Brandwave

DeWalt vs Makita:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Makita had more branded searches than DeWalt among brushless drill brands in New Zealand. Makita had about 9,100 branded searches, while DeWalt had 4,990. Makita made up 37.1% of all brushless drill brand searches we track, and DeWalt accounted for 20.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about brushless drill brands, both DeWalt and Makita appeared in all four answers. Makita was mentioned before DeWalt in every answer.

Among brushless drill brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Makita, about 82% more searches than DeWalt

Makita 9.1K searchesDeWalt 5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

DeWalt in 4 of 4Makita in 4 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Makita, named ahead of DeWalt in every answer

Makita first in 4DeWalt never first

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Top brushless drill brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, both DeWalt and Makita showed up in all four answers. Makita was listed before DeWalt in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Makita1st
  2. DeWalt2nd
  3. Milwaukee3rd
  4. Ryobi4th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Makita4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • DeWalt4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Milwaukee4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Ryobi3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about brushless drill brands

4 answers
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which brushless drill brand should I buy in New Zealand?”

    1. 1Makita
    2. 2DeWalt
    3. 3Milwaukee
    4. 4Ryobi
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best brushless drill brands in New Zealand?”

    1. 1Makita
    2. 2DeWalt
    3. 3Milwaukee
    4. 4Ryobi
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best brushless drill brand in New Zealand for home projects?”

    1. 1Ryobi
    2. 2Makita
    3. 3DeWalt
    4. 4Milwaukee
  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “cordless drill nz”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “best brushless drill”

    1. 1Makita
    2. 2Milwaukee
    3. 3DeWalt

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Is DeWalt or Makita more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for DeWalt and Makita by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all four brushless drill brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

DeWalt and Makita among brushless drill brands in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMakitaRyobiDeWaltMilwaukee
Oct 202537.8%30.4%20.8%10.9%
Nov 202529.9%36.9%23.6%9.6%
Dec 202532.4%40.1%18.4%9.1%
Jan 202636%35.3%20.2%8.5%
Feb 202637.5%30%21.7%10.8%
Mar 202634.9%33.6%20.9%10.6%
Apr 202637.8%30.3%21.2%10.7%
May 202638.8%25.4%22%13.8%
Jun 202636.3%25.2%25.2%13.3%
Jul 202638.6%25.7%22.3%13.4%
Aug 202633.6%27.8%22.1%16.6%
Sep 202637.1%30.5%20.4%12%

How has the DeWalt and Makita comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Makita was ahead of DeWalt in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DeWalt’s share of searches among brushless drill brands in New Zealand moved from 20.8% to 20.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.2K to 5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Makita’s share of searches among brushless drill brands in New Zealand moved from 37.8% to 37.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 7.6K to 9.1K.

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

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Makita gained share of searches among brushless drill brands in New Zealand, from 33.6% to 37.1%.

  2. In September 2026, DeWalt lost share of searches among brushless drill brands in New Zealand, from 22.1% to 20.4%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DeWalt’s and Makita’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.

DeWalt

2 branded search terms

  • dewalt
  • dewalt redemption

Makita

2 branded search terms

  • makita
  • makita tool

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among brushless drill brands

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