All classes · Class 12
Class 12: Vehicles: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 12 is the 22nd busiest of the 45 classes, with 244,126 U.S. applications on record and 17,538 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 68.6% ranks 15th of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings fell 0.3% in 2025, and are still below the 13,570 filed in the peak year of 2024. 64.6% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 12th highest share. The word used most in its live marks is "pro", in 460 of them.
What it covers: Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water
Words already crowded in Class 12
The words that appear most often in the 100,801 live Class 12 marks. A word that many owners already use gets narrow protection: two marks that share it are usually told apart by the rest of the name. That cuts both ways. A new name built on "pro" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| pro | 460 |
| power | 406 |
| parts | 396 |
| auto | 392 |
| performance | 371 |
| racing | 369 |
| products | 289 |
| road | 286 |
| american | 272 |
| wheels | 258 |
| com | 244 |
| air | 240 |
| systems | 238 |
| ride | 230 |
| super | 226 |
Live marks are registered or pending. Words of three letters or more, counted once per mark; articles and company suffixes left out. Rebuilt weekly.
Check before you file. The free clearance risk check finds marks that look or sound like yours in Class 12, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 12
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Vehicles are Class 12. Toy vehicles and ride-on toys are Class 28. Class 28: Toys & Sporting Goods
- Vehicles and their parts are Class 12. Dash cams, car audio and GPS units are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Engines for land vehicles are Class 12. Other engines and motors are Class 7. Class 7: Machinery
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 12
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 12 applications that went on to register, filed since 2020. Wording that examiners have accepted thousands of times is a safer start than your own: a description written freely costs $200 more per class and is a common reason for an Office Action asking you to rephrase. Check the exact entry in the USPTO's ID Manual before you file.
| Description | Registered marks using it |
|---|---|
| Automotive interior trim | 5,694 |
| Bicycles | 5,382 |
| Electric bicycles | 3,495 |
| Upholstery for vehicles | 3,384 |
| Vehicle seat cushions | 2,604 |
| Ashtrays for automobiles | 2,515 |
| Rearview mirrors | 2,494 |
| Shock absorbers for automobiles | 2,404 |
| Head-rests for vehicle seats | 2,251 |
| Fitted seat covers for vehicles | 2,210 |
| Aftermarket automobile accessories, namely, car interior organizer bags, nets and trays specially adapted for fitting in vehicles | 2,152 |
| Plastic parts for vehicles, namely, automotive exterior and interior plastic extruded decorative and protective trim | 2,077 |
| Automobile seat cushions | 2,043 |
| Rearview mirrors for automobiles | 1,947 |
| Bumpers for automobiles | 1,922 |
| Fitted car seat covers | 1,806 |
| Bicycle pedals | 1,787 |
| Bicycle bells | 1,758 |
| Steering wheel covers for automobiles | 1,728 |
| Windscreen wipers | 1,699 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 12 applications
The 37,890 Class 12 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 66% of them registered 4.5 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 37,890 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 24,484 | 64.6% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 4,192 | 11.1% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 6,632 | 17.5% | – |
| Registered in the end | 24,993 | 66% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 37,890 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 24,484 Class 12 applications that drew one, 27.1% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 83.7% went on to register. If you get one, the deadline matters more than the refusal does: track it here, and put an email address you actually read on the application.
- How long it took. Half the Class 12 applications that registered did so within 12.8 months of filing, and nine in ten within 28.2 months.
- Intent to use. 34.1% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 42.7% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 34.4% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 74.6% of Class 12 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 70.7% of the time against 52% without one. 52.6% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 12.
Cohort: applications with a filing date from 2015 to 2019, counted once in every class they claim. Outcome is whether a registration ever issued. Source: USPTO file histories. All 45 classes compared. How we count.
Status mix of all filings
| Status | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Live (registered) | 84,230 | 34.5% |
| Pending | 17,538 | 7.2% |
| Abandoned | 71,051 | 29.1% |
| Cancelled / expired | 71,307 | 29.2% |
Filings by year (last decade)
How many new applications were filed in this class each year. Excludes records with null filing dates (mostly very old paper backfile).
| Year | New filings | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,745 | |
| 2016 | 7,174 | |
| 2017 | 7,818 | |
| 2018 | 8,150 | |
| 2019 | 8,322 | |
| 2020 | 11,264 | |
| 2021 | 13,024 | |
| 2022 | 11,233 | |
| 2023 | 11,575 | |
| 2024 | 13,570 | |
| 2025 | 13,527 | |
| 2026 | 9,629 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 12 (Madrid System)
Where Class 12 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 2,723 | 97.3% | 62 | 9 | 2.3% |
| China (CN) | 2,398 | 72.2% | 545 | 733 | 22.7% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,373 | 14.6% | 14 | 9 | 0.6% |
| European Union (EM) | 2,357 | 28% | 54 | 24 | 2.3% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 2,011 | 12.4% | 62 | 5 | 3.1% |
| Canada (CA) | 1,990 | 88.4% | 363 | 0 | 18.2% |
| Australia (AU) | 1,890 | 39.2% | 8 | 4 | 0.4% |
| Russia (RU) | 1,800 | 46.6% | 173 | 1 | 9.6% |
Most international Class 12 filers come from European Union (5,560), Germany (4,408), France (3,527), China (2,846), Italy (2,759), United States (1,829).
WIPO Madrid Monitor data (CC BY 4.0); refusals measured on 2019–2022 registrations. Why we count this way.
Most-active filers in this class
The 10 entities with the most trademark applications in Class 12.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 2,381 |
| 2 | DAIMLER AG | 1,784 |
| 3 | GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION | 1,643 |
| 4 | TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA | 1,375 |
| 5 | NISSAN JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA | 1,304 |
| 6 | BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT | 1,302 |
| 7 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC | 1,269 |
| 8 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG | 1,231 |
| 9 | GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, THE | 1,226 |
| 10 | THOR TECH, INC. | 1,084 |
Recently registered in Class 12
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.