Toyota Still Dominates the Search Bar in the Philippines, and the Rest of the World

Toyota reigned supreme as the most searched car brand in the Philippines and across much of the world last year, ruling in key markets such as Africa, Asia, South America, and the Middle East.

Based on a study by the digital price comparison website Compare the Market Australia, the Japanese auto giant’s dominance shifted slightly; it was the top searched brand in 57 countries last year, down from 64 in 2022.

German car brand BMW followed closely behind, being the most searched brand in 26 countries. Tesla came in third, topping 16 countries, while the surging Chinese electric vehicle player BYD (Build Your Dreams) made serious noise in seven countries. As a reminder, BYD already overtook Elon Musk's Tesla as the world's biggest seller of EVs last year.

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Compare the Market's infographic on its Most Searched Car Brands 2025 study

Compare the Market based its study on Google Trends data, which also tracks second and third-place finishes for each country. If you count total mentions across the global podium, Toyota racked up 87 mentions, while BMW remained a close second with 81.

The German auto giant dominated the search bar across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as parts of Asia.

Conversely, Tesla has seen a gradual drop in its search relevance, topping just 17 countries—a far cry from the 34 countries it held in 2023 when it managed to beat out BMW.

And now, we come to the BYD story. A dark horse in the global automotive game and a top-selling EV player, BYD was the most searched brand in seven countries last year, up from only two in 2024. This meteoric pace suggests the brand is making inevitable strides in relevance for the coming year.

Mercedes-Benz also rebounded last year, topping the search bar in six countries (up from just one), placing it in a tie with Japanese brand Honda. The luxury German brand is once again on the rise after a steady downslide in the rankings since 2021.

The Most Searched Car Brands throughout the years

Now, enough about the gains made by the surging brands; we also have to talk about heritage car brands that didn't even top a single country's search bar this year but did secure a bunch of second and third-place spots.

German car brand Audi, Japanese brand Mazda, and American car brand Ford fell off the rankings, while GM, Renault, and Proton made the cut, topping at least one country on the map.

The bottom line is, Toyota understandably rules Filipino roads and search bars, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But we can't deny the dominance BMW has on the luxury market globally, or the wildcard that is BYD and its EV excellence.

Check out the Compare the Market study here.

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