--- title: "Nationwide vs Santander: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Nationwide or Santander more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. 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/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders/compare/nationwide-building-society-vs-santander-uk" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Nationwide vs Santander: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Nationwide or Santander more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Personal loan lenders set in the United Kingdom. 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**: Nationwide and Santander - **Competitive set**: Personal loan lenders - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Nationwide Share of Search**: 5.5% - **Santander Share of Search**: 4.2% ## Is Nationwide or Santander more popular in search? - In September 2026, Nationwide had more branded searches than Santander among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Nationwide had about 19,200 branded searches, while Santander had 14,500. Nationwide made up 5.5% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and Santander accounted for 4.2%. - Nationwide was ahead of Santander in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nationwide’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 5.7% to 5.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.4K to 19.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Santander’s share of searches among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom moved from 5.4% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 17.7K to 14.5K. ## Top personal loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Santander was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Nationwide was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Nationwide was listed before Santander in two out of three answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | M&S Bank | 1st | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | First Direct | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Nationwide | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Santander | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Tesco Bank | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | HSBC | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Sainsbury's Bank | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Lloyds Bank | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zopa | 9th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Novuna | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Admiral | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Barclays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | NatWest | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Monzo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Halifax | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about personal loan lenders - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best personal loan in the UK?": 1. Nationwide, 2. Santander, 3. First Direct - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK lenders have the lowest rates on a £10,000 loan?": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Sainsbury's Bank, 5. Santander - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best way to borrow money for a car or home improvements in the UK?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "personal loan": 1. M&S Bank, 2. First Direct, 3. HSBC, 4. Lloyds Bank - Searched Google, AI Overview "best personal loans": 1. M&S Bank, 2. Nationwide, 3. Tesco Bank, 4. Santander, 5. Zopa Not named in any answer: Novuna, Admiral, Barclays, NatWest, Monzo and Halifax. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom personal loan lenders in September 2026? - In September 2026, Nationwide rose from 6th to 4th among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Santander in the United Kingdom fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 17.7K to 14.5K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Nationwide estimated searches | Nationwide Share of Search | Nationwide rank | Santander estimated searches | Santander Share of Search | Santander rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.4K | 5.7% | 4 | 17.7K | 5.4% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 15K | 5.2% | 5 | 14.5K | 5.1% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 12.8K | 4.8% | 5 | 12.3K | 4.6% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 22.5K | 6% | 5 | 18.4K | 4.9% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 18.4K | 5.5% | 5 | 17.7K | 5.3% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 18.4K | 5.3% | 5 | 17.7K | 5.1% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 18.4K | 5.4% | 5 | 15K | 4.4% | 6 | | May 2026 | 18.4K | 5.6% | 5 | 15K | 4.5% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 15K | 4.9% | 6 | 14.5K | 4.7% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 17.7K | 5.4% | 5 | 15K | 4.6% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 18.4K | 5.2% | 6 | 14.5K | 4.1% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 19.2K | 5.5% | 4 | 14.5K | 4.2% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Nationwide’s and Santander’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. - **Nationwide**: Measured on the search terms “nationwide loan” and “nationwide personal loan”, summed into one figure. - **Santander**: Measured on the search terms “santander loan” and “santander personal loan”, summed into one figure. - [Nationwide profile](/demand/uk/brands/nationwide-building-society) - [Santander profile](/demand/uk/brands/santander-uk) - [All personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders): The set both shares are measured inside, 15 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 Nationwide or Santander more popular in search? In September 2026, Nationwide had more branded searches than Santander among personal loan lenders in the United Kingdom. Nationwide had about 19,200 branded searches, while Santander had 14,500. Nationwide made up 5.5% of all personal loan lender searches we track, and Santander accounted for 4.2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Nationwide vs Santander: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders/compare/nationwide-building-society-vs-santander-uk This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-personal-loan-lenders/compare/nationwide-building-society-vs-santander-uk. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.