Top 10 searched car brands

It turns out the Holden Commodore is still getting a lot of eyeballs, as the fourth most searched vehicle in the 12 months to June 2019.

That's one of the take-outs from Australia's number one automotive website, carsales.com.au, whose search data for the 2019 financial year reveals a number of surprises.

With a monthly audience of around 3.58 million viewers, who spend an average of 39 minutes per month on the carsales.com.au website, one brand is searched for above all others – Toyota.

This makes sense given its market domination in Australia, with vehicles like the top-selling Corolla small car and HiLux ute doing a brisk trade.

Jeremy Moger, head of commercial insights at carsales.com.au, says the current market is tough for dealers and brands when it comes to new-vehicle sales, as evidenced by the latest plunge in official monthly VFCATS sales figures.

"The interest is still there from our audience's behavior, but there is a more cautious and researched approach in buyers pulling the trigger on their purchase,” he said.

"I think the Commodores, Corollas and household brand names are influencing our Australian conservative psyche, making people go with what they know and trust in these financially challenging times."

There's a big difference between what cars Australians buy and what they would like to buy.

The first and second best selling vehicles in Australia to date in 2019 are the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes, but neither claimed the title of Australia's most-searched vehicle for FY19.

That honour goes to the Toyota LandCruiser -- a big, relatively expensive off-road SUV.

The Ford Ranger was the second most searched vehicle, followed by the Toyota HiLux and, as mentioned, the Holden Commodore. The top five was rounded out by the Volkswagen Golf.

See below the for the full top 10 lists, however – spoiler alert – Aussies absolutely love Toyota off-roaders with the LandCruiser Prado also in the list of top 10 most searched vehicles.

Don't be surprised if you see the Toyota RAV4 featuring the 'LandCruiser' addendum in its name!

Agostino Giramondo, carsales.com.au's head of new car and industry relations, explained that there are reasons why the latest search data and overall sales figures align in some areas but not others.

"I'm not at all surprised there is a difference between searched and bought cars. Search behavior is dictated by many factors but a major trend we're seeing more and more is search by repayment.

"It is not unusual for a consumer to search for a volume car – for example Mazda, Hyundai or Holden – and then add a prestige car like BMW or Mercedes-Benz to that search because the actual monthly repayment may not be that different," he said.

Looking at vehicle brands – rather than specific models – that buyers are searching on carsales, Toyota is king of the hill. The top 10 is generally reflective of actual sales, with Ford in second place, although Mercedes-Benz elbowed its way in to nab third place.

Mazda and Holden round out the top five and, as you can see below, the top 10 most searched car brands in Australia include a few surprise inclusions (BMW) and exclusions (Kia).

In terms of prestige vehicle searches, SUVs dominate search results with seven of the top 10 vehicles from the category. The BMW X5 takes top spot, followed by the Range Rover Sport and Audi A4.

Although the high-performance Mercedes-AMG C 63 is the only Merc in the top 10 model search, Mercedes-Benz ranks as the number one searched prestige brand overall, edging out BMW and Audi, which is reflective of the overall car market today.

Australia's top 10 searched cars:
1. Toyota LandCruiser
2. Ford Ranger
3. Toyota HiLux
4. Holden Commodore
5. Volkswagen Golf
6. Toyota Corolla
7. Mazda3
8. Toyota Prado
9. Mitsubishi Triton
10. Mazda CX-5

Australia's top 10 searched prestige cars:
1. BMW X5
2. Range Rover Sport
3. Audi A4
4. Audi Q5
5. BMW X3
6. Audi A3
7. Range Rover Evoque
8. Volvo XC60
9. Audi Q7
10. Mercedes-AMG C 63

Australia's top 10 searched car brands:
1. Toyota
2. Ford
3. Mercedes-Benz
4. Mazda
5. Holden
6. Volkswagen
7. BMW
8. Nissan
9. Hyundai
10. Mitsubishi

Australia's top 10 searched prestige car brands:
1. Mercedes-Benz
2. BMW
3. Audi
4. Land Rover
5. Lexus
6. Porsche
7. Volvo
8. Jaguar
9. MINI
10. Alfa Romeo