Podcasts Beat Streaming Rivals For In-Car Audio Listening, Analysis Finds.

Podcasts have emerged as the second-largest source of advertising-supported audio listening in the car, accounting for 9% of listening time among adults 18 and older. While AM/FM radio continues to dominate the dashboard, podcasts are attracting a larger share of in-car listening than individual ad-supported streaming services, according to new dataincluded in a Westwood One Audio Active Group analysis.

The findings come as Americans have largely returned to commuting, restoring an important listening occasion for audio publishers and advertisers. The report draws on Edison Research’s Share of Ear study covering the fourth quarter of 2025 through the third quarter of 2026. It shows AM/FM radio capturing 81% of advertising-supported audio listening time in cars, followed by podcasts at 9%. Ad-supported SiriusXM ranks third with 4%, followed by Spotify at 3%, Pandora at 2% and YouTube Music at less than 1%.

“Podcasting at a nine share, actually beating both Spotify and Pandora,” says Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Media and Westwood One’s Audio Active Group. He notes in a video detailing the findings that AM/FM radio continues to dominate the category, while all other advertising-supported audio options hold single-digit shares.

The figures underscore the continued strength of traditional radio in the car but also establish podcasts as a significant alternative for advertisers looking to reach consumers during their daily drives. The podcast category includes shows consumed through streaming platforms, meaning podcast listening on services such as Spotify is counted as podcast consumption rather than as part of those platforms’ music streaming totals.

The Westwood One report also offers evidence that commuting has largely recovered from the disruptions of the pandemic. An October 2026 Quantilope survey of 1,600 adults found that 87% of Americans who commuted before COVID are now working outside the home. That compares with just 48% in April 2020, when widespread shutdowns and remote work dramatically reduced daily commuting.

“Over the last couple of years, it’s been very consistent. We’re now in the high 80s as the proportion of Americans that are going to a workplace,” Bouvard says. He says the percentage has remained relatively stable in recent years, suggesting that commuting patterns have settled into a new routine.

Among those commuting to work, Americans now average 4.7 days per week in the workplace. More than half report working in the office five days a week, while others maintain a mix of office and remote work.

For podcast publishers, the findings highlight the continuing importance of the car as a listening environment, even as podcasts compete for audiences across smartphones, connected televisions and other devices.

The return to offices extends to the marketers and advertising agency professionals who make media buying decisions. An Advertiser Perceptions survey of 304 marketers and agency professionals conducted in October found that 91% are commuting to an office at least some days vs. 63% in April 2022.

Of those surveyed, 59% say they commute all or most days, while another 32% commute some days. Just 8% report working exclusively from home.

“Nine out of 10 marketers and media agencies are commuting to work, about the same proportion as everyday Americans,” Bouvard says. He notes that average Americans initially returned to workplaces more quickly than advertising professionals, but the two groups’ commuting patterns converged by spring 2024.

Marketers and agency professionals who commute average 4.2 days per week in the office, slightly fewer than the 4.7 days reported by the broader group of American commuters.

Bouvard says the recovery in commuting has reinforced the importance of in-car audio for advertisers, describing radio as “the soundtrack of the American worker.” Taken together, the findings suggest that the daily commute remains an important opportunity for audio advertisers. And although radio continues to command the vast majority of advertising-supported listening in cars, podcasts have established themselves as the next-largest category in that competitive environment.