Search engine Google has become the UK's top brand for the first time, beating Microsoft and Mercedes Benz into second and third place respectively.

The survey of consumers, conducted by YouGov, follows a similar poll earlier in the year of marketing professionals, which also listed Google as number one.

"Lifestyle brands, particularly those in the technology sector, have considerably more sway with the public than everyday staples such as the supermarkets, which now seem further than ever from the affections of the British people," said Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the Superbrands Council, which commissioned the research.

The top 10 brands in the UK also feature the BBC, British Airways, Royal Doulton, BMW, Bosch, Nike and Sony, in that order.