Brandwave

Car marketplaces:Which are searched most?

CarGurus, CarMax and Carvana share the highest estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide, at 32.1% in August 2026. 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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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the sites people buy and sell cars on. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among 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—————

This month’s ranking, August 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 leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among car marketplaces worldwide?

CarGurus, CarMax and Carvana share the highest estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide, at 32.1% in August 2026.

Global car marketplaces, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
CarGurus34% → 32.1%34%Feb 202627.9%Jul 20261st
CarMax34% → 32.1%36.2%Jun 202631.8%Dec 20252nd
Carvana27.8% → 32.1%34%Jul 202627.8%Oct 20253rd
Cars.com3.7% → 3.5%4.3%Dec 20253.5%Nov 20254th
AutoTrader NZ0.45% → 0.28%0.45%Oct 20250.28%Aug 20265th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CarGurus’ estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide decreased from 34% to 32.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CarMax’s estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide decreased from 34% to 32.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Carvana’s estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide increased from 27.8% to 32.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CarGurus’ estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide peaked at 34% in February 2026 and was lowest at 27.9% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, CarMax’s estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide peaked at 36.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 31.8% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Carvana’s estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide peaked at 34% in July 2026 and was lowest at 27.8% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cars.com and AutoTrader NZ held steady: their estimated Share of Search among car marketplaces worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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.

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