Omniscan intelligence ·

Assistants ChatGPT Claude Google

UK car brands AI reputation tracker

How Google, ChatGPT and Claude describe car brands, recommend models and answer buyers' questions.

32 car brands · 10 questions · 3 AI assistants

In short

Toyota is named in 65% of AI answers, more than any other car brand. Among car brands named in at least one answer in five, Lexus is described most positively (90% of mentions) and Vauxhall is described most negatively (66%).

Which car brands does AI name?

Share of answers that mention each car brand.

  1. Toyota 65%
  2. Kia 40%
  3. Honda 33%
  4. Hyundai 33%
  5. Škoda 31%
  6. Volkswagen 31%
  7. Mercedes-Benz 31%
  8. MINI 29%
  9. Nissan 29%
  10. Ford 29%
  11. Suzuki 27%
  12. Renault 27%
  13. BMW 27%
  14. Lexus 26%
  15. Dacia 25%
  16. MG 25%
  17. Citroën 24%
  18. Tesla 23%
  19. Fiat 23%
  20. Vauxhall 21%
  21. Land Rover 20%
  22. Porsche 19%
  23. Jeep 18%
  24. Peugeot 17%
  25. Audi 15%
  26. BYD 13%
  27. Mazda 13%
  28. Bentley 11%
  29. Rolls-Royce 11%
  30. Lotus 11%
  31. Aston Martin 10%
  32. Volvo 6%

How does AI describe them?

Tone of each car brand's own mentions, ordered by net tone (positive minus negative).

Positive Neutral Negative

  1. BYD 95% +90
  2. Suzuki 88% 10% +86
  3. Mazda 89% +84
  4. Dacia 89% +84
  5. Lexus 90% 10% +80
  6. Kia 82% 13% +69
  7. Toyota 77% 13% 10% +67
  8. MINI 72% 21% +65
  9. Hyundai 78% 14% +64
  10. Škoda 78% 15% +63
  11. Honda 78% 18% +60
  12. Renault 73% 10% 18% +55
  13. Porsche 76% 24% +52
  14. Volkswagen 59% 17% 24% +35
  15. MG 61% 34% +27
  16. Nissan 48% 27% 25% +23
  17. Aston Martin 20% 80% +20
  18. Bentley 25% 69% +19
  19. Lotus 18% 82% +18
  20. Tesla 46% 23% 31% +15
  21. Rolls-Royce 24% 65% 12% +12
  22. BMW 48% 13% 40% +8
  23. Mercedes-Benz 47% 13% 40% +7
  24. Land Rover 43% 20% 37% +6
  25. Citroën 47% 50% −3
  26. Fiat 40% 60% −20
  27. Ford 39% 61% −22
  28. Peugeot 36% 60% −24
  29. Audi 26% 22% 52% −26
  30. Vauxhall 22% 13% 66% −44
  31. Jeep 93% −86

Car brands mentioned too rarely to judge their tone are not shown.

Who does AI single out?

For each question: the car brand the assistants most often pick as their answer, and the one they criticise most. Percentages are shares of that question's answers.

  1. Which car brands are the most reliable? Picked as the answer: Honda 33% Criticised most:Fiat 33%
  2. What is the best car to buy in the UK right now? Picked as the answer: Kia 27%
  3. What is the best affordable electric car? Picked as the answer: Dacia 33%
  4. Which cars are cheapest to run and insure? Picked as the answer: Hyundai 60%
  5. Which car brands have the best and worst dealer service? Picked as the answer: Lexus 67% Criticised most:Fiat 47%
  6. Are Chinese electric cars any good, and should I buy one? Picked as the answer: BYD 27% Criticised most:Jaecoo 27%
  7. Which cars hold their value best? Picked as the answer: Porsche 33%
  8. Should I buy an electric, hybrid or petrol car? No car brand singled out
  9. Which cars are still made in Britain? Picked as the answer: What Car? 7% Criticised most:Vauxhall 33%
  10. Which car brands have had the most recalls or safety problems? Criticised most:Ford 100%

Picked as the answer Singled out critically

Does it depend which assistant you ask?

Share of each assistant's answers that mention each car brand. The ten most named are shown.

Car brand ChatGPT Claude Google
Toyota 80% 60% 56%
Kia 62% 34% 24%
Honda 38% 28% 34%
Hyundai 54% 28% 18%
Škoda 42% 40% 10%
Volkswagen 50% 28% 14%
Mercedes-Benz 26% 52% 16%
MINI 34% 26% 26%
Nissan 22% 48% 18%
Ford 16% 48% 24%

Which sources shape the answers?

Share of answers citing each website.

  1. whatcar.com 43%
  2. autoexpress.co.uk 23%
  3. carwow.co.uk 21%
  4. rac.co.uk 20%
  5. gov.uk 17%
  6. reddit.com 15%
  7. youtube.com 15%
  8. electriccarscheme.com 10%

3%

is the most any car brand's own website is cited (byd.com). Independent guides, regulators and comparison sites write most of the answer.

What comms teams can do about it

  1. 1

    Plan campaigns around the guides AI cites

    Start with the sources leading each relevant question. Supply clear model evidence for reliability, ownership costs, dealer service or EV value, timed to guide updates and editorial planning.

  2. 2

    Make the proof specific to the model and market

    Publish information that is easy to compare and reuse. Where recall coverage crosses borders, clearly explain the affected models, markets, remedies and current position alongside the original notice.

  3. 3

    Track recommendations as well as mentions

    Monitor the same questions by platform and customer need. Look for changes in positive coverage and leading recommendations, then check which pages and claims accompany those changes.

Download the full car brands report (PDF)

Method

10 questions UK customers ask, put repeatedly to ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Overviews with the United Kingdom as the user's location, 24 September 2026. Naming figures are shares of all answers; tone figures are shares of each car brand's own mentions.

Cite as: Omniscan, “UK car brands AI reputation tracker”, September 2026, https://www.omniscan.ai/ai-benchmarks/uk-car-brands

See how the press covers car brands: UK automotive media reputation tracker →