Brandwave

How popular isPenFed Credit Union?

In September 2026, people searched for PenFed Credit Union by name about 211,000 times in the United States, a 15.8% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 1.5% of all United States auto loan brand searches, placing PenFed Credit Union fourth out of eight brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about auto loan brands, PenFed Credit Union appeared in four of the five answers and was the most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

PenFed Credit Union is the fourth most searched of 8 competitors and the most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Capital OneShare of searches 64%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. CarvanaShare of searches 28.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. DiscoverShare of searches 4.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. PenFed Credit UnionShare of searches 1.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. LightStreamShare of searches 0.63%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

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Top auto loan brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, PenFed Credit Union was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. PenFed Credit Union is the most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. PenFed Credit Union1st
  2. Capital One2nd
  3. Navy Federal Credit Union3rd
  4. Bank of America4th
  5. myAutoloan5th
  6. Carvana–
  7. Discover–
  8. LightStream–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Capital One4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • PenFed Credit Union4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Navy Federal Credit Union4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bank of America2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • myAutoloan2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Carvana0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Discover0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • LightStream0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about auto loan brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 19, 2026.

Which auto loan brands compete with PenFed Credit Union?

PenFed Credit Union against auto loan brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Capital One, Carvana, Discover, PenFed Credit Union. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCapital OneCarvanaDiscoverPenFed Credit UnionLightStreamNavy Federal Credit UnionBank of AmericamyAutoloan
Oct 202565.7%24.1%7.2%1.8%0.79%0.32%0.16%<0.01%
Nov 202568.9%20.7%7.5%1.6%0.83%0.32%0.17%<0.01%
Dec 202565.8%24.1%7.2%1.5%0.79%0.42%0.19%<0.01%
Jan 202665.4%24%7.2%1.9%0.79%0.51%0.29%<0.01%
Feb 202665.7%24.1%7.2%1.6%0.79%0.44%0.19%<0.01%
Mar 202661.6%27.6%7.6%1.8%0.74%0.49%0.27%<0.01%
Apr 202661.7%27.6%7.6%1.8%0.74%0.46%0.22%<0.01%
May 202661.8%27.7%7.6%1.4%0.74%0.42%0.33%<0.01%
Jun 202665.6%24.1%7.2%1.5%0.79%0.51%0.29%<0.01%
Jul 202662.1%27.8%6.8%1.7%0.75%0.49%0.41%<0.01%
Aug 202662.9%28.1%5.6%1.8%0.76%0.41%0.42%<0.01%
Sep 202664%28.6%4.7%1.5%0.63%0.3%0.23%<0.01%

  1. 1.Capital One

    64%

    Held 1st. 9.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.1 points.

  2. 2.Carvana

    28.6%

    Held 2nd. 4.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  3. 3.Discover

    4.7%

    Held 3rd. 669K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  4. 4.PenFed Credit Union

    1.5%

    Held 4th. 211K estimated branded searches, -17.6% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  5. 5.LightStream

    0.63%

    Held 5th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Navy Federal Credit Union

    0.3%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 43K estimated branded searches, -27.6% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.Bank of America

    0.23%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, -45.3% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  8. 8.myAutoloan

    <0.01%

    Held 8th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, +30% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between PenFed Credit Union and its closest rivals

Every comparison with PenFed Credit Union

16 comparisons

How has branded search demand for PenFed Credit Union changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for PenFed Credit Union in the United States fell from 250K to 211K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, PenFed Credit Union’s share of searches among auto loan brands in the United States held steady, from 1.8% to 1.5%.

How did search popularity change for United States auto loan brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Capital One gained share of searches among auto loan brands in the United States, from 62.9% to 64%.

  2. In September 2026, Carvana gained share of searches among auto loan brands in the United States, from 28.1% to 28.6%.

  3. In September 2026, Discover lost share of searches among auto loan brands in the United States, from 5.6% to 4.7%.

  4. In September 2026, Navy Federal Credit Union rose from 7th to 6th among auto loan brands in the United States.

  5. In September 2026, Bank of America fell from 6th to 7th among auto loan brands in the United States.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for myAutoloan in the United States rose 47.7% over 12 measured months, from 880 to 1.3K in September 2026.

How are PenFed Credit Union’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using PenFed Credit Union’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • penfed
  • penfed auto loan

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does PenFed Credit Union compete?

PenFed Credit Union is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Auto loan brands4th of 81.5%Shown above
Credit unions6th of 113.5%Show ranking
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