--- title: "JCB vs Komatsu: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is JCB or Komatsu 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/jcb-vs-komatsu" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # JCB vs Komatsu: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is JCB or Komatsu 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**: JCB and Komatsu - **Competitive set**: Excavator brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **JCB Share of Search**: 0.94% - **Komatsu Share of Search**: 1.9% ## Is JCB or Komatsu more popular in search? - In September 2026, Komatsu had more branded searches than JCB among excavator brands in New Zealand. Komatsu had about 140 branded searches, while JCB had 70. Komatsu made up 1.9% of all excavator brand searches we track, and JCB accounted for 0.94%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: JCB took it in December 2025, Komatsu took it in February 2026. - 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. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Komatsu’s share of searches among excavator brands in New Zealand moved from 1.7% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 140. ## Top excavator brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Komatsu was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and 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. ## Month by month | Month | JCB estimated searches | JCB Share of Search | JCB rank | Komatsu estimated searches | Komatsu Share of Search | Komatsu rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 140 | 1.7% | 11 | 140 | 1.7% | 12 | | Nov 2025 | 120 | 1.4% | 12 | 140 | 1.7% | 11 | | Dec 2025 | 120 | 1.8% | 8 | 90 | 1.4% | 12 | | Jan 2026 | 210 | 2.7% | 7 | 140 | 1.8% | 10 | | Feb 2026 | 80 | 1% | 13 | 140 | 1.8% | 9 | | Mar 2026 | 120 | 1.2% | 12 | 170 | 1.8% | 9 | | Apr 2026 | 120 | 1.6% | 10 | 210 | 2.8% | 8 | | May 2026 | 120 | 1.4% | 13 | 170 | 1.9% | 10 | | Jun 2026 | 100 | 1.1% | 13 | 170 | 1.9% | 11 | | Jul 2026 | 100 | 1.4% | 13 | 140 | 1.9% | 10 | | Aug 2026 | 100 | 1.1% | 13 | 140 | 1.5% | 11 | | Sep 2026 | 70 | 0.94% | 13 | 140 | 1.9% | 12 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using JCB’s and Komatsu’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. - **JCB**: Measured on the search terms “jcb digger” and “jcb excavator”, summed into one figure. - **Komatsu**: Measured on the search term “komatsu excavator”. - [JCB profile](/demand/nz/brands/jcb) - [Komatsu profile](/demand/nz/brands/komatsu) - [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 JCB or Komatsu more popular in search? In September 2026, Komatsu had more branded searches than JCB among excavator brands in New Zealand. Komatsu had about 140 branded searches, while JCB had 70. Komatsu made up 1.9% of all excavator brand searches we track, and JCB accounted for 0.94%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "JCB vs Komatsu: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/jcb-vs-komatsu This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/jcb-vs-komatsu. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.