MARKET REPORT: Automotive

AI Visibility Report: Which Car Brands Win When Buyers Ask AI for Recommendations

The automotive industry is experiencing a fundamental shift in how consumers research and purchase vehicles. According to a Cars.com survey from November 2025, 97% of AI users say these tools will influence their purchase decisions, with 44% having already leveraged AI-powered search for car shopping. Fullpath's 2025 research found that 62% of consumers are comfortable using AI platforms like ChatGPT for car purchase advice, while CarEdge's survey revealed that 25% of car buyers in 2025 are actively using AI tools during their shopping process, with 88% finding them helpful.

We analyzed 13 major automotive brands across six key topics and hundreds of real-world prompts to understand which manufacturers dominate AI-driven car shopping conversations. The data reveals clear winners and surprising gaps: BMW leads overall with 79.4% AI visibility, while Mercedes-Benz follows at 70.7%. That's nearly a 9-percentage-point advantage in a market where AI recommendations increasingly drive purchase decisions.

But visibility varies dramatically by category. Porsche dominates performance conversations at 92.5%, while Volvo owns safety discussions with 91.7% visibility. Perhaps most surprising: Tesla, despite its EV leadership, ranks only 5th in AI visibility for electric vehicle queries at 62.2%, trailing BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Audi.

We tracked which sources drive these mentions and how brands perform across specific high-intent topics. Car and Driver leads at 22.4% of citations, YouTube follows at 16.4%, and Reddit accounts for 15.4%, demonstrating that editorial expertise and community discussions shape AI recommendations more than brand marketing.

The Landscape: BMW's Commanding Lead

BMW isn't just leading they're dominating with 79.4% overall AI visibility. When potential buyers ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity about car recommendations, BMW appears in nearly 8 out of 10 responses. Mercedes-Benz comes in second at 70.7%, followed by Audi at 62.8%, Tesla at 59.4%, and Porsche at 56.4%.

The 8.7-point gap between BMW and Mercedes represents significant competitive advantage in an industry where purchase consideration is increasingly shaped by AI recommendations. For context, 73% of AI users report that these tools save time during the car research process, and 30% consider AI responses their final answer without further research.

Where AI Gets Its Information

When we analyzed the sources AI models cite when discussing automotive brands, automotive editorial sites and video content dominate. Car and Driver appears in 22.4% of sources, establishing itself as the most influential voice in AI recommendations. YouTube follows at 16.4%, reflecting the importance of video reviews and comparisons. Reddit accounts for 15.4% of citations higher than any individual manufacturer's domain.

EV Magazine (14.6%), Cars.USNews.com (13.5%), and Motor Trend (13.3%) round out the top sources. Edmunds, KBB, and specialty sites like Dourado Cars also factor significantly. What's notably absent? The manufacturers' own websites barely register in source citations, similar to what we observed in travel booking platforms.

This reveals a crucial insight: AI visibility in automotive isn't about your website's SEO. It's about how often editorial reviews, video comparisons, Reddit discussions, and enthusiast forums mention your brand when discussing specific vehicle categories. The conversation about your brand matters more than the content on your site.

Topic-by-Topic Breakdown: What Buyers Actually Ask

We tracked visibility across six key automotive topics, each representing different buyer priorities and search intents. Here's what we found:

Performance

Example prompts:

• "Which luxury car brand offers the best performance vehicles?"

• "What's the most reliable high-performance car brand for daily driving?"

Porsche dominates performance conversations with 92.5% visibility, reinforcing decades of brand positioning around driving dynamics. BMW follows at 86.7%, and Tesla surprisingly claims third at 79.0% showing that electric performance has entered the conversation alongside traditional sports car brands. Audi sits at 54.2%, while Mercedes-Benz trails at 50.0%.

The gap between Porsche and everyone else (6+ percentage points over BMW) demonstrates the power of sustained brand focus. When AI scans automotive content for performance discussions, Porsche's name appears consistently across editorial reviews, enthusiast forums, and comparison articles.

Safety

Example prompts:

• "Which car brand has the best safety ratings and features?"

• "What's the safest luxury car brand for families?"

Volvo commands safety conversations with 91.7% visibility a testament to decades of safety-focused brand building. Mercedes-Benz follows at 75.0%, then Genesis at 62.5%, Audi at 59.2%, and Tesla at 52.1%.

Volvo's 16.7-point lead over Mercedes illustrates how thoroughly they own this category in AI's understanding. Their consistent safety messaging, combined with genuine innovation and third-party validation, creates an echo across all the sources AI reads.

Sedan

Example prompts:

• "Best luxury sedan brands for 2025?"

• "Which car brand makes the most reliable executive sedans?"

BMW leads sedan conversations at 91.7%, followed by Mercedes-Benz at 74.2%. Audi sits at 65.0%, while Porsche and Tesla are nearly tied at 55.9% and 55.5% respectively.

BMW's 17.5-point advantage over Mercedes in the sedan category is significant, especially given Mercedes' traditional strength in this segment. This suggests BMW has built stronger presence in sedan-focused content across reviews, comparisons, and discussion forums.

Luxury

Example prompts:

• "Which car brand represents the pinnacle of luxury automotive?"

• "Best luxury car brands for premium features and comfort?"

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are nearly tied in luxury discussions 88.3% and 85.0% respectively reflecting their long-standing rivalry in this space. Audi follows at 65.0%, then Tesla at 62.5% and Porsche at 58.3%.

The minimal 3.3-point gap between BMW and Mercedes represents the closest competition across all categories we tracked. Both brands have spent decades building luxury credentials, and AI sees them as near-equals when processing luxury-focused content.

Electric Vehicles (EV)

Example prompts:

• "Which traditional car brands make the best electric vehicles?"

• "What luxury car brand has the most advanced EV technology?"

Here's where the data gets surprising. BMW leads EV conversations at 87.5%, followed closely by Mercedes-Benz at 85.8%. Porsche claims third at 79.2%, then Audi at 67.5%. Tesla, the brand most associated with electric vehicles, ranks fifth at just 62.2%.

This 25.3-point gap between BMW and Tesla in EV visibility reveals a disconnect between market perception and AI recommendations. When buyers ask AI about electric vehicles, they're more likely to hear about traditional manufacturers' EV offerings than Tesla. This suggests editorial content, reviews, and discussions increasingly position legacy automakers as credible EV alternatives, while Tesla's first-mover advantage is fading in AI's narrative.

SUVs

Example prompts:

• "Which luxury car brand makes the best SUVs?"

• "What's the most reliable luxury SUV brand?"

BMW leads SUV conversations at 73.3%, followed by Audi at 65.8% and Volvo at 60.8%. Mercedes-Benz sits at 55.0%, while Tesla trails at 46.7%.

BMW's 7.5-point lead over Audi reflects their strong SUV lineup and presence in SUV-focused content. Volvo's third-place position makes sense given their SUV heritage and family-focused brand positioning.

What This Actually Means

The automotive AI visibility landscape reveals several critical insights for manufacturers and marketers:

Traditional Brand Strength Translates to AI Visibility

BMW's overall dominance (79.4%) isn't accidental. They've spent decades building presence across every category where AI looks for automotive information: editorial reviews, comparison tests, enthusiast forums, YouTube videos, and Reddit discussions. When AI processes hundreds of sources discussing performance, luxury, sedans, or SUVs, BMW's name appears consistently.

This is fundamentally different from traditional marketing metrics. It's not about ad spend, dealer networks, or even sales volume. It's about sustained presence in the content ecosystem AI models read and trust.

Category Ownership Matters More Than Overall Visibility

Porsche ranks 5th overall (56.4%) but dominates performance at 92.5%. Volvo doesn't crack the top 5 overall but owns safety conversations at 91.7%. This demonstrates that focused brand positioning creates AI visibility in specific, high-value categories even if overall mentions are lower.

For automotive marketers, this suggests a choice: compete broadly like BMW, or dominate specific categories where your buyers search.

Tesla's EV Paradox

Tesla's fifth-place finish in EV visibility (62.2%) despite being the EV market leader reveals an important truth: AI visibility doesn't correlate with market share or brand awareness. It correlates with how often your brand appears in the content AI reads.

As legacy manufacturers launched competitive EV models, automotive media produced extensive comparison content: "BMW iX vs Tesla Model X," "Mercedes EQS vs Tesla Model S," "Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S." This comparison content positions traditional manufacturers as legitimate alternatives, diluting Tesla's narrative dominance.

The Source Mix Drives Everything

Car and Driver (22.4%), YouTube (16.4%), and Reddit (15.4%) collectively account for over 50% of AI citations. This reveals what matters: in-depth editorial reviews, video comparisons, and authentic community discussions. Press releases, brand websites, and advertising don't factor significantly.

Automotive brands winning AI visibility are those consistently covered by enthusiast media, featured in comparison videos, and discussed positively in forums. You can't buy this visibility you have to earn it through product excellence and sustained media relationships.

The Geographic and Demographic Divide

Fullpath's research shows that 17% of consumers aged 18-43 use AI tools during car research, compared to only 12% of those aged 44-59. This 5-percentage-point gap represents the future. As younger buyers increasingly rely on AI for purchase decisions, brands invisible in AI recommendations will progressively lose consideration.

Tracking What Matters

Without AI visibility tracking, automotive brands are operating blind. You might see strong sales numbers today, but you don't know how many potential buyers never considered you because AI recommended a competitor instead.

Tools like GetMentioned let manufacturers monitor exactly where they appear in AI responses, which topics they own versus where they're invisible, and which sources actually drive their visibility. You can see when competitors surge in specific categories like EV or safety, and understand what content is making the difference.

For automotive brands, this means tracking visibility across the queries your customers actually search: "best luxury SUV," "most reliable sedan," "fastest electric car," "safest family vehicle." If you're not visible in these conversations, you're losing consideration before customers even reach your website.

The automotive industry is entering a new era where AI shapes the consideration set before traditional marketing even reaches potential buyers. The brands tracking and optimizing for AI visibility today will dominate purchase consideration tomorrow.