Toyota was the most searched auto brand in 2023, but Tesla still dominates EV queries
2023 was yet another pivotal year for EVs as the segment began to expand beyond early adopters and into the early majority. What should come as no surprise to most people is that American automaker Tesla dominated Google Trends search data for EVs last year. Still, gas and hybrid specialist Toyota remained the most searched auto brand, not by any specific state.
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Studying the most searched auto and EV brands online
While EVs continue to dominate the global mobility conversation, there are still plenty of hurdles to overcome before we can truly reach mass adoption. While the percentage of EVs continues to grow on roads around the US and the planet as a whole, that segment still makes up a minority compared to traditional combustion vehicles.
In fact, four of the ten most searched automotive brands in 2023 had one or fewer battery electric vehicles (BEVs) available in the US market last year. to determine these comparisons, MarketWatch Guides put together its own study of the top searched automotive brands and their respective models using key Google data. Here’s how it was gathered.
Methodology
The data used in MarketWatch Guides’ study consisted of Google Trends search volume data in the US across 12 months between September 2022 and September 2023. The key search terms analyzed were automotive-related and pertained to electric and combustion car makes and models.
In order to determine which terms were most and least associated with each state, MarketWatch either ranked by total search volume in millions, search volume per capita, or compared state data to the average for all of the US.
As a result, the highest above-average searches determined the most associated terms to each state, while the lowest below-average searches enabled the least associated terms.
Toyota was the most searched brand in the US
Toyota has led global market share in automotive for years, even as more and more brands go all-electric. Speaking of electric, Tesla continues to dominate the EV market in the US, but has even gained ground on legacy automakers like GM, Ford, and of course Toyota.
Although Toyota hails itself as an “electrified” brand, it currently only offers one fully electric model in the US – the bZ4X. Still, the makers of the Prius, RAV4, and Tacoma dominated the searches on Google, according to MarketWatch Guides’ study.
Here’s how the top ten most searched automakers in the US broke down:
| Automaker | Google Search Volume* | |
| 1. | Toyota | 37.6 million |
| 2. | Tesla | 34.6 million |
| 3. | Honda | 22.2 million |
| 4. | Ford | 20.3 million |
| 5. | Hyundai | 18.6 million |
| 6. | RAM | 17.1 million |
| 7. | BMW | 15.7 million |
| 8. | Kia | 15.4 million |
| 9. | Mercedes-Benz | 15.1 million |
| 10. | Subaru | 14.9 million |
While Toyota garnered over 3 million more US Google searches than runner-up Tesla, the Japanese automaker was not the most searched brand in any single state compared to the national average, nor was it the least searched marque in any of those territories either.
On the other hand, Tesla was the most popular automaker in one state – Nevada. That being said, it was also the least associated automaker in a whopping eleven states compared to the national average:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- New Hampshire
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
Despite being the least searched brand in one-fifth of the country, Tesla is still a huge part of the national automotive conversation online and remains the darling of the EV segment (although many other competitors are catching up).
Tesla dominates the most searched for EVs in the US
While Tesla may have come in second to Toyota in overall Google search volume during the 12-month study, its four most popular models dominate MarketWatch’s top-ten list of most searched EVs in the US. Here’s the full list:
Note that when data from this study was gathered, the Tesla Cybertruck hadn’t launched and begun deliveries yet; otherwise, there’s a solid chance that all five of Tesla’s available passenger EVs crack the top ten in most searched in the US.
Even amongst the four Tesla models, there is a huge drop in searches between the more affordable Model Y and Model 3 EVs and the longer-running and more premium X and S models – more than half.
The bottom five behind Tesla are all pretty evenly spaced in terms of most searched volume and is on par with the more popular and established models we at Electrek tend to cover regularly. The way the EV landscape if shaping the rest of the industry, imploring more and more consumers to seek more details, it will be interesting to see how Google search data compares a year from now.
I’d personally wager Toyota loses its top spot to Tesla and we see automakers like Hyundai and Kia garner a larger audience of Google users. We will check in again next year!
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $1.2 billion in financing to replace Puerto Rico’s fossil fuel plants with solar and battery storage through 2032.
The DOE’s Loan Programs Office announced two conditional commitments and one loan closing to power producers in Puerto Rico. Each supports a project contracted with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. The announcements include:
- The closing of a $584.5 million loan guarantee to subsidiaries of Convergent Energy to finance a 100 MW solar farm with a 55 MW (55 MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in the municipality of Coamo and BESS installations in the municipalities of Caguas (25MW/100MWh), Peñuelas (100MW/400MWh), and Ponce (up to 100MW/400MWh)
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $133.6 million to a subsidiary of Infinigen for a 32.1 MW solar farm with an integrated 14.45 MW (4.76 MWh) BESS, and a co-located standalone 50 MW (200 MWh) BESS expansion in the municipality of Yabucoa
- A conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $489.4 million to a subsidiary of Pattern Energy for three stand-alone BESS in the municipalities of Arecibo (50 MW/200 MWh), and Santa Isabel (50 MW /200 MWh and 80 MW/320 MW), and a 70 MW solar farm with an integrated BESS in the municipality of Arecibo.
If all are finalized, these projects would more than double LPO’s support for utility-scale solar generation and battery energy storage in Puerto Rico.
LPO provides low-cost financing and a rigorous due diligence process, making it a valuable resource for Puerto Rico as it works to rebuild an affordable, reliable, and clean energy system. As a result of reliance on imported fuel, the persistent threat of tropical storms, and underinvested infrastructure, Puerto Ricans today face average energy costs that are twice the US average – all while consuming only one-quarter of the energy of the US per capita.
LPO’s initial loan to a power producer in Puerto Rico, Project Marahu, closed in October 2024, and when complete will add more than 200 MW of solar and up to 285 MW of stand-alone energy storage to Puerto Rico’s grid.
Through its September 2023 partial loan guarantee to Project Hestia, LPO also supports virtual power plant (VPP)-ready rooftop solar and battery storage installations in Puerto Rico. As a nationwide project, Hestia’s sponsor is committed to at least 20% of installations under Project Hestia going to homeowners in Puerto Rico.
As part of its procurement plan, Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority seeks to install 1,500 MW of battery storage and requires a minimum capacity of storage to be co-located with each utility-scale solar project. Energy storage systems currently online in Puerto Rico are being dispatched every day.
When including Marahu, LPO’s closed and conditionally committed financing supports over 100% of the capacity Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority aimed to procure under its initial request for energy storage project proposals, the first of six.
Read more: Cleantech investments to top fossil fuels for the first time in 2025
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Chevy just introduced new deals on the Equinox and Blazer EV models to make them even more affordable. With 0% interest and a new trade-in bonus, Chevy is offering over $5,000 in savings.
Chevy adds new Equinox and Blazer EV deals in January
Although the Chevy Equinox EV is already “the most affordable” EV in its class with over 315 miles range, it’s getting even cheaper.
Earlier this week, Chevy launched new deals on the 2024 Equinox and Blazer EV models. According to a note sent to dealers, viewed by CarsDirect, the electric SUVs are now available with 0% APR financing for 60 months. You can also choose from 0.9% AP for 72 months and 2.9% APR for 84 months.
This marks the best financing offer on Chevy’s newest EVs to date. The previous best rates were 0.9% APR for 60 months, 3.9% for 72 months, and 5.9% for the longer 84-month option.
On a 7-year $45,000 loan, online auto research firm CarsDirect estimates the new deals amount to around a $5,200 price cut. The lower APR rates are already offered on the Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup.
In addition, Chevy is offering a trade-in bonus of up to $3,000 on the Silverado EV and $1,000 on the electric Equinox and Blazer models. If you choose to lease, the bonus is cut in half: $1,500 for the Silverado and $500 for the electric SUVs.
Chevy’s new EV deals started on January 14 and run through March 3, 2025. The deals come as rivals like Hyundai and Ford recently launched new EV promotions.
On Thursday, Hyundai launched a new promo on the upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which includes monthly leases as low as $199 and a free ChargePoint home EV charger (or $400 charging credit). Meanwhile, Ford extended its “Power Promise” program earlier this month, which also includes a free home charger, among several other benefits.
The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV started at $41,900 with up to 315 miles range. Prices for the electric Chevy Blazer start at $43,690 with up to 279 miles range.
If you are ready to try out Chevy’s new electric SUVs for yourself, we’ve got you covered. You can use our links below to view offers on the Chevy Equinox, Silverado, and Blazer EV models near you.
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In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss non-Tesla EVs getting Supercharger access, Cybertruck sales in the spotlight, Rivian getting some money from Biden, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We now have a Patreon if you want to help us avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET):
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