Commercial demand evidently isn’t the only trigger for pickup interest, as a new report by Jumpstart Automotive Group showed interest among online vehicle shoppers for trucks — especially small models — are at levels not seen in five years.

Jumpstart examined its portfolio of sites — including Car and Driver, U.S. News Automotive, J.D. Power Autos, and NADAguides — and found consumer interest increased 23 percent and 5 percent, respectively, for large and small pickup trucks in the first five months of 2013.

Analysts discovered the rise marked the first increase the small truck segment has seen since 2008.

“It’s great to see a resurgence in consumer interest in both big and small trucks,” said Libby Murad-Patel, Jumpstart’s senior director of strategic insights. “A major construction boom, growing small business sectors and companies replacing aging fleets are all contributing to the increases we’re seeing right now.”

Comparing Jumpstart audience data to recently reported large truck sales increases at Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, Murad-Patel added, “Online shopping behavior is an excellent sales barometer since a majority of new-car buyers (nearly 80 percent) turn to the Internet to research their vehicle purchase.”

Here’s a look at some of Jumpstart’s other online shopping trends for small and large pickup trucks.

— Large pickup truck interest grew from 4.3 percent in 2012 to 5.2 percent in January through May of this year and small pickup truck interest grew from 2.3 percent in 2012 to 2.4 percent in January through May.

— From January through May, increased consumer interest for the Ford F-150 primarily came from domestic SUV and sedan shoppers.

— Despite production of both the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon ending in 2012, the compact trucks enjoyed a 17-percent and 16-percent increase in interest, respectively.

— Toyota Tacoma, which currently holds a 33-percent share of small pickup consumer interest, has dominated consumer interest across Jumpstart’s sites through May of this year.

Jumpstart measured the share of shopping (increases and decreases in consumer interest) by comparing the percent of people visiting make and model pages in the first five months of 2013 (January through May) with those from 2012.

Here are the Top 3 most popularly researched small pickup trucks across Jumpstart’s portfolio of sites:

— Toyota Tacoma experienced a 16-percent increase in January through May.

— While Ford Ranger is no longer in production, consumers researched the last model across Jumpstart’s portfolio of sites and the Ranger had a 5-percent increase in interest

— Nissan Frontier enjoyed a 2-percent increase in consumer interest, moving it ahead of the Dodge Dakota, which is at No. 5.

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