• The 2025 Toyota Camry is America’s most wanted family car, with 294,288 online searches a month in the past year, followed by this year’s Toyota RAV4 in second place with 170,948 inquiries. 

• For larger families of up to six children, the 2025 Honda Pilot raked in the most online searches, placing third overall. 

• The most popular American carmaker is Ford, whose 2025 Explorer ranked sixth most wanted family car this year. 

The 2025 editions of the Toyota Camry, Toyota RAV4 and Honda Pilot were the most searched for family cars in the US last year. Rhode Island, Delaware, Florida, Texas and New Jersey are the most car-obsessed states in America. 

This is according to a new study from vacation rental site Lake.com, which analyzed Google searches linked to 1,722 car models made between 2011 and 2025. The researchers focused on online inquiries between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025. They ranked the cars based on search volumes. For context, the researchers added extra details on National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) safety rating, passenger seat capacity, average annual fuel cost for 15,000 miles a year, 45% of which would have been off-road, and minimum trunk space with the rear seats up. They used data from Google Keyword Planner, The Car Guide, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the US Department of Energy’s 2025 Fuel Economy Guide. 

Toyota Camry (2025) is the most wanted of the past year, with US drivers searching for it nearly 300,000 times a month. It has generous trunk space for a saloon car able to fit 428 liters, enough for a medium stroller and three duffel bags. It is one of the cheapest cars to run made in the past decade, costing around a grand per year in fuel. On a scale of zero to ten among all 1,722 vehicles included in the study, it scored 8.8 for fuel cost. The 2024 version ranked 11^th overall for searches, with 83,375 monthly inquiries. 

“The 2025 and 2024 Toyota Camry best suits spontaneous families with a ‘we’ll just buy something there’ mindset,” says David Ciccarelli, CEO of Lake.com. “What it loses in trunk space is made up for in fuel savings. Go from baseball practice straight to a surprise weekend with the grandparents or a last-minute lakeside getaway. It ranked first in 44 states for online searches, and second in the remaining six states.” 

The Toyota RAV4 (2025) is the second most Googled make in America, with 170,948 online inquiries every month of the past year. It costs $1,508 a year in fuel expenses, which is in the mid-range compared to all the cars evaluated in the study. 

“Toyota RAV4 is a no-nonsense, practical family car with low maintenance costs and dealerships in 1,043 cities across the US,” says Ciccarelli. “It is also an affordable option that helps families direct money towards more important things like creating core memories. You can easily fit your camping gear, suitcases and all sorts of baby items. Our research found that it is the #1 most searched car of the past year in Alaska, Maine, Montana and Vermont, and the #2 in 16 states.” 

Honda Pilot (2025) ranked third for online buzz this year, only marginally behind the 2025 Toyota RAV4. Every month, Americans search for it 169,693 times. With an eight-seat passenger capacity, this is marketed specifically for families. The annual fuel bill reaches $2,250 on average, which is slightly above average for cars with at least seven seats. 

It was the second most searched car in Alabama, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. 

Top 20 Most Wanted Family Cars in America 

Foreign-made cars dominate Americans’ preferences, with American car manufacturers featuring three times in the top 20 most searched family cars of the past year. The 2025 Ford Explorer ranked highest among all US carmakers, placing sixth overall.  

Ford is also the most popular US car manufacturer among American families, amassing 853,441 searches per month. Chevrolet and Jeep ranked second and third, with 424,919 and 313,544 monthly inquiries, respectively. Dodge follows with 241,375 searches a month, while Buick completes the top five most wanted US-made family cars with 206,771 monthly searches. 

Rhode Island, Delaware, Florida, Texas and New Jersey are the most car-obsessed states. They had the highest search volumes for all 1,722 family cars included in the study, relative to their populations.  

To put this in perspective, if each search represented a unique resident, then one in 26 people in Rhode Island Googles a family car each month. In Delaware, this is closer to one in 27 residents. Similarly, every 29^th person in Florida searches for a family car each month. In Texas and New Jersey, there is one online inquiry about family-appropriate cars for every 30 residents. Meanwhile, Montana, Idaho and Wisconsin are least interested in buying or finding out more about family cars. 

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Sources: Lake.com via Google Keyword Planner, The Car Guide, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US Department of Energy’s 2025 Fuel Economy Guide. 

Notes for Editors: 

• Must credit with a link: If you use this story, please ensure to include a linked mention of Lake.com linking to https://www.lake.com/ 

• Methodology: 

1. The researchers shortlisted 1,722 family-appropriate car models produced from 2011 to 2025. 

2. Using Google Keyword Planner, online search volumes between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025, were measured for each car model and keyword variations including the words ‘buy’ and ‘for sale’.  

3. The total search volume for all the keywords associated with each car model and year were calculated, then divided by 12 to find its average monthly searches to accommodate seasonal fluctuations.  

4. The study had two geographical dimensions: the US and a 50-state breakdown. The latter provided state-specific trends for each state, adjusted to its population size for better representation.  

5. The car models and the year they were produced were ranked based on which ones accumulated the most average monthly searches in the US. 

6. For context only, the researchers provide additional information that families may find useful. Specifically, the safety rating comes from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while maximum passenger seat capacity and minimum trunk space were sourced from The Car Guide and each manufacturer’s official websites. The average annual fuel cost comes from the US Department of Energy’s 2025 Fuel Economy Guide, measured based on driving 15,000 miles a year, of which 55% are in urban conditions and 45% highway, with the following fuel costs: $3.02 per gallon of unleaded gasoline, $3.62 per gallon of mid-grade unleaded gasoline and $3.98 per gallon of premium. More details on how the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates fuel costs for each vehicle can be found on fueleconomy.gov 

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