Tesla Owners Twice As Likely To Listen To Podcasts In The Car, Edison Data Reveals.

Edison Research’s Q2 2025 “Share of Ear” data offers a first-ever look at Tesla owners’ in-car listening habits, and the results are big news for podcasters. Across U.S. drivers, AM/FM still dominates the dashboard, but podcasts are the clear growth story inside the ad-supported slice — and Tesla drivers, in particular, are punching above their weight on podcasts.

Overall, Edison Research data finds that 5% of in-car listening time goes to podcasts for U.S. adults age 18 and older. That’s on par with listening to owned-music like CDs. According to the latest numbers, 56% of in-car audio minutes goes to AM/FM radio — which has long dominated the dashboard.

The numbers change slightly when just ad-supported audio is considered. Edison says podcasting’s share of in-car listening goes up to 7% while AM/FM has a massive 85% share. “This number has been consistent for the last 11 years,” says Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer for the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group. “The big growth that’s occurring in the car is really to podcast when it comes to ad supported platform,” he says in a vlog detailing the latest findings.

The analysis also includes a fresh look at how different makes and models impact how much podcasting drivers are listening to, including a first-ever look at Tesla owners. In the past, their numbers have been too small. But its growth now allows Edison to reach enough of them to draw some data conclusions.

The report finds that podcasts outperform other models among Tesla drivers. Edison says 12% of all audio time spent listening in the car goes to podcasts among Tesla drivers age 18 and older. That figure rises to 17% when only ad-supported audio shares are examined.

“AM/FM is the dominant, number one most listened to audio platform in Tesla, but there is a lot more podcast listening than the average among Tesla owners, and a lot less SiriusXM,” Bouvard says. “Tesla drivers consume podcasts in the car twice as much as the norm and really under-index on time spent with SiriusXM.”

For podcasters, that means Tesla cabins are unusually fertile ground: a driver base predisposed to podcast listening, interacting with an interface where podcasts are easy to find and play — all while AM/FM remains the primary in-car habit to complement and amplify total ad-supported reach. “This study reveals that when you look at ad-supported listening in the car, AM/FM is the queen of the road,” Bouvard adds.

The report also examined other companies and found smaller differences. At the high end, Subaru drivers spent 7% of their listening time on podcasts, followed by Honda at 6%. But on the low end, Kia owners spent just 1% of their time listening to podcasts — with Ford and Chevrolet at 3%. Regardless of the brand, AM/FM radio controls a majority of listening time.

Also benefiting AM/FM radio in-car listening is a rebound in share since the COVID years, when it dropped below 40%. “Since then, the proportion of total AM/FM radio listening occurring in cars has held steady at 50%, returning to the pre-pandemic norms,” Bouvard says.

The data also reveals that about two-thirds of all in-car listening is ad-supported, one-third is ad-free — reinforcing the car as a powerful ad environment. With listening happening on the go, it means podcasts appealing to that audience should optimize intros and ad placements for short-trip attention, such as front-loading hooks, using clear brand mentions, and memorable vanity URLs.