In-Car Listening

Despite newer technologies evolving as options for in-car entertainment, on-the-go consumers still prefer radio as their top in-car selection.

According to The Infinite Dial 2024:¹

• 70% of A18+ that have driven/ridden in a car in the past month have tune into AM/FM radio.
• 25% of A18+ have driven/ridden in a car in the past month listen to CDs.
• 16% of A18+ have Apple CarPlay in their vehicles while 10% have Android Auto.
• 55% of people 12+ listen to online audio in their car through a cell phone.

According to Jacobs Media Tech Survey 2024:

• Broadcast radio still leads with percent of time spent in car during the average weekday:⁵
• AM/FM radio - 54%
• SiriusXM - 19%

• 51% of Millennials and Gen Zer's say that all or most of AM/FM listening occurs in the car.

According to a Voicebot study, about 21% of adults use in-car voice assistance to start playing a radio station.⁴

Radio's Share of Ear In-Car.

• Nearly three-quarters (73%) of all radio use during morning and afternoon drive happens in the car. ⁷
• 58% of radio car listeners ages 13-24 listen to radio only in-car. ²
• Americans ages 13-24 spend 51 minutes per day listening to audio in-car. ²
• 50% of AM/FM radio's proportion of listening occurs in the car among adults 25-54.¹⁰
• 85% of share of ad-supported audio time spent in the car, among persons 18+, came from AM/FM Radio.¹¹
• 56% of 13-34 year old's who listen to the radio, only listen in the car.¹²
• 44% of younger radio listeners report listening ether someplace else, or both in the car and someplace else.¹²

Reasons for listening to AM/FM Radio in the Car (Age 13-24):⁶

• 85% because it is free.
• 69% it's easier to listen to in the car than any other type of audio.
• 68% it's part of their daily routine.
• 50% they want to hear specific programs and personalities.
• 49% they want to hear local news and local information.

Between AM/FM Radio and Streaming Audio (Ages 13-24):⁶

• Quicker to turn on and off in the car:
• 70% AM/FM radio.
• 30% streaming audio.
• Easier to use in the car:
• 61% AM/FM radio.
• 39% streaming audio.
• More convenient to listen to in the car:
• 54% AM/FM radio.
• 46% streaming audio.

When outside of home, most of radio listening happens in the car:⁸

• 68% of radio listening happens in the car during the week.
• 65% of adults listen to the radio in the car during the weekday.
• 79% radio listening happens in the car during the weekend.

Share of Time Spent In-Car Listening

Among listeners ages 13+ who don't have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto:⁹

• Listening to AM/FM Radio - 67%
• Audio streaming - 9%
• Listening to SiriusXM - 12%
• Listening to podcasts - 4%
• Other - 8%

Among listeners ages 13+ who do have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto:⁹

• Listening to AM/FM Radio - 46%
• Audio time streaming - 18%
• Listening to SiriusXM - 19%
• Listening to podcasts - 7%
• Other - 10%

In car share of ad-supported audio spent by age and demographic:⁹

• Persons 18-34 - 79%
• Persons 35-64 - 87%
• Women 18-34 - 81%
• Women 35-64 - 89%
• Men 18-34 - 77%
• Men 35-64 - 85%

Sources: 1) The Infinite Dial 2024 - Edison Research/Audacy/Cumulus Media/SiriusXM Media; 2) Edison Research, Share of Ear, Q1-Q4 2022; 3) Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2020, New Music Seekers; 4) Voicebot, In-Car Voice Assistant Consumer Adoption Report, January 2020; 5) Jacobs Media Tech Survey 2024, Radio in the AI Era; 6) Edison Research Survey 2023; 7) Edison Research, Share of Ear, Q1 2023; 8) Nielsen, Audio Today, June 2023; 9) Edison Research, "Share of Ear," Q3 2022 - Q2 2023. Persons 18+; 10) Edison "Share of Ear" AM/FM Radio proportion of 25-54 listening occurring in the car.; 11) Edison Research, "Share of Ear," Q4 2022 - Q3 2023); 12) Edison Research, Share of Ear, Q2 2023 - Q1 2024.

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