Sir Isaac Newton called it inertia, coaches call it momentum, and automakers call it “last source memory” – the tendency for a system to keep doing whatever it was doing last. In modern car dashboards, that means if the last audio source played is exactly what plays again when the engine starts.
So, unless radio was the last thing heard, it’s in danger of being buried among touchscreen menus or app icons.
That’s one of the central takeaways from Quu’s 2025 In-Vehicle Visuals Report, the company’s second annual study examining how radio is represented and discovered in the dashboards of the 100 best-selling vehicle models in the US. Quu, a provider of in-dash metadata and visual content for radio broadcasters, worked in collaboration with Jacobs Media, Xperi, and McVay Media to conduct this second-annual audit.
The 2025 report mirrors the methodology used in the 2024 edition, employing the same analyst, review period, and vehicle sales data source, GoodCarBadCar.
While all 100 vehicles included in the study come equipped with some form of terrestrial radio, one of the most eye-opening data points from the study is that only 26% of 2025 vehicles have a dedicated physical radio button, down from 36% just one year ago. In most new cars, listeners must actively search through infotainment menus to access AM/FM.
This compounds the troubles created by the “last source memory” issue: 74% of cars automatically return to the last audio source played when the vehicle restarts. If the last thing the listener heard was Spotify, CarPlay, or a podcast, radio has to compete even harder to re-enter the equation. Being the “last touch” is now one of the few reliable ways for stations to stay front-and-center when the car turns on.
The challenge comes from the sheer number of options competing for listener attention. A full 98% of vehicles now support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and 94% include access to SiriusXM. In 2025, 57% of US-made cars also came preloaded with built-in audio streaming apps – more than double the figure in 2024. This includes services like Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and in some cases, proprietary automaker-branded apps.
Another key focus of the Quu report is the growing role of visual content. Every new car surveyed is capable of displaying text from radio — song titles, artist info, and programming details. Sixty percent can also show visuals like logos, album art, or even sponsor graphics.
While HD Radio is present in two-thirds of 2025 vehicles, its visual and audio enhancements often go unused. Many broadcasters fail to provide consistent metadata, missing a crucial opportunity to differentiate from streaming competitors who always deliver rich visuals and intuitive user interfaces.
With radio apps still inconsistent across markets and aggregators dominating mobile streaming access, the pressure is on stations to create richer digital experiences. The study urges broadcasters to embrace HD Radio functionality, enhance visual metadata, and improve app design and functionality to keep up with listener expectations shaped by Spotify, YouTube, and Apple.
The bottom line? In today’s car, attention is everything – and radio must earn it.
The full results of the study are available via Quu.
Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs, Jacobs Media VP/GM Paul Jacobs, Xperi Inc. SVP Global Broadcast Radio Joe D’Angelo, and McVay Media Consulting President Mike McVay will join Quu CEO Steve Newberry for a free webinar on April 2 at 3pm ET to discuss the findings. Registration is open here.
On my 2025 Hyundai, it defaults to last source. If I hit the media button once, that source is what displays. If I hit it a second time, then I get the screen that lets me select between sources (including radio).
The lesson? Radio stations need to be good enough to either warrant being my last source or to make me willing to hit the media button a second time to bring up the radio. Or, as another commenter put it, “radio must earn it”, where it is that second button push.
radio must earn it.