At a time when gas prices continue to increase, CarMax, Inc. says online searches for smaller cars are on the rise. Examples include the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Prius, all of which are climbing in popularity based on searches on the carmax.com website in September when compared with searches in June. The Toyota Prius rose to 16th in September from a 123rd ranking in June.

"One of the ways we know that people are looking more for mid-size and compact cars is by monitoring the search activity on our website," said Austin Ligon, president and chief executive officer for CarMax. "However, even as smaller cars are gaining in popularity, the continuing decline in SUV prices means SUVs will remain attractive to many buyers."

The following is a listing of popular searches for small vehicles on carmax.com in September:

  Make/Model               Rank for September              Rank for June
  Honda Accord            1                                                         1
  Honda Civic                2                                                         2
  Toyota Camry             3                                                         3
  Toyota Corolla           4                                                          12
  Volkswagen Jetta      8                                                         13
  Volkswagen Beetle   14                                                       26
  Toyota Prius               16                                                       123
  Volkswagen Passat  17                                                      40
  MINI Cooper               18                                                       30