The online popularity of the best luxury car brands in the world is a reliable predictor of future sales and the trends that are shaping the global automobile industry. Navigating the luxe lanes of the digital highway, 2026 brings a dramatic shuffle in the most popular luxury car brands online. Taking the pack-leading position, Tesla jump-starts interest with the sparkling debut of the steering-wheel-free Cybercab.
Not to be outdone, BYD shifts gears, accelerating past Audi with an electric roar from its upmarket Denza and Yangwang sub-brands. Making the biggest climb of any returning brand, Land Rover jolts four spots up, spurred by the Range Rover’s pull. Porsche holds its spot without many changes, while Volvo, Ferrari, and Audi drop despite showcasing enticing new electric cars.
$628B
projected size of the global luxury car market in 2026.
The global luxury car industry is much more dynamic than luxury fashion, watches, and jewelry, and changes since last year are extreme. Each brand’s journey this year marks a distinct path of innovation and sustainability. The evolving legacies join electrified ambitions, crafting a saga to redefine luxury automotive excellence.
We have applied our rigorous online popularity ranking to the car market every year since 2021. The methodology has indeed proven its usefulness with our list of the best luxury brands online.
Share of search interest
The top four brands account for 45% of all search interest in this ranking. Tesla and BYD, neither of which made cars forty years ago, together draw 23.4%, close to the 27.4% for BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi combined.
The 20 Most Popular Luxury Car Brands Online
| Rank | Brand | Country | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | United States | ▲ 3 |
| 2 | BMW | Germany | ▼ 1 |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz | Germany | ▼ 1 |
| 4 | BYD | China | New |
| 5 | Porsche | Germany | — |
| 6 | Land Rover | United Kingdom | ▲ 4 |
| 7 | Audi | Germany | ▼ 4 |
| 8 | Lamborghini | Italy | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Lexus | Japan | ▼ 2 |
| 10 | Ferrari | Italy | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Volvo | Sweden | ▼ 5 |
| 12 | Aston Martin | United Kingdom | New |
| 13 | Rolls-Royce | United Kingdom | ▲ 2 |
| 14 | McLaren | United Kingdom | New |
| 15 | Bugatti | France | New |
| 16 | Cadillac | United States | ▼ 5 |
| 17 | Maserati | Italy | New |
| 18 | Polestar | Sweden | New |
| 19 | Rivian | United States | New |
| 20 | Alfa Romeo | Italy | ▼ 6 |
Questions? See our methodology, definitions, and frequently asked questions at the end of this article.
1. Tesla
Tesla takes first place for the first time, with 13.2% of all the search interest across the twenty brands here. That is more than BMW and more than Mercedes-Benz.
Not all of that attention is good news. Tesla’s paid robotaxi miles fell roughly 36% in the second quarter, to around 700,000, as the company switched effort to gathering data for the Cybercab. The steering-wheel-free two-seater rolled its first unit off the line in February and moved to continuous production in the spring.
Elon Musk has conceded that robotaxis are unlikely to bring in meaningful revenue before 2027. That admission matters for a brand whose valuation has long rested on autonomy rather than sheet metal.
Reach is what keeps Tesla on top. Its cars are still the reference point that every other maker of electric cars gets measured against.
Our Tesla brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Tesla Cybertruck |
| Share of search interest | 13.2% |
2. BMW
BMW gives up the online crown it held last year, but it has the sales figures to console itself. It finished 2025 as the world’s best-selling luxury carmaker with more than 2.1 million deliveries, and in the first half of 2026 it outsold Mercedes-Benz by over 167,000 cars.
The Neue Klasse is finally on the road. The new iX3 is the first car on the platform, with an 800-volt architecture, 400 kW charging that takes the battery from 10% to 80% in 21 minutes, and up to 805 km of WLTP range from a 108.7 kWh pack.
US deliveries open in late September from $61,500, with a 434-mile range figure for the 50 xDrive.
BMW has spent years being called late to electrification. At that price and range, the iX3 gives a would-be Tesla buyer a serious German alternative.
Our BMW brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | BMW 3 Series, BMW X5, BMW iX3 |
| Share of search interest | 11.1% |
3. Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz slips one place to third with 10.7% of search interest, in a year spent rebuilding its electric lineup on a new architecture.
The CLA shows what has changed. It runs on 800 volts with a two-speed rear axle, and the CLA 250+ claims up to 792 km of WLTP range. The electric GLC follows late in the year with a 94 kWh battery, 360 kW of power and 330 kW charging.
Sales are softer. The brand sold 1,801,291 cars in 2025 and 837,200 in the first half of 2026, enough for second place globally but down year over year, in a German luxury segment where every major player is in the red.
Mercedes-Benz still builds a range that runs from the best luxury SUVs to Brabus creations that treat restraint as optional.
Our Mercedes-Benz brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Mercedes-Benz GLC |
| Share of search interest | 10.7% |
4. BYD
BYD walks straight in at fourth, with 10.2% of search interest, more than Porsche, Audi or Ferrari.
BYD isn’t a luxury brand the way Ferrari is. It’s a volume manufacturer, and the search interest covers the badge in its broadest sense. It earns its place here through two sub-brands moving upmarket.
Denza is the nearer of the two, sold in Europe as a premium electric marque with the Z9GT shooting brake and the D9 seven-seat MPV. Yangwang aims higher: BYD vice president Stella Li has confirmed it arrives in Europe in 2026 to take on Bentley, Porsche, Lotus and Ferrari.
Meanwhile the company is folding its Dynasty and Ocean lines under a single BYD badge internationally and building its first European plant, in Hungary. Can a Chinese car brand build real luxury standing in Europe? BYD is the one finding out.
| Country of origin | China |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | BYD Seal, BYD Atto 3, Denza Z9GT |
| Share of search interest | 10.2% |
5. Porsche
Porsche holds fifth for a second year, the only brand in the top ten that hasn’t moved. It marks the occasion with the most powerful road car it has ever built.
The Cayenne Turbo Electric makes 1,139 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque, and reaches 60 mph in 2.4 seconds. The rest of the electric Cayenne range is calmer: 435 horsepower in standard form from $113,800, 657 in the S from $131,200, and the Turbo from $168,000, with deliveries from the end of summer.
Porsche will keep selling the combustion and plug-in hybrid Cayennes alongside the electric ones. Most rivals in the segment have announced end dates for the engine, so this is a deliberate hedge.
Porsche’s electric Macan shares its PPE platform with Audi’s Q6 e-tron, one of the more productive pieces of Volkswagen Group engineering.
Our Porsche brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Porsche 911, Porsche Macan, Porsche Cayenne |
| Share of search interest | 7.7% |
6. Land Rover
Land Rover climbs four places to sixth, the biggest rise of any returning brand. The reason is Range Rover. It has become a search term of its own and draws roughly twice the interest of the parent name.
The electric Range Rover is due for delivery in late 2026, and its waiting list had reached 76,976 names before a single car reached a customer.
From this year, every new Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar is built on Nvidia’s DRIVE AGX platform, with five launches due inside eighteen months. In May, JLR and Stellantis also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore joint development for the US market.
That’s a long road from 1948, when this British car brand started with a utilitarian farm vehicle, now one of the best classic cars ever made.
Our Land Rover brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Range Rover, Land Rover Defender, Range Rover Sport |
| Share of search interest | 5.9% |
7. Audi
Audi falls four places to seventh, the steepest drop among the German three, and its cars don’t explain why.
It delivered 1,644,429 cars in 2025 and 727,200 in the first half of 2026, third among the German luxury makers. Its PPE platform carries the Q6 e-tron and the A6 e-tron and does the same job under Porsche’s electric Macan.
What Audi lacks this year is a headline car to draw the attention the iX3 brings BMW or the CLA brings Mercedes.
Audi is still one of the most complete German car brands, and the A6 e-tron gives it a proper flagship.
Our Audi brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Germany |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi Q6 e-tron |
| Share of search interest | 5.6% |
8. Lamborghini
Lamborghini gains a place, and every car it now sells is a hybrid.
The Temerario completed the switch when deliveries began in January. It replaces the Huracán with a twin-turbocharged V8 and three electric motors making 907 horsepower, and it revs to 10,000 rpm. Lamborghini says no other production supercar engine does. At $386,649 it is the entry point to the range (entry point being a relative term here).
Above it sits the Fenomeno, a run of 29 cars built around the most powerful V12 the company has made, also paired with three electric motors. Four new models are due this year.
The Italian car brand has gone hybrid without losing what people buy a Lamborghini for. The V12 still sings, and the electric motors mostly make it louder.
Our Lamborghini brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Lamborghini Urus, Lamborghini Temerario, Lamborghini Revuelto |
| Share of search interest | 5.3% |
9. Lexus
Lexus drops two places online, yet it is second in the US luxury market, with 169,712 sales in the first half of 2026, ahead of Mercedes-Benz.
This is also the last year of the LS sedan. The 2026 model closes a run that began in 1989 with the car that made the German establishment take a Japanese car brand seriously.
Its replacement isn’t a sedan. The LS Concept is a long, flat-roofed machine on two rear axles, built around the passenger, and Lexus says the S now stands for space.
Lexus has never chased search interest and lets its reliability record do the selling.
Our Lexus brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Japan |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Lexus RX, Lexus NX, Lexus GX |
| Share of search interest | 4.7% |
10. Ferrari
Ferrari slips two places in the same year it builds its first all-electric car.
The Luce, previously called the Elettrica, has four doors and five seats, words nobody expected to write about a new Ferrari. It was developed with Jony Ive’s design collective LoveFrom, rides on a bespoke 800-volt platform built at the new E-Building, and uses four motors, one per wheel, for more than 1,000 horsepower.
It weighs more than 2.2 tons, offers over 500 km of range and costs €550,000, roughly $640,000, with deliveries from the fourth quarter.
Purists have opinions about an electric Ferrari, and the company has raised its forecasts all the same.
Our Ferrari brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Ferrari SF90, Ferrari Purosangue, Ferrari 296 GTB |
| Share of search interest | 4.4% |
11. Volvo
Volvo drops five places to eleventh, the steepest fall in this year’s ranking, in a strong year for its cars.
The EX90 gained an 800-volt backbone that adds 155 miles of range in ten minutes on a 350 kW charger. A single-motor version joined the range, the twin-motor cars gained power, and the 670-horsepower Twin Motor Performance is the most powerful car Volvo has ever offered. We like the electrochromic panoramic roof with adjustable tint.
Polestar is the likeliest reason for the slide. It now takes some of the search interest that once had nowhere else Swedish to go.
Volvo is still the Swedish car brand that turned safety into a luxury argument.
Our Volvo brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Volvo XC60, Volvo EX90, Volvo EX30 |
| Share of search interest | 2.9% |
12. Aston Martin
Aston Martin enters the ranking for the first time, with a range sharpened from top to bottom.
The S badge now runs across the lineup. The DBX S makes 717 bhp and 664 lb-ft, using turbocharger technology taken from the Valhalla, and the 697-horsepower DBX 707 becomes the entry point beneath it. The DB12 S and Vantage S complete the set, and the three appeared together for the first time at Goodwood.
For a company that has spent much of the past decade reorganizing itself, a clear performance ladder is a sign of a settled plan.
Aston Martin is still the most cinematic name in British motoring, and it has supplied more James Bond cars than anyone else.
Our Aston Martin brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Aston Martin DBX, Aston Martin Vantage, Aston Martin DB12 |
| Share of search interest | 2.5% |
13. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce climbs two places, helped by a Spectre that has grown into the range.
Series II fixes the first version’s weak spots. Revised cells and drivetrain changes lift WLTP range by up to 18%, to as much as 390 miles. The Black Badge version is the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever built, with up to 679 horsepower in Infinity Mode and 811 Nm in Spirited Mode, and it comes with a new Ethereal Blue finish with Iced Black detailing.
One caveat on this position. The Rolls-Royce name is shared with an aerospace company, and plenty of the people searching for it want a share price rather than a Phantom. We counted the brand term as searched, so if anything this ranking flatters the cars.
Rolls-Royce still builds several of the most expensive cars in the world, and bespoke commissions remain the real business.
Our Rolls-Royce brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Rolls-Royce Spectre |
| Share of search interest | 2.5% |
14. McLaren
McLaren joins the ranking in the middle of a full reinvention.
Abu Dhabi-backed CYVN Holdings bought the company and merged it with the British electric start-up Forseven to form McLaren Group Holdings, with Forseven’s Nick Collins in charge of the combined business. Roughly £1.5 billion of investment came with the deal.
The W1 hybrid hypercar starts reaching customers this year. More surprising, McLaren has confirmed it will build a car with more than two seats, ending decades of mid-engined orthodoxy, with a hybrid V8 SUV reported under the codename P47 for around 2028. Full electrification is ruled out for now.
McLaren has spent its road-car life as a specialist, and that SUV will show whether the badge travels.
Our McLaren brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | McLaren Artura, McLaren 750S, McLaren W1 |
| Share of search interest | 2.5% |
15. Bugatti
Bugatti enters the ranking as the Tourbillon reaches production, and the spec sheet still reads like a dare.
The engine is a naturally aspirated 8.3-liter V16, developed with Cosworth, that revs to 9,000 rpm. Three electric motors and a 24.8 kWh battery bring combined output to 1,775 horsepower. It reaches 62 mph in two seconds, tops out at 276 mph and can travel 37 miles on electricity alone (a quiet getaway, should you need one).
Production starts this year at the new Atelier in Molsheim and runs through 2029. Bugatti will build exactly 250, every slot is already allocated, and prices start at €3.8 million before options.
The Tourbillon succeeds the Chiron, and as the Bugatti price list shows, value has never been the point.
| Country of origin | France |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Bugatti Tourbillon, Bugatti Chiron, Bugatti Veyron |
| Share of search interest | 2.2% |
16. Cadillac
Cadillac falls five places to sixteenth and out of the top fifteen for the first time since we began this ranking.
The Celestiq is still its best argument: a hand-built ultra-luxury electric sedan with a 111 kWh battery, roughly 300 miles of range and a 3.7-second run to 60 mph. Cadillac pitches it directly against the Rolls-Royce Spectre. Ten years ago, few would have expected that from an American car brand.
Below it, the electric range has grown quickly, but no single model has caught attention the way the Escalade once did.
Cadillac is building better cars than its position here suggests, and it is still looking for the one that makes people turn their heads.
Our Cadillac brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac Lyriq, Cadillac Celestiq |
| Share of search interest | 1.9% |
17. Maserati
Maserati returns to the ranking at the lowest point in its modern commercial history.
Deliveries fell 57% to 11,300 cars in 2024, and 2025 closed at 11,127. Stellantis cancelled a planned investment of roughly €1.5 billion. That left the electric MC20 and the electric Quattroporte and Levante successors in doubt.
This year brought a reprieve. Stellantis has confirmed it intends to strengthen Maserati as a pure luxury brand, with two new large models planned and a next-generation Grecale due in 2027. It is also in talks with two unnamed partners on technology and development, with a fuller plan promised in December.
The Grecale, from around $80,000, is the entry point and carries most of the volume for now. Maserati makes some of the best-sounding cars in Italy, and it has spent a decade struggling to sell them.
Our Maserati brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Maserati Grecale, Maserati MC20, Maserati Levante |
| Share of search interest | 1.9% |
18. Polestar
Polestar makes its first appearance in the year the Polestar 5 reached customers. The brand finally has a real flagship instead of a concept car and a set of intentions.
The Polestar 5 is a four-door with more than 870 horsepower, built to compete on performance before it asks to be judged on design.
Volvo posted the steepest fall in this ranking in the same year Polestar entered it. Both are Swedish, both are electric, and both are chasing a similar buyer.
Our Polestar brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Sweden |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Polestar 2, Polestar 4, Polestar 5 |
| Share of search interest | 1.8% |
19. Rivian
Rivian enters the ranking on the back of one model that has to work.
The R2 launched in the second quarter as a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Performance version at $57,990, with 656 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 330 miles of range. An AWD Premium follows late this year at $53,990, a rear-wheel-drive Standard in the first half of 2027 at $48,490, and the long-promised $45,000 version in late 2027.
Rivian built its name on expensive, capable adventure vehicles, among the best electric pickup trucks you can buy. That price ladder is how the R2 is meant to carry the brand into real volume without diluting the badge.
Rivian is the newest name on this list, and the next eighteen months will decide whether it stays.
Our Rivian brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Rivian R1S, Rivian R1T, Rivian R2 |
| Share of search interest | 1.6% |
20. Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo closes the ranking six places lower than last year, and the fall traces back to a plan it has since dropped.
The next Giulia and Stelvio were meant to launch as electric-only cars. With EV adoption slower than forecast, Alfa Romeo reversed course and delayed both to 2028 to redesign them around combustion and hybrid powertrains. The current Giulia and Stelvio stay in production to roughly 2027 to cover the gap.
That leaves the Junior, a subcompact crossover built in Poland, carrying more of the brand than it was designed to. It’s a capable car in a crowded segment, but it doesn’t draw searches the way a Giulia Quadrifoglio does.
Alfa Romeo has one of the most loved badges in motoring, and this year it is still deciding what to put behind it.
Our Alfa Romeo brand guide covers its history and the models that define it.
| Country of origin | Italy |
|---|---|
| Most popular models | Alfa Romeo Giulia, Alfa Romeo Stelvio, Alfa Romeo Junior |
| Share of search interest | 1.6% |
Just outside the top 20
Four names just missed the cut this year.
Bentley came closest, and it remains one of the most recognized luxury badges in the world. Genesis keeps building well-reviewed cars that haven’t yet drawn search interest on the scale of the established marques, a familiar spot for a young Korean car brand.
Jaguar is the big departure. It has withdrawn its whole lineup ahead of a relaunch, and the production Type 00 grand tourer has slipped to a 2026 reveal at around £120,000. With nothing to sell, it can’t hold a place in the ranking, and Jaguar chose that gap on purpose. Next year’s edition will show whether the gamble works.
Chrysler also drops out. Its range has narrowed to the point where it no longer competes as a luxury marque.
Methodology and sources: How we rank the best luxury car brands
Luxe Digital’s luxury car brands ranking aims to provide a real-time and insightful analysis of the most popular luxury automobile brands online. Our ranking clearly shows how each brand performs online and can help predict future growth.
To build it, we add up the search demand for each brand’s name across the query variations people actually type, then work out each brand’s share of the combined total for the brands in the ranking. That share is the number in each entry and in the chart above.
Two rules decide which searches count.
Where a brand markets a sub-brand under its own name, we count it with the parent. Range Rover is searched far more often than Land Rover, and splitting them would misrepresent both.
Where a brand’s name collides with a more common meaning, we use the automotive forms instead. Jaguar and Genesis are the clear cases, since their bare names would pull in an animal, a football team, a rock band and a book of the Bible. Rolls-Royce shares its name with an aerospace company and can’t be separated cleanly, as its entry notes.
This year the ranking grows from fifteen brands to twenty, because search interest has spread across more marques than when we started.
Definitions
Our summary table and per-brand entries refer to the following term:
- Share of search interest is calculated from worldwide search demand over the trailing twelve months. We measure the absolute search interest for each of the luxury car brands in our ranking, then calculate how much attention each receives compared to the others, as a percentage of the total search interest for the brands in the ranking. It is a relative measure, so a brand’s share can fall in a year when its own search volume grows, if the market around it grew faster.
Best luxury car brands: Frequently asked questions
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