An Edison study focused on electric vehicle drivers
Carmakers keep asking whether radio still belongs in an electric vehicle. Edison Research offers a data-driven answer with its latest "Share of Ear" wave, covering the third quarter of 2026. According to this US study, AM/FM radio, including its online streams, accounts for 42% of in-car audio time among Americans aged 13 and over whose primary vehicle is electric. That makes it the leading audio source on board for this audience.
For comparison, across the entire US population aged 13 and over, AM/FM radio's share of in-car listening reaches 53%. The gap is real, but radio comes out on top in both cases. Edison points out that the electric vehicle results are based on 160 respondents: a modest sample, which suggests reading these figures as a trend rather than a definitive measurement.
Streaming and podcasts gain ground in electric cars
Drivers and passengers of electric cars have somewhat different habits. Music streaming ranks second with 22% of in-car listening time, compared with 17% among all listeners. SiriusXM, the US satellite radio service, rises from 16% to 20%. As for podcasts, their share of in-car listening time is twice as high among this audience as in the general population.
The car remains a key place for audio: according to Edison, it accounts for more than a quarter of daily audio listening time, an average of one hour and four minutes per day.
A tense political backdrop for radio in cars
The data comes as the debate over radio's place in vehicles continues in the United States. The "AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act" was passed by the House of Representatives in September (H.R. 979) and now awaits the Senate, where its companion bill (S. 315) has more than 60 bipartisan cosponsors. Several automotive players oppose it: third-quarter lobbying filings notably list Tesla ($650,000) and Lucid USA ($80,000), among a group of opponents that spent around $6.3 million over the period.
On the ground, some electric models have already dropped the tuner: the Rivian R2 launched without a radio receiver or antenna, and Tesla removed over-the-air radio from its Model 3 and Model Y Standard versions. Yet a Critical Mass Insights study found that 96% of Americans consider built-in radio important in a new car, and 89% said they would likely pass on a purchase without it.
What it means for internet radio stations
The key point for internet radio broadcasters lies in a methodological detail: Edison counts AM/FM stations' online streams as part of radio's share. In other words, when the tuner disappears, radio listening does not necessarily stop: it can shift to streaming, through the car's app, a smartphone or connected systems. That is exactly where internet radio stations operate.
- Be present on dashboards: compatibility with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and the aggregators built into cars is becoming a major visibility issue.
- Look after your stream: a stable stream with a bitrate suited to mobile networks is essential for listening on the move.
- Think podcasts: the doubled share of podcasts among electric car drivers makes a case for offering shows on demand.
- Display clean metadata: station name, logo and current track make it easier to spot a station on in-car screens.
Even without an FM antenna, a radio station that is well listed and easy to launch from the dashboard screen has every chance of remaining the number one listening source in the car.
Source : Radio Ink