Best Global Brands 2026: Mercedes-Benz and BMW lose almost a fifth of their value

Interbrand published its Best Global Brands 2026 ranking on October 28. The 100 brands on the list are worth $3.87 trillion together, 8.1% more than a year ago. Nvidia grew fastest: its brand value rose 71.5% to $74 billion, and it entered the top 10 in sixth place. Europe’s carmakers moved the other way.

Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Toyota lose almost a fifth

Mercedes-Benz fell 18.6% to $40.8 billion and is 20th. BMW lost 17.9% and stands 22nd with $38.4 billion. Toyota is still the top car brand, in ninth place, but its value dropped 19.9%. Tesla fell 25 places to 50th after losing almost 38%. Interbrand says automotive had the sharpest fall of any sector. Entertainment has now passed it as the second most valuable sector. Hyundai, Kia, BYD and Ferrari did better than most car brands, the firm said.

Apple stays first, and Google grows fastest in the top four

Apple leads again with $514.6 billion, up 9.3%. Microsoft is second with $443.7 billion. Google is third with $389.3 billion, and its 22.8% rise is the largest among the top four. Amazon is fourth. Instagram, owned by Meta, is seventh. YouTube, owned by Alphabet, is tenth after a 21.7% rise. Interbrand, which is part of the Omnicom group, links most of the growth in technology to AI. Omnicom itself reported media revenue up more than 10% last quarter.

Spotify, LEGO and Hermès lead the European gainers

Spotify rose 37.8% to $20.5 billion and is 39th, in a year when its ad revenue grew 10% to €482 million in one quarter. Hermès is the highest European brand, 15th, after a 10.6% gain. LEGO added 13.7%, Zara 11.2% and Allianz 9%. Louis Vuitton lost 6.9%, IKEA 13.5% and H&M 12.1%. Four brands are new on the list: Zurich, Hitachi, GE Healthcare and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

Interbrand’s global CEO Gonzalo Brujó said strong brands used to “assume their reputation would carry them through difficult periods.” Greg Silverman, who leads brand economics at the firm, said the fastest growers moved “outside of their core businesses.”

The 2026 list has clear winners and losers. Nvidia, Spotify and Google gained the most in percentage terms. Tesla, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW lost the most, along with IKEA and H&M among European retailers.