After an initial study on the subject in 2019, rezulteo analysed the popularity of tyre brands in Europe in this year plagued by Covid-19, by studying the search volumes by tyre manufacturers in each country on Google from January 1st to December 31st, 2020. The study includes an analysis of global search volumes for the same keywords between the years 2019 and 2020.
The study took “brand name” + “tyre” queries in the official languages of each European country into account.
Most searched tyre brands according to Google Ads data from January 1st to December 31st, 2020
In particular, Michelin stands out across Europe, being the most searched tyre brand in 20 countries including France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and Turkey. rezulteo has a dedicated site for each of these countries with innovative tyre price comparison tools. In Germany and Austria – for which rezulteo also has dedicated comparison websites – Continental is the most searched tyre brand on the Google search engine. The German tyre manufacturer also occupies the top spot in other European countries such as Sweden, Serbia, Greece – that it took over from Michelin, which held pole position in 2019 – and Norway.
Other tyre brands stand out in some Eastern European countries such as Hankook in Ukraine and Latvia; Nokian in Finland and Bulgaria; Toyo in Estonia; Nexen in Northern Macedonia; and Kumho in Hungary.
Although it is often on the podium in most countries, Goodyear never manages to get to the top spot. In Belarus it was dethroned by the duo Nexen and Hankook, who share the lead there in 2020.
In a year marked by numerous restrictions in most countries around the world, the tyre market did not escape the Covid-19 crisis, which is also shown in the decrease in tyre-related searches on Google. But not all countries have been affected in the same way, and some have fared very well. In Germany and Austria, for example, the number of searches increased by 10% in 2020 compared to 2019. The same is true in the Netherlands, where the increase was 9%, while in Turkey, Sweden and Finland, a 24% increase was recorded over this period. In Switzerland, the figures remain at the same level from one year to the next.
Belgium (-11%), Spain (-4%) and the United Kingdom (-1%) manage to limit the damage in 2020. The situation is less brilliant in France, with a 33% drop in searches in 2020, as is the case in Poland (-21%) and Italy (-19%). However, it is in the Balkans that the figures are most dramatic: – 58% in Serbia, – 55% in Montenegro and – 62% in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Methodology: analysis of search volumes for 28 tyre brands with “brand” + “tyre” queries in the official languages across Europe on Google Ads, during the period from January 1st to December 31st, 2020. This analysis is by no means representative of the entire tyre market and only offers a sample of consumer behaviour.
| Country | Most popular brand in 2020 | Change in number of searches 2019/2020 |
| Albania | Continental | -10% |
| Austria | Continental | 10% |
| Belarus | Nexen/Hankook | 4% |
| Belgium | Michelin | -11% |
| Bosnia | Continental | -61% |
| Bulgaria | Nexen | 3% |
| Croatia | Continental | -62% |
| Cyprus | Michelin | 0% |
| Czech Republic | Michelin | -28% |
| Denmark | Michelin | 13% |
| Estonia | Toyo | 14% |
| Finland | Nokian | 23% |
| France | Michelin | -33% |
| Germany | Continental | 10% |
| Greece | Continental | -3% |
| Hungary | Kumho | -40% |
| Ireland | Michelin | 11% |
| Italy | Michelin | -19% |
| Latvia | Hankook | 20% |
| Lithuania | Michelin | -31% |
| Luxembourg | Michelin | -20% |
| Macedonia | Continental | -4% |
| Malta | Michelin | 2% |
| Moldavia | Michelin | 14% |
| Montenegro | Continental | -55% |
| Netherlands | Michelin | 9% |
| Norway | Continental | 17% |
| Poland | Michelin | -21% |
| Portugal | Michelin | -32% |
| Romania | Michelin | -18% |
| Serbia | Continental | -58% |
| Slovakia | Michelin | -42% |
| Slovenia | Nokian | -25% |
| Spain | Michelin | -4% |
| Sweden | Continental | 24% |
| Switzerland | Michelin | 0% |
| Turkey | Michelin | 24% |
| Ukraine | Hankook | 9% |
| UK | Michelin | -1% |
