Hyundai is on a roll. The South Korean automaker has been gaining market share and racking up accolades. In October, J.D. Power designated Hyundai as the highest-ranked mass-market brand in its 2021 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study.
However, while Hyundai has been making inroads with vehicle buyers in recent years, it appears that shoppers are struggling to spell it.
Hyundai is the most commonly misspelled vehicle brand, according to a study by Confused.com. The automaker’s name is misspelled an average of 2,249,400 times a month globally, according to Confused.com, which analysed global search data monitoring the frequency of incorrect spellings for every brand and model selected for the research.
Hyundai is most commonly misinterpreted as “Hundai,” with 799,000 searches a month. Other frequent mistakes are “Hyndai” (454,000), “Hyundia” (202,000) and “Huyndai” (182,000). In comparison, Kia, which is Hyundai’s closest competitor in the South Korean vehicle market, ties for the bottom position on the list. Kia records fewer than 1,000 global misspellings a month.
Germany’s Volkswagen is second, amassing 1,156,700 misspellings a month worldwide. “Wolksvagen” is the prevailing misspelling, as 309,000 monthly searches for this error occur worldwide. “Volkswagon” (306,000), “Wolsvagen (142,000)” and “Volkwagen” (104,000) also are common blunders.
Porsche ranks third with 1,011,000 misspellings a month, a 12.6% decrease from Volkswagen in second place. “Porche” is the most frequent mistake being made at 735,000 searches a month. Many searchers also misspell it as “Porshe” (244,000), “Porsh” (11,000) or “Porsch” (9,300).
Tesla – the most searched car brand on the list (11 million per month) – places sixth overall when it comes to misspellings. Tesla is misspelled 539,000 times a month, most commonly as “Telsa,” which generates 471,000 of these searches. “Tesl,” “Teala” and “Testla” are other popular misinterpretations of the brand’s spelling.
Range Rover is the car model most commonly spelled incorrectly. With mistakes such as “Rang Rover,” “Range Rove” and “Range River” being most prominent, the model generates 202,600 incorrect global searches a month. This is 69% more than Land Rover’s misspellings, making it the only model more commonly misspelled than the brand it’s manufactured under.
Hyundai Tucson takes second place with 102,100 monthly misspellings – 49.6% less than the Range Rover. Meanwhile, the Porsche Cayenne comes third with 92,100 monthly misspellings.
| Rank | Brand | Most common misspellings | Number of misspellings a month |
| 1 | Hyundai | Hundai, Hyndai | 2,249,400 |
| 2 | Volkswagen | Wolksvagen, Volkswagon | 1,156,700 |
| 3 | Porsche | Porche, Porshe | 1,011,000 |
| 4 | Toyota | Totota, Toyata | 824,600 |
| 5 | Peugeot | Peugot, Peigeot | 710,100 |
| 6 | Tesla | Telsa, Tesl | 539,600 |
| 7 | Mercedez | Mersedes, Mecedes | 489,500 |
| 8 | Bentley | Bently, Benteley | 341,900 |
| 9 | Suzuki | Susuki, Szuki | 317,900 |
| 10 | Bugatti | Buggati, Bugati | 205,300 |
“When you’re in the market for a new car, the internet is usually the first place we turn to, to research the different brands and models,” said Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com. “There’s a lot to consider, from performance, reliability and cost, which is why it’s important to know what we’re after when browsing. Luckily, most search engines have auto-correct as some names are trickier than others to nail.
“While a particular brand or model might be more desirable, one thing to consider is the affordability of running your chosen car. Before committing to purchase, always do a quick shop around for car insurance quotes to get an understanding of how much you could be paying.”
