BMW and Toyota returned to their long-held spots as America's most-shopped vehicle brands in their respective segments, after being upended late last year, according to the Q1 2022 Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch reports.

Toyota regained the top spot as the most-shopped non-luxury brand, a position it had held for four years until Ford's brief occupation as No. 1 in the final quarter of 2021. Likewise, BMW retook its spot as the most-shopped luxury brand in the first quarter of 2022, a position it occupied for three years until the end of 2021 when Lexus nosed past and into the top spot.

Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch is a consumer perception survey that also weaves in shopping behavior to determine how vehicle brands and models stack up with segment competitors when it comes to consumer shopping. Kelley Blue Book produces separate Brand Watch reports for non-luxury and luxury brands each quarter. A special look at electrified vehicle shopping is also included. The latest Brand Watch work included surveying both mobile and desktop users to provide an even broader view of vehicle shopping; the survey previously included results only from desktop users.

"High fuel prices and a few high-profile product launches really shuffled the order in the Q1 Kelley Blue Book Brand Watch," said Vanessa Ton, senior research and market intelligence manager at Cox Automotive. "Shopping for traditional sedans, which are often more affordable and efficient than SUVs and trucks, jumped up in Q1 after years of declining. Fuel prices clearly influenced shopping behavior."