For auto parts stores, radio’s success goes way beyond the catchy jingles. Heavy AM/FM listeners spend 26% more on auto parts and accessories than the average shopper, reinforcing audio’s connection to the vertical even as social media ad buys increase.
Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group’s 2025 Auto Aftermarket Brand Tracker, conducted with Quantilope between September 19 and September 26, surveyed 1,000 nationally representative adults ages 18-64 who have shopped at an automotive parts and accessories retailer at least once in the past two years.
The average auto parts shopper spent $626 in the past year. Heavy AM/FM radio listeners spent $790, a 26% premium. Heavy podcast listeners spent $765, 22% more than average. By comparison, heavy social media users spent $714, and heavy TV viewers spent $646.
Ultra-heavy auto parts shoppers, defined as those making 10 or more trips in the past two years, spent $832 annually. Mega-milers, who drove 200 or more miles in the past week, spent $900, 44% more than the overall shopper average. Ultra-heavy shoppers also drive more, averaging 171 miles per week compared to 138 miles for the total sample.
Twenty-seven percent of those ultra-heavy auto parts shoppers are heavy AM/FM listeners, making them 29% more likely than the average shopper to fall into that listening tier. Among mega-milers, 31% are heavy AM/FM listeners. As shopping frequency rises, so does sports format listening. Twenty-seven percent of light shoppers, defined as one to two trips in two years, frequently or occasionally listen to sports radio. That figure climbs to 36% among medium shoppers, 41% among heavy shoppers, and 46% among ultra-heavy shoppers.
Beyond sports, a wide range of AM/FM formats reach ultra-heavy shoppers. Rock leads at 56% frequent or occasional listening, followed by Oldies/Classic Hits and Classic Rock at 52%, Adult Contemporary and News/Talk at 49%, Top 40 at 48%, R&B/Hip Hop at 47%, and Country at 46%. Even NPR reaches 36% of ultra-heavy shoppers.
Podcast genres also show broad engagement among heavy auto parts buyers. Fifty percent of ultra-heavy shoppers frequently or occasionally listen to music podcasts. News/Current Events reaches 48%, Entertainment/Culture and Technology 47%, Comedy 45%, Sports 44%, and Business/Finance 42%.
Digital channels now command 74% of category media spend, up from 45% in 2021. Internet search accounts for 38% of 2025 spend, up from 35% in 2024. Social media increased from 12% in 2024 to 21% in 2025. Over the same period, AM/FM radio declined from 21% to 13% of total spend, while linear television dropped from 16% to 9%.
Brand awareness data shows continued concentration among the leading chains. Unaided awareness in September 2025 stands at 59% for AutoZone, 27% for O’Reilly Auto Parts, 19% for Advance Auto Parts, and 15% for NAPA Auto Parts. Pep Boys registers 8%. Auto parts at Walmart stands at 11%, while Auto parts on Amazon is at 8%.
Younger consumers show lower unaided awareness across most brands. Among adults 18-34, unaided awareness for AutoZone stands at 52%, compared to 63% among adults 50-64. NAPA Auto Parts registers 8% unaided awareness among 18-34s versus 19% among 35-49s and 50-64s.
Service offerings appear to serve as an entry point for younger shoppers. Seventy-one percent of adults 18-34 say maintenance or service offerings such as oil changes, fluid changes, and battery testing are extremely or very influential when choosing an auto parts retailer. Consumers who use service offerings are more likely to be ultra-heavy shoppers.
The study coincides the return of in-car listening. Among Persons 25-54, 50% of AM/FM radio listening now occurs in the car, matching pre-pandemic levels seen in 2017 and 2019. In ad-supported audio, AM/FM radio commands 84% of in-car listening time among Persons 18+, compared to 7% for podcasts and 4% for ad-supported SiriusXM.
