Brandwave

BMW vs Chevrolet:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Chevrolet had more branded searches than BMW among car brands in the United States. Chevrolet had about 3.4 million branded searches, while BMW had 2.2 million. Chevrolet made up 5.2% of all car brand searches we track, and BMW accounted for 3.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about car brands, BMW and Chevrolet each appeared in one of the five answers.

Among car brands in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Chevrolet, about 59% more searches than BMW

Chevrolet 3.4M searchesBMW 2.2M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 1 of 5 answers.

BMW in 1 of 5Chevrolet in 1 of 5

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Top car brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, BMW and Chevrolet were each mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Honda1st
  2. Toyota2nd
  3. Hyundai3rd
  4. Subaru4th
  5. Ford5th
  6. Lexus6th
  7. Kia7th
  8. Nissan8th
  9. BMW9th
  10. +2 more
  11. Chevrolet12th
  12. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Toyota4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Honda4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hyundai3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Subaru3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ford2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kia2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mazda2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Lexus2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tesla1 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

+5 more

See every answer about car brands

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 26, 2026.

Is BMW or Chevrolet more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for BMW and Chevrolet by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 46 car brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

BMW and Chevrolet among car brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Chevrolet, BMW. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthToyotaTeslaHondaFordKiaChevroletHyundaiNissanSubaruMercedes-BenzBMWJeepMazdaPorscheLexus
Oct 202510.1%6.4%6.3%6.6%4.5%5.6%4.8%3.6%3.5%3.4%3.5%3.4%3.1%3%2.3%
Nov 202510.1%5.6%6.8%6.6%4.8%5.4%4.9%3.7%3.5%3.3%3.7%3.4%3.3%3%2.4%
Dec 202510.1%5.5%6.4%6.4%4.7%5.4%4.8%3.6%3.5%3.4%4%3.6%3.1%3%2.8%
Jan 202610.5%5.7%7.2%6.3%4.6%5.3%4.7%3.5%3.6%3.3%3.4%3.4%3.3%2.9%2.7%
Feb 202610.8%5.7%6.8%6.5%5%5.2%4.4%3.9%3.8%3.1%3.6%3.4%3.1%2.6%2.5%
Mar 202610.3%5.6%7.1%6.2%5.1%5.4%4.9%3.6%3.6%3.1%3.3%3.5%3.3%2.8%2.5%
Apr 202610.5%6.7%6.7%6.2%5.1%5.3%4.6%3.7%3.1%3.2%3.5%3.3%3%2.9%2.5%
May 202610.6%6.7%6.7%6.2%5%5.2%4.2%3.4%3.2%3.1%3.4%3.3%3.4%2.9%2.7%
Jun 202610.7%6.4%7.1%6.2%5%5.4%4.5%3.7%3.4%3.2%3.2%3.3%3.4%2.8%2.4%
Jul 202611.1%6.1%7.1%6.1%5.5%5.4%4.7%3.9%3.4%2.8%3.2%3%3.4%2.7%2.5%
Aug 202610.5%6.7%7%6.3%5.3%5.2%4.9%3.6%3.2%2.9%3%3.2%3.3%2.7%2.7%
Sep 202611.2%7%6.8%6.2%5.2%5.2%4.4%3.6%3.3%3.3%3.2%3.2%3.2%2.6%2.5%

How has the BMW and Chevrolet comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Chevrolet was ahead of BMW in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BMW’s share of searches among car brands in the United States moved from 3.5% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4M to 2.2M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chevrolet’s share of searches among car brands in the United States moved from 5.6% to 5.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.8M to 3.4M.

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

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, BMW rose from 12th to 11th among car brands in the United States.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Chevrolet in the United States fell 10.1% over 12 measured months, from 3.8M to 3.4M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

17 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BMW’s and Chevrolet’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.

BMW

5 branded search terms

  • bmw
  • bmw 3 series
  • bmw m3
  • bmw x3
  • bmw x5

Chevrolet

12 branded search terms

  • chevrolet
  • chevy
  • chevy blazer
  • chevy colorado
  • chevy equinox
  • chevy malibu
  • chevy silverado
  • chevy suburban
  • chevy tahoe
  • chevy traverse
  • chevy trax
  • corvette

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among car brands

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