 202613.1%4.9%4.9%5.4%5.4%3.3%4.5%4.1%3.9%3.2%3.3%2.7%0.86%0.91%2.8%
Mar 202611.8%9.8%4.6%5.1%5.1%6%3.6%3.8%3.3%2.7%2.8%2.6%1.6%1.3%2.3%
Apr 202611.6%9%4.6%4.5%4.9%5.4%3.9%3.7%3.1%2.9%2.9%2.5%2.5%1.5%2.5%
May 202612.1%7%5.1%5.2%4.7%3.8%4.4%3.8%3.4%3.1%3%2.9%2.2%1.4%2.6%
Jun 202612.3%6.3%4.6%5%4.9%3.6%4.5%4.1%3.7%3.1%2.9%2.7%1.8%1.6%2.6%
Jul 202612.5%6%4.2%5.4%5%3.5%4.1%4.1%3.6%3.2%2.9%2.8%1.8%1.6%2.5%
Aug 202612.5%5.9%4.2%5.5%4.8%3.8%4.3%3.8%3.7%3.2%3.2%2.8%2%1.9%2.6%
Sep 202611.4%6.5%5.7%4.8%4.6%4.3%4.2%3.5%3.4%3.1%3%2.8%2.5%2.4%2.4%

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

3 findings
  • Kia was ahead of Zeekr in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kia’s share of searches among car brands in Australia moved from 5% to 4.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 353K to 296K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zeekr’s share of searches among car brands in Australia moved from 0.69% to 2.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 48.8K to 161K.

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

3 changes
  1. In September 2026, Mitsubishi overtook Mazda and 2 others to rank 3rd among car brands in Australia, with 5.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Zeekr overtook Suzuki and Volkswagen to rank 13th among car brands in Australia, with 2.5% of the searches.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Kia in Australia fell 16.1% over 12 measured months, from 353K to 296K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

16 search terms

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

13 branded search terms

  • kia
  • kia cars
  • kia cerato
  • kia ev9
  • kia picanto
  • kia seltos
  • kia sorento
  • kia sportage
  • kia stonic
  • seltos
  • sorento
  • sportage
  • stonic

Zeekr

3 branded search terms

  • zeekr
  • zeekr cars
  • zeekr x

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among car brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.