Brandwave

How popular isHot Wheels?

In September 2026, people searched for Hot Wheels by name about 11,000 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 8.8% of all New Zealand toy brand searches, placing Hot Wheels third out of 12 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about toy brands, Hot Wheels appeared in one of the five answers and was the ninth most recommended of the 12.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Hot Wheels is the third most searched of 12 competitors and the ninth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. LEGOShare of searches 64.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. BarbieShare of searches 15.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. Hot WheelsShare of searches 8.8%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 9th
  4. ConnetixShare of searches 3.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  5. VTechShare of searches 2.4%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

+7 more

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Top toy brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hot Wheels was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hot Wheels is the ninth most recommended of the 12.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. LEGO1st
  2. Melissa & Doug2nd
  3. Playmobil3rd
  4. Fisher-Price4th
  5. Connetix5th
  6. MAGNA-TILES6th
  7. VTech7th
  8. Ravensburger8th
  9. Hot Wheels9th
  10. Barbie–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Melissa & Doug4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • LEGO3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Connetix3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Playmobil3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • VTech2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fisher-Price2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • MAGNA-TILES2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ravensburger2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hot Wheels1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Barbie0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about toy brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Which toy brands compete with Hot Wheels?

Hot Wheels against toy brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for LEGO, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Connetix, VTech. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthLEGOBarbieHot WheelsConnetixVTechFisher-PricePlaymobilNerfMAGNA-TILESHasbroRavensburgerMelissa & Doug
Oct 202560.7%17.7%9.4%4.6%2.3%1.3%1.2%0.77%0.75%0.5%0.4%0.35%
Nov 202565.7%16%8.1%2.4%2.7%1.3%1.2%0.9%0.66%0.39%0.3%0.33%
Dec 202571.7%12.6%8.1%1.4%2.2%0.98%0.82%0.77%0.57%0.33%0.34%0.23%
Jan 202675%11.7%7.2%0.93%1.6%0.82%0.68%0.65%0.42%0.52%0.31%0.24%
Feb 202671.1%13.8%7.7%1%1.8%1%1.1%0.74%0.72%0.48%0.32%0.21%
Mar 202666.9%16.4%8.5%1.6%1.7%1.1%1.2%0.73%0.71%0.58%0.3%0.28%
Apr 202670.5%13.7%8.4%1.4%1.8%0.95%1%0.67%0.53%0.53%0.33%0.23%
May 202670.5%14.7%7%1.6%1.9%0.88%0.95%0.74%0.6%0.49%0.41%0.23%
Jun 202669.5%15.1%7.8%1.6%1.9%0.85%0.93%0.6%0.6%0.49%0.38%0.23%
Jul 202667.4%14.8%8.5%2.1%2.1%0.95%1%0.77%0.86%0.62%0.51%0.29%
Aug 202669.1%14.7%8.2%1.8%1.9%1%1%0.67%0.66%0.36%0.45%0.25%
Sep 202664.5%15.8%8.8%3.5%2.4%1.1%0.95%0.82%0.8%0.58%0.48%0.27%

  1. 1.LEGO

    64.5%

    Held 1st. 80.4K estimated branded searches, -12.9% vs prior month. Share -4.6 points.

  2. 2.Barbie

    15.8%

    Held 2nd. 19.7K estimated branded searches, +0.56% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.

  3. 3.Hot Wheels

    8.8%

    Held 3rd. 11K estimated branded searches, +1% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  4. 4.Connetix

    3.5%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, +83.3% vs prior month. Share +1.7 points.

  5. 5.VTech

    2.4%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 3K estimated branded searches, +13.8% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  6. 6.Fisher-Price

    1.1%

    Held 6th. 1.4K estimated branded searches, +5.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  7. 7.Playmobil

    0.95%

    Held 7th. 1.2K estimated branded searches, -11.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  8. 8.Nerf

    0.82%

    Held 8th. 1K estimated branded searches, +13.3% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.MAGNA-TILES

    0.8%

    Held 9th. 1K estimated branded searches, +13.6% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  10. 10.Hasbro

    0.58%

    Moved from 11th to 10th. 720 estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  11. 11.Ravensburger

    0.48%

    Moved from 10th to 11th. 600 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Melissa & Doug

    0.27%

    Held 12th. 340 estimated branded searches, +3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Hot Wheels and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Hot Wheels

11 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Hot Wheels changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Hot Wheels in New Zealand held steady, from 11.1K to 11K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hot Wheels’ share of searches among toy brands in New Zealand decreased from 9.4% to 8.8%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hot Wheels’ share of searches among toy brands in New Zealand peaked at 9.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 7% in May 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand toy brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Connetix overtook VTech to rank 4th among toy brands in New Zealand, with 3.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Barbie gained share of searches among toy brands in New Zealand, from 14.7% to 15.8%.

  3. In September 2026, Hot Wheels gained share of searches among toy brands in New Zealand, from 8.2% to 8.8%.

  4. In September 2026, LEGO lost share of searches among toy brands in New Zealand, from 69.1% to 64.5%.

  5. In September 2026, Hasbro rose from 11th to 10th among toy brands in New Zealand.

  6. In September 2026, Ravensburger fell from 10th to 11th among toy brands in New Zealand.

How are Hot Wheels’ branded searches counted?

12 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hot Wheels’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • custom hot wheels
  • hot wheels
  • hot wheels cars
  • hot wheels city
  • hot wheels display
  • hot wheels garage
  • hot wheels set
  • hot wheels toy
  • hotwheels
  • hotwheels set
  • hotwheels toy
  • hotwheels track

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Hot Wheels?

Hot Wheels is owned by Mattel. Brandwave also tracks Barbie and Fisher-Price, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

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

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