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Nine in 10 Indian car buyers use AI tools before picking a car; YouTube shapes early choices

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Nine in 10 Indian car buyers use AI tools before picking a car; YouTube shapes early choices

AI Reshapes Car Buying: Artificial intelligence has become a routine part of car buying in India, with 93% of buyers using AI tools during their research, according to a new study by Google and Kantar. The survey of 1,022 recent car buyers in metro and Tier 1 cities found that buyers consulted an average of 7.8 sources before finalising a purchase — 13% more than the 6.9 sources used by buyers who did not rely on AI.

Search AI dominates research phase: Among those who used Google Search for their research, 90% encountered AI Overviews and 89% used AI Mode. The study noted a shift towards longer, conversational queries: a search such as "best automatic SUV under ₹15 lakh" is increasingly being replaced by more specific versions, such as "best automatic SUV under ₹15 lakh for Bangalore traffic with good mileage." Google Trends data cited in the report showed car-related searches rose 20% year-on-year in 2026.

Buyers cross-check before committing: Despite the reliance on AI, chatbots alone rarely settled a buyer's decision. Among those who used AI chatbots such as Gemini, 80% said they also turned to Google Search or YouTube to verify information before finalising a purchase, pointing to a pattern of cross-checking across platforms rather than trusting a single source.

YouTube shapes early preferences: Before formal research begins, YouTube plays an outsized role in shaping brand consideration. Around 6 in 10 buyers said they casually browsed car content on the platform — largely through home-feed recommendations, lifestyle vlogs, and family-shared links — and 8 in 10 already had a brand in mind before starting active research.


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