Edison: In-Car’s Share Of AM/FM Listening Hit New High In 2025.

Edison Research’s “Share Of Ear” report for Q4 2025 brings good news for AM/FM radio, especially when it comes to in-car listening. 

The quarterly study, which since 2015 has surveyed 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent for all forms of audio, shows that 53% of listening to over-the-air AM/FM radio took place in vehicles in 2025, up 25% from its 42% 10 years ago.

As Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group Chief Insights Officer Pierre Bouvard notes in Westwood One’s blog, over those years “the pandemic caused the amount of in-car listening to dip but in 2023, the proportion of in-car listening surged to exceed pre-pandemic levels.”

If you’re thinking in-car’s share of listening to AM/FM might decline among younger demographics – think again.

“Among younger demographics, in-car listening represents the vast majority of over-the-air AM/FM radio time spent,” Bouvard says, noting that nearly two-thirds (63%) of all 18-34 over-the-air AM/FM radio time spent happens in the car.

Across the board, in-car listening claims a larger share of female AM/FM radio listening, compared to men, with significant differences between women and men 18-34 and 25-54. “Among women, the vehicle is by far the dominant over-the-air AM/FM radio listening location,” Bouvard says.

AM/FM radio continues to dominate ad-supported audio time spent in cars among persons 18+, with a whopping 83% share vs. 8% for podcasts, 4% for ad-supported SiriusXM, 3% for ad-supported Spotify, 2% for ad-supported Pandora and 1% for ad-supported YouTube Music. “To reach consumers on the path to purchase, look no further than AM/FM radio,” Bouvard says.

What may be a surprise is that dominance is also seen across the board, even among persons 18-34 where AM/FM has a commanding 77% share. “Across every major buying and selling demographic, AM/FM radio’s in-car share of ad-supported audio is dominant,” Bouvard says. 

Does Edison show a difference between AM/FM’s in-car share in domestic vs. import vehicles? It’s about the same, with 53% among domestic car drivers and 55% for import drivers. In both cases, share is up from 2016, 23% for domestic and 11% for import. 

A breakdown by car brand shows that AM/FM radio accounts for as high as 61% of all in-car audio listening for Chevrolet driver, with 56% for Toyota and Honda drivers, 55% for Ford drivers, 53% for Hyundai and Nissan drivers, and 52% for Subaru drivers. As Bouvard notes, “Most vehicle brand drivers devote over half of all in-car audio time spent to AM/FM radio.”