---
title: "Bobcat vs JCB: Which is searched more in New Zealand?"
description: "Is Bobcat or JCB more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set in New Zealand. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bobcat-vs-jcb"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Bobcat vs JCB: Which is searched more in New Zealand?

Is Bobcat or JCB more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Excavator brands set in New Zealand. 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.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: Bobcat and JCB
- **Competitive set**: Excavator brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Bobcat Share of Search**: 1.9%
- **JCB Share of Search**: 0.94%

## Is Bobcat or JCB more popular in search?

- In September 2026, Bobcat had more branded searches than JCB among excavator brands in New Zealand. Bobcat had about 140 branded searches, while JCB had 70. Bobcat made up 1.9% of all excavator brand searches we track, and JCB accounted for 0.94%.
- The lead changed hands 4 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: JCB took it in December 2025, Bobcat took it in February 2026, JCB took it in April 2026, Bobcat took it in May 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bobcat’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 2% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 170 to 140.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JCB’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 1.7% to 0.94%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 140 to 70.

## Top excavator brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Bobcat was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. JCB did not appear in any of the five answers.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Komatsu | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Kubota | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Hitachi | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| Caterpillar | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| Takeuchi | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| Yanmar | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| CablePrice | 7th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| Sany | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| Terra Cat | 9th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| Kobelco | 10th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| Bobcat | 11th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 |
| Sumitomo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| JCB | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about excavator brands

- Asked ChatGPT "Which excavator brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Kubota, 2. Takeuchi, 3. Yanmar, 4. Komatsu, 5. Hitachi, 6. CablePrice, 7. Terra Cat, 8. Caterpillar
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best excavator brands in New Zealand?": 1. Kubota, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Caterpillar, 5. Takeuchi, 6. Yanmar, 7. Sany, 8. CablePrice, 9. Terra Cat, 10. Kobelco
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best excavator brand in New Zealand for earthmoving work?": 1. Komatsu, 2. Caterpillar, 3. Hitachi, 4. Kubota, 5. Takeuchi, 6. Sany, 7. Terra Cat, 8. CablePrice
- Searched Google, AI Overview "best excavator": 1. Caterpillar, 2. Komatsu, 3. Hitachi, 4. Kobelco, 5. Bobcat, 6. Kubota
- Searched Google, AI Overview "mini excavator brands": 1. Caterpillar

Not named in any answer: Sumitomo and JCB.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

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

- In September 2026, Kobelco overtook Bobcat and 2 others to rank 9th among excavator brands in New Zealand, with 2.2% of the searches.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for JCB in New Zealand fell 50% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 70 in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Bobcat in New Zealand fell 17.6% over 12 measured months, from 170 to 140 in September 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Bobcat estimated searches | Bobcat Share of Search | Bobcat rank | JCB estimated searches | JCB Share of Search | JCB rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 170 | 2% | 9 | 140 | 1.7% | 11 |
| Nov 2025 | 170 | 2% | 8 | 120 | 1.4% | 12 |
| Dec 2025 | 90 | 1.4% | 11 | 120 | 1.8% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | 110 | 1.4% | 12 | 210 | 2.7% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | 110 | 1.4% | 11 | 80 | 1% | 13 |
| Mar 2026 | 140 | 1.4% | 11 | 120 | 1.2% | 12 |
| Apr 2026 | 110 | 1.5% | 12 | 120 | 1.6% | 10 |
| May 2026 | 140 | 1.6% | 12 | 120 | 1.4% | 13 |
| Jun 2026 | 170 | 1.9% | 10 | 100 | 1.1% | 13 |
| Jul 2026 | 140 | 1.9% | 9 | 100 | 1.4% | 13 |
| Aug 2026 | 170 | 1.9% | 9 | 100 | 1.1% | 13 |
| Sep 2026 | 140 | 1.9% | 11 | 70 | 0.94% | 13 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bobcat’s and JCB’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.

- **Bobcat**: Measured on the search term “bobcat digger”.
- **JCB**: Measured on the search terms “jcb digger” and “jcb excavator”, summed into one figure.

- [Bobcat profile](/demand/nz/brands/bobcat)
- [JCB profile](/demand/nz/brands/jcb)
- [All excavator brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-excavator-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 13 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bobcat or JCB more popular in search?

In September 2026, Bobcat had more branded searches than JCB among excavator brands in New Zealand. Bobcat had about 140 branded searches, while JCB had 70. Bobcat made up 1.9% of all excavator brand searches we track, and JCB accounted for 0.94%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Bobcat vs JCB: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bobcat-vs-jcb

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bobcat-vs-jcb. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
