In-Car Listening Grows

Edison Research’s quarterly “Share of Ear” study is the authoritative examination of time spent with audio in America. The study, in its eleventh year, surveys 4,000 Americans annually to measure daily reach and time spent for all forms of audio.

Currently, nearly 1,700 AM/FM radio salespeople, programmers, and managers are active users of Xperi’s DTS AutoStage, the new in-car AM/FM radio audience measurement system powered by six million U.S. vehicles. Given this significant interest, our focus for this analysis is AM/FM radio listening in the car.

Here are the key in-car findings from Edison’s Q4 2025 “Share of Ear” report:

1. Over the last decade, the proportion of over-the-air AM/FM radio listening occurring in-car has surged +25%. In-car listening has grown from 42% of all tuning in 2015 to 53% today.
2. Among younger listeners, the car is the dominant location of listening. 63% of all 18-34 over-the-air AM/FM radio listening occurs in the car. Among 25-54s, 57% of all AM/FM radio time spent occurs in the car.
3. Among women, the vehicle is by far the dominant over-the-air AM/FM radio listening location.
4. The proportion of in-car listening has grown +23% among those who drive domestic vehicles. Most vehicle brand drivers devote over half of all in-car audio time spent to AM/FM radio.
5. To reach consumers on the path to purchase, look no further than AM/FM radio. With an 83% in-car share of ad-supported audio, AM/FM radio is the “queen of the road.”

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