US Automotive Online Car Retailers - PPC Market Share Analysis May 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the US Online Car Retailers category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Online Car Retailers – US

Google AI Overview visibility for Automotive Online Car Retailers US

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 23.7776417476
76.2223582524
23%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 61
39
61%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 28%
Transactional 31%
Navigational 6%
Seasonal 0%
Local 3%
Problem Solving 10%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 US Automotive Online Car Retailers brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
carvana.com 32.95
kbb.com 23.31
enterprise.com 9.65
cargurus.com 4.68
cars.com 4.65
carmax.com 4.24
autotrader.com 3.54
edmunds.com 2.6
carfax.com 1.44
turo.com 1.07
others 11.87
  • carvana.com - 32.95%
  • kbb.com - 23.31%
  • enterprise.com - 9.65%
  • cargurus.com - 4.68%
  • cars.com - 4.65%
  • carmax.com - 4.24%
  • autotrader.com - 3.54%
  • edmunds.com - 2.6%
  • carfax.com - 1.44%
  • turo.com - 1.07%
  • others - 11.87%

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In the competitive landscape of Google PPC, Carvana leads with 32.95% click share, followed by KBB at 23.31%. Enterprise captures 9.65%, while ‘others’ collectively hold 11.87%.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 US Automotive Online Car Retailers brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date kbb.com cargurus.com carvana.com carmax.com enterprise.com edmunds.com cars.com autotrader.com truecar.com driveway.com
2026/05/01 4.94% 9.79% 21.06% 13.11% 8.14% 1.88% 4.46% 2.34% 1.6% 3.15%
2026/05/02 6.84% 10.8% 26.84% 11.77% 7.39% 2.03% 4% 2.09% 2.35% 2.35%
2026/05/03 8.43% 11.32% 20.87% 11.73% 8.76% 2.44% 3.81% 2.17% 1.84% 1.96%
2026/05/04 8.45% 9.46% 21.67% 12.12% 7.08% 2.81% 3.62% 2.37% 1.75% 3.02%
2026/05/05 8.12% 11.18% 18% 11.45% 7.2% 2.88% 5.43% 3.08% 2.46% 2.86%
2026/05/06 6.02% 7.09% 36.84% 9.5% 5.13% 2.06% 3.89% 2.3% 1.89% 1.86%
2026/05/07 4.98% 8.1% 25.61% 10.78% 5.59% 2.2% 5.24% 3% 2.29% 2.76%
2026/05/08 6.73% 7.82% 19.32% 12.3% 7.48% 2.03% 5.16% 2.9% 2.1% 3.24%
2026/05/09 7.55% 9.78% 18.52% 11.41% 10.02% 1.93% 4.82% 3.42% 2.31% 2.65%
2026/05/10 8.6% 9.25% 18.88% 11.03% 7.32% 1.91% 4.3% 3.71% 1.77% 5.76%
2026/05/11 5.1% 10.12% 31.17% 10.17% 4.59% 2.18% 5.97% 5.91% 1.32% 1.79%
2026/05/12 6.86% 8.99% 27.34% 12.16% 4.21% 2.61% 6.51% 5.1% 0.92% 1.48%
2026/05/13 4.54% 8.93% 26.49% 11.54% 7.92% 2.44% 4.92% 2.57% 1.17% 2.89%
2026/05/14 11.3% 7.56% 15.84% 11.16% 9.99% 3.05% 4.59% 2.91% 1.91% 3.83%
2026/05/15 6.68% 7.8% 19.27% 12.27% 7.44% 2.01% 5.14% 2.89% 2.09% 3.23%
2026/05/16 9.62% 7.3% 17.44% 13.31% 9.81% 3.37% 5.22% 3.16% 2.12% 3%
2026/05/17 7.47% 9.63% 18.42% 12.15% 8.62% 3.76% 4.44% 2.83% 2.33% 3.52%
2026/05/18 8.53% 8.59% 17.99% 12.08% 8.67% 3.22% 4.69% 2.08% 2.08% 3.61%
2026/05/19 6.5% 9.22% 17.41% 13.39% 8.57% 2.73% 4.72% 2.21% 3.33% 2.55%
2026/05/20 7.07% 9.98% 16.16% 12.61% 8.75% 3.52% 4.58% 2.54% 2.41% 2.48%
2026/05/21 11.76% 11.17% 13.54% 10.76% 9.4% 3.67% 3.99% 3.16% 2.64% 2.59%
2026/05/22 10.69% 11.79% 13.7% 10.78% 7.14% 4.59% 3.83% 3.66% 2.16% 2.57%
2026/05/23 10.15% 9.45% 15.52% 10.85% 9.38% 6.17% 3.72% 4.06% 2.06% 1.72%
2026/05/24 10.85% 9.38% 16.36% 11.17% 6.61% 4.99% 3.71% 3.77% 1.96% 2.92%
2026/05/25 10.02% 11.55% 12.96% 10.36% 9.69% 4.35% 3.69% 3.43% 1.73% 2.83%
2026/05/26 10.68% 11.05% 14.9% 10.64% 9.64% 5.16% 4.24% 3.59% 1.61% 1.37%
2026/05/27 11.24% 10.16% 16.51% 11.12% 7.91% 5.1% 4.48% 3.48% 1.45% 1.41%
2026/05/28 10.62% 10.47% 18.12% 10.84% 6.49% 4.25% 3.79% 2.98% 2.65% 1.72%
2026/05/29 11.08% 10.23% 16.13% 11.56% 7.75% 3.85% 5.06% 3.08% 2.36% 1.63%
2026/05/30 11.56% 10.56% 13.82% 10.42% 9.97% 4.47% 4.73% 4.02% 2.61% 1.69%
2026/05/31 12.22% 11.99% 11.78% 11.25% 8.78% 5.13% 4.9% 2.83% 2.34% 2.18%
  • kbb.com
  • cargurus.com
  • carvana.com
  • carmax.com
  • enterprise.com
  • edmunds.com
  • cars.com
  • autotrader.com
  • truecar.com
  • driveway.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Carvana led May’s PPC spend, peaking early at 36.84%. KBB and CarGurus showed steady growth, while Edmunds and TrueCar remained low. The month ended with Carvana at 11.78%.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for US Automotive Online Car Retailers

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/05/01 713
2026/05/02 678
2026/05/03 761
2026/05/04 778
2026/05/05 731
2026/05/06 741
2026/05/07 796
2026/05/08 751
2026/05/09 676
2026/05/10 744
2026/05/11 1109
2026/05/12 1144
2026/05/13 712
2026/05/14 612
2026/05/15 751
2026/05/16 553
2026/05/17 578
2026/05/18 565
2026/05/19 502
2026/05/20 541
2026/05/21 599
2026/05/22 564
2026/05/23 559
2026/05/24 604
2026/05/25 633
2026/05/26 656
2026/05/27 625
2026/05/28 583
2026/05/29 622
2026/05/30 612
2026/05/31 619

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

May began with 713 advertisers, peaking at 1,144 on May 12. A decline followed, reaching 502 on May 19. The month concluded with 619 advertisers, reflecting a dynamic fluctuation.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for US Automotive Online Car Retailers

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
kbb.com 10.78%
enterprise.com 2.56%
edmunds.com 1.84%
cargurus.com 0.4%
carbravo.com 0.37%
autonation.com -0.34%
cars.com -0.41%
campingworld.com -0.54%
carfax.com -0.66%
carvana.com -15.18%

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Enterprise.com and kbb.com surged in click share, while carvana.com faced a significant drop.

Campaign Efficiency

US Automotive Online Car Retailers Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

Date carmax.com cargurus.com kbb.com carvana.com edmunds.com enterprise.com cars.com driveway.com autotrader.com autonation.com
2026/05/01 16.53% 10.46% 5.02% 22.28% 1.8% 4.59% 4.24% 4.28% 2.13% 2.17%
2026/05/02 14.68% 12.76% 7.2% 27.7% 1.69% 4.56% 3.49% 2.43% 2.13% 2.17%
2026/05/03 15.22% 11.59% 8.25% 21.1% 1.88% 6.19% 3.51% 0.96% 2.22% 3.39%
2026/05/04 15.03% 11.87% 8.47% 21.95% 2.87% 3.84% 3.49% 3.47% 2.39% 3.16%
2026/05/05 14.29% 13.16% 7.61% 17.92% 3.44% 4.72% 4.45% 4% 2.79% 2.96%
2026/05/06 10.27% 6.8% 5.62% 42.21% 2.19% 3.55% 3.22% 1.74% 2.01% 2.16%
2026/05/07 13.61% 9.23% 4.5% 28.53% 1.64% 3.2% 4.64% 4.34% 2.85% 4.36%
2026/05/08 15.79% 8.61% 6.67% 20.11% 1.89% 4.47% 4.54% 4.64% 2.83% 4.19%
2026/05/09 14.68% 11.26% 7.4% 18.85% 1.74% 7.13% 4.16% 2.62% 3.16% 4.83%
2026/05/10 12.62% 12.04% 7.89% 19.19% 1.62% 4.14% 3.79% 8.29% 3.51% 3.03%
2026/05/11 11.13% 8.75% 4.85% 35.64% 2.36% 2.88% 4.67% 2.3% 5.01% 2.35%
2026/05/12 14.4% 9.08% 7.1% 25.28% 3.82% 2.98% 5.26% 1.97% 4.9% 2.76%
2026/05/13 13.85% 10.93% 4.96% 28.23% 2.93% 5.58% 4.15% 3.47% 2.28% 1.9%
2026/05/14 14.95% 8.72% 11.58% 16.69% 3.94% 6.81% 3.6% 5.1% 2.48% 2.85%
2026/05/15 15.8% 8.61% 6.65% 20.11% 1.88% 4.47% 4.55% 4.64% 2.83% 4.19%
2026/05/16 17.37% 7.56% 9.52% 19.21% 3.7% 8.2% 4.46% 3.75% 2.67% 1.5%
2026/05/17 15.72% 11.31% 8.28% 19.75% 4.52% 6.45% 4.02% 3.92% 2.46% 2.1%
2026/05/18 14.86% 9.59% 8.44% 19.42% 3.52% 6.05% 3.89% 4.62% 1.78% 2.07%
2026/05/19 16.97% 10.01% 6.69% 18.31% 2.67% 5.15% 3.85% 3.78% 1.83% 2.39%
2026/05/20 16.21% 9.27% 8.57% 17.87% 4.61% 5.54% 3.88% 3.49% 2.05% 2.03%
2026/05/21 14.57% 11.72% 11.92% 14.12% 4.94% 6.19% 3.24% 3.73% 2.54% 2.5%
2026/05/22 14.91% 12.16% 11.03% 13.7% 5.68% 5.43% 3.02% 3.56% 2.72% 3.67%
2026/05/23 14.58% 8.69% 11.5% 16.18% 8.51% 7.36% 3.12% 1.44% 3.39% 1.44%
2026/05/24 14.67% 9.88% 11.01% 16.64% 7.21% 5.11% 2.99% 3.84% 2.91% 1.32%
2026/05/25 13.06% 12.7% 10.07% 12.54% 5.52% 6.98% 2.87% 3.69% 2.58% 2.7%
2026/05/26 13.93% 11.04% 11.33% 16.18% 7.3% 6.38% 3.29% 1.23% 2.82% 1.08%
2026/05/27 14.47% 10.82% 11.8% 17.67% 6.54% 6.12% 3.43% 1.1% 2.73% 1.63%
2026/05/28 13.55% 11.2% 10.72% 19.44% 5.71% 4.71% 2.99% 1.95% 2.23% 1.18%
2026/05/29 14.37% 11.4% 12.13% 17.9% 4.32% 4.96% 3.74% 1.78% 2.54% 1.63%
2026/05/30 13.91% 11.36% 12.4% 15.05% 5.68% 7.23% 3.67% 2.12% 3.16% 0.76%
2026/05/31 15.55% 12.83% 12.63% 12.12% 6.97% 5.66% 3.76% 2.5% 2.25% 1.55%
  • carmax.com
  • cargurus.com
  • kbb.com
  • carvana.com
  • edmunds.com
  • enterprise.com
  • cars.com
  • driveway.com
  • autotrader.com
  • autonation.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Carvana led May with fluctuating impressions, peaking at 42.21% on the 6th. Carmax and Cargurus followed, showing varied trends. By month’s end, Carvana’s share decreased, closing at 12.12%.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for US Automotive Online Car Retailers

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for US Automotive Online Car Retailers - Last month
  1. 1
    We'll Buy Your Car - See What Your Car is Worth https://www.autonation.com › sell-my-car

    We'll appraise any vehicle – any year, any make, any model. Start with your VIN or Plate. Just enter...

  2. 2
    What's Your Car's Value? - Learn Your Vehicle's Value https://www.carmax.com › appraisals

    Want To Trade? Find Out Your Car's Value And Take Up To 7-Days To Compare Your Options.

  3. 3
    We'll Buy Your Car Online https://www.driveway.com

    Instant Online Offer — Sell Or Trade Your Car The Easy Way With Driveway! Our Online Offer Is Valid For 7 Days.

  4. 4
    Enterprise Rent-A-Car® https://www.enterprise.com

    Car Rentals - Reserve Online — Reserve a car with Enterprise® today & change or cancel a reservation for free. Book now! Choose...

  5. 5
    Official Kelley Blue Book Site - Find Your Car's Book Value https://www.kbb.com › shop › kbb

    Kelley Blue Book® Empowering You in the Car Market. From Values To Service & Repair Guide

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive world of online car sales, AutoNation, CarMax, and Driveway captivate with promises of easy appraisals and trade-ins. AutoNation and CarMax emphasize transparency and flexibility, while Driveway highlights convenience with instant offers. Meanwhile, Enterprise and Kelley Blue Book focus on rentals and market empowerment, respectively.

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