Brandwave

How popular isCars.com in search?

In August 2026, there were an estimated 450K branded searches for Cars.com worldwide which held steady over the last 11 months. Cars.com holds 3.5% estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide and is ranked 4th of 5 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. CarGurus32.1%
  2. CarMax32.1%
  3. Carvana32.1%
  4. Cars.com3.5%
  5. AutoTrader NZ0.28%
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Which car marketplaces compete with Cars.com?

Cars.com against car marketplaces worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for CarGurus, CarMax, Carvana, Cars.com. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthCarGurusCarMaxCarvanaCars.comAutoTrader NZ
Oct 202534%34%27.8%3.7%0.45%
Nov 202532%32%32%3.5%0.42%
Dec 202531.8%31.8%31.8%4.3%0.42%
Jan 202634%34%27.8%3.7%0.45%
Feb 202634%34%27.9%3.7%0.37%
Mar 202632%32%32%3.5%0.35%
Apr 202632%32%32%3.5%0.35%
May 202632%32%32%3.5%0.35%
Jun 202629.7%36.2%29.7%4%0.39%
Jul 202627.9%34%34%3.7%0.3%
Aug 202632.1%32.1%32.1%3.5%0.28%
Sep 2026—————

  1. 1.CarGurus

    32.1%

    Moved from 3rd to 1st. 4.1M estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.

  2. 2.CarMax

    32.1%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 4.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  3. 3.Carvana

    32.1%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 4.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  4. 4.Cars.com

    3.5%

    Held 4th. 450K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  5. 5.AutoTrader NZ

    0.28%

    Held 5th. 36.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between Cars.com and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Cars.com

How has branded search demand for Cars.com changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Cars.com worldwide held steady at 450K.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cars.com’s estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide held steady, from 3.7% to 3.5%.

How did search popularity change for car marketplaces worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, CarGurus overtook CarMax to take the highest estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide, at 32.1%.

  2. In August 2026, CarMax lost estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide, from 34% to 32.1%.

  3. In August 2026, Carvana lost estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide, from 34% to 32.1%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for AutoTrader NZ worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 54.2K to 36.2K in August 2026.

Where does Cars.com compete?

Cars.com is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of SearchRanking
Used car marketplaces5th of 62.2%Show ranking
Car marketplaces4th of 53.5%Shown above

How is Cars.com measured?

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

1 branded search term

  • cars.com

Do you work for Cars.com? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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Is Cars.com your brand?

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