Max Pennington’s AutoCity vs Merit Cars:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Max Pennington’s AutoCity had more branded searches than Merit Cars among new plymouth used car dealerships in New Zealand. Max Pennington’s AutoCity was estimated to have 970 branded searches compared to Merit Cars’ 400, and held a 0.82% Share of Search versus Merit Cars’ 0.34%.
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Which is more popular in search, Max Pennington’s AutoCity or Merit Cars?
Compare New Plymouth used car dealerships using branded search demand from across 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.
Share of Search by month for Max Pennington’s AutoCity, Merit Cars. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Turners | Max Pennington’s AutoCity | Energy City Ford | Merit Cars | Blackwell Motors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 97.7% | 0.93% | 0.77% | 0.6% | 0.03% |
| Nov 2025 | 97.8% | 0.85% | 0.8% | 0.47% | 0.03% |
| Dec 2025 | 97.8% | 1% | 0.68% | 0.46% | 0.04% |
| Jan 2026 | 98.1% | 0.82% | 0.65% | 0.37% | 0.03% |
| Feb 2026 | 98.1% | 0.89% | 0.57% | 0.41% | 0.04% |
| Mar 2026 | 98% | 0.93% | 0.66% | 0.38% | 0.03% |
| Apr 2026 | 98.2% | 0.76% | 0.63% | 0.4% | 0.02% |
| May 2026 | 98.2% | 0.82% | 0.65% | 0.27% | 0.02% |
| Jun 2026 | 98.1% | 0.89% | 0.67% | 0.32% | 0.03% |
| Jul 2026 | 97.9% | 0.96% | 0.8% | 0.28% | 0.04% |
| Aug 2026 | 98.2% | 0.82% | 0.59% | 0.34% | 0.08% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Max Pennington’s AutoCity and Merit Cars comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Max Pennington’s AutoCity was ahead of Merit Cars in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Max Pennington’s AutoCity’s estimated Share of Search among new plymouth used car dealerships in New Zealand moved from 0.93% to 0.82%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.1K to 970.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Merit Cars’ estimated Share of Search among new plymouth used car dealerships in New Zealand moved from 0.6% to 0.34%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 690 to 400.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand new plymouth used car dealerships in August 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Merit Cars in New Zealand fell 42% over 11 measured months, from 690 to 400 in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Max Pennington’s AutoCity’s and Merit Cars’ 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.
Max Pennington’s AutoCity
8 branded search terms
- auto city panel and paint
- autocity new plymouth
- autocity paint and panel
- autocity panel and paint
- max pennington autocity
- max pennington autocity new plymouth
- max pennington's autocity
- max pennington’s autocity
Merit Cars
4 branded search terms
- merit cars new plymouth
- merit cars new plymouth nz
- merit cars used cars
- meritcars.co.nz
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.