Subaru vs Volvo:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Volvo had more branded searches than Subaru among car brands in the United Kingdom. Volvo had about 279,000 branded searches, while Subaru had 139,000. Volvo made up 2% of all car brand searches we track, and Subaru accounted for 1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car brands, Subaru appeared in two of the five answers and Volvo in one. Subaru was mentioned before Volvo in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Volvo, about 2 searches for every 1 for Subaru
Who does AI mention more?
Subaru, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Volvo in 1
Who does AI recommend more?
Subaru, named ahead of Volvo in 2 of 2 answers
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Top car brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Subaru was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Volvo was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Subaru was listed before Volvo in every answer that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Toyota3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Volkswagen2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Tesla2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Kia2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Subaru2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Ford1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
BYD1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Porsche1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
BMW1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- Volvo1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about car brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which car should I buy in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the most reliable car brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What is the best family car to buy in the UK?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“car brands”
- 1BMW
- 2
Mercedes-Benz - 4Volkswagen
- 5Porsche
- 6Toyota
- 8
Nissan - 10Subaru
- 13Ford
- 15Tesla
- 22
Land Rover - 30
Peugeot - 33
Hyundai - 34Kia
- 36BYD
- 40Volvo
- 1
Searched Google, AI Overview
“new cars”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 26, 2026.
Is Subaru or Volvo more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Subaru and Volvo by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 55 car brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Volvo, Subaru. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Toyota | Volkswagen | Ford | BYD | Porsche | Tesla | Kia | BMW | Peugeot | Hyundai | Mercedes-Benz | Land Rover | Nissan | Skoda | Cupra | Volvo | Subaru |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 5.7% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 3% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 1.2% |
| Nov 2025 | 5.9% | 4.7% | 5.3% | 2.8% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 6.1% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 2.5% | 4.4% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 2% | 2.2% | 1.3% |
| Jan 2026 | 5.8% | 4.8% | 5% | 3.3% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 5.8% | 5% | 5.1% | 2.7% | 3.6% | 3% | 4% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 1% |
| Mar 2026 | 5.8% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 3% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 0.96% |
| Apr 2026 | 5.4% | 4.7% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 4.1% | 4.5% | 4% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 3% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 0.95% |
| May 2026 | 5.6% | 4.8% | 4.7% | 3.7% | 4% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 3.1% | 3% | 2.4% | 1.9% | 1% |
| Jun 2026 | 5.6% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 3.4% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 2% | 1% |
| Jul 2026 | 5.9% | 5% | 4.7% | 3.3% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 0.99% |
| Aug 2026 | 5.9% | 4.7% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 4% | 3.6% | 3.9% | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2.3% | 2% | 1% |
| Sep 2026 | 5.8% | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 2% | 1% |
How has the Subaru and Volvo comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Volvo was ahead of Subaru in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Subaru’s share of searches among car brands in the United Kingdom moved from 1.2% to 1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 163K to 139K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Volvo’s share of searches among car brands in the United Kingdom moved from 2.1% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 289K to 279K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom car brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Volvo rose from 22nd to 20th among car brands in the United Kingdom.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Subaru in the United Kingdom fell 14.5% over 12 measured months, from 163K to 139K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
13 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Subaru’s and Volvo’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.
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