Brandwave

How popular isBMW?

In September 2026, people searched for BMW by name about 9.1 million times worldwide, a 17.7% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 17.7% of all global electric car brand searches, placing BMW first out of ten brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about electric car brands, BMW appeared in two of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

BMW is the most searched of 10 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. BMWShare of searches 17.7%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. TeslaShare of searches 17.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. VolkswagenShare of searches 17.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. BYDShare of searches 14.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. HyundaiShare of searches 11.9%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

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Top electric car brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, BMW was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. BMW is the fifth most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Tesla1st
  2. Kia2nd
  3. Hyundai3rd
  4. Rivian4th
  5. BMW5th
  6. Polestar6th
  7. Nissan7th
  8. Lucid Motors8th
  9. Volkswagen–
  10. BYD–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Tesla5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kia5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hyundai4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rivian3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • BMW2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nissan1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Polestar1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Lucid Motors1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Volkswagen0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • BYD0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about electric car brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Which electric car brands compete with BMW?

BMW against electric car brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for BMW, Tesla, Volkswagen, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBMWTeslaVolkswagenBYDHyundaiKiaNissanPolestarRivianLucid Motors
Oct 202520.5%16.9%16.9%11.3%13.8%9.3%7.6%1.5%1.5%0.58%
Nov 202518.8%15.4%18.8%12.6%15.4%8.4%6.9%1.7%1.7%0.52%
Dec 202519.8%16.2%19.8%10.8%13.3%8.9%7.3%1.5%1.8%0.67%
Jan 202620.6%13.9%16.9%13.9%13.9%9.3%7.6%1.9%1.5%0.73%
Feb 202618.8%15.4%18.8%12.6%12.6%10.3%6.9%2.1%2.1%0.64%
Mar 202620.6%13.9%17%13.9%13.9%9.3%7.6%1.5%1.9%0.58%
Apr 202617.7%17.7%17.7%14.5%11.8%9.7%6.5%1.9%1.9%0.6%
May 202618.3%15%18.3%15%12.2%10%6.7%2%2%0.62%
Jun 202619.8%16.2%16.2%13.3%13.3%8.9%7.3%2.2%2.2%0.6%
Jul 202619.1%15.7%19.1%12.8%12.8%8.6%7%2.1%2.1%0.63%
Aug 202618.9%15.4%18.9%12.6%12.6%10.3%6.9%1.7%2.1%0.6%
Sep 202617.7%17.7%17.7%14.5%11.9%9.7%6.5%1.9%1.9%0.49%

  1. 1.BMW

    17.7%

    Held 1st. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  2. 2.Tesla

    17.7%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 9.1M estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +2.3 points.

  3. 3.Volkswagen

    17.7%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  4. 4.BYD

    14.5%

    Held 4th. 7.5M estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  5. 5.Hyundai

    11.9%

    Held 5th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  6. 6.Kia

    9.7%

    Held 6th. 5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  7. 7.Nissan

    6.5%

    Held 7th. 3.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Polestar

    1.9%

    Moved from 9th to 8th. 1M estimated branded searches, +21.5% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  9. 9.Rivian

    1.9%

    Moved from 8th to 9th. 1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  10. 10.Lucid Motors

    0.49%

    Held 10th. 256K estimated branded searches, -12.3% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between BMW and its closest rivals

Every comparison with BMW

59 comparisons

How has branded search demand for BMW changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for BMW worldwide fell from 11.1M to 9.1M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BMW’s share of searches among electric car brands worldwide decreased from 20.5% to 17.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BMW’s share of searches among electric car brands worldwide peaked at 20.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 17.7% in April 2026.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Tesla overtook Volkswagen to rank 2nd among electric car brands worldwide, with 17.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, BYD gained share of searches among electric car brands worldwide, from 12.6% to 14.5%.

  3. In September 2026, BMW lost share of searches among electric car brands worldwide, from 18.9% to 17.7%.

  4. In September 2026, Volkswagen lost share of searches among electric car brands worldwide, from 18.9% to 17.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Hyundai lost share of searches among electric car brands worldwide, from 12.6% to 11.9%.

  6. In September 2026, Kia lost share of searches among electric car brands worldwide, from 10.3% to 9.7%.

How are BMW’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BMW’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.

  • bmw

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does BMW compete?

BMW is ranked in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Car brands3rd of 854.8%Show ranking
Electric car brands1st of 1017.7%Shown above
Luxury car brands1st of 1221.8%Show ranking
Sports car brands1st of 1026.7%Show ranking
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Is BMW your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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