Radio isn’t just holding on with young listeners in the car; it’s dominating. New Edison Research data finds AM/FM commands 70% of the ad-supported audio time that Americans 13-34 spend in vehicles, more than six times the share of its closest competitor.
Podcasts rank a distant second, taking 11% of ad-supported in-car listening time among 13-34-year-olds, with Streaming Music close behind at 10%. Music and music videos on YouTube account for 7%, while SiriusXM’s ad-supported channels capture the remaining 2%. The data, from Edison Research at SSRS’s Share of Ear for Q2 2026, includes over-the-air and streamed AM/FM listening, and reflects everyone in the car, not just the driver.
Americans 13-34 spend just under an hour a day listening to audio in the car, and most of that time goes to ad-supported platforms.
In April, Edison’s Q1 2026 Share of Ear data showed that AM/FM radio accounted for 46% of in-car listening among the 13-34 population. For advertisers, the gap underscores traditional radio’s advantage in reaching young consumers away from home.
Streaming Music’s overall in-car time is larger than its 10% ad-supported share suggests, since most of that listening happens on ad-free subscriptions, meaning fewer opportunities to reach listeners with a commercial message. AM/FM radio remains the clearest path to young, in-car audiences at the moments closest to a purchase decision.
The data lands as Congress moves closer to acting on the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, which would require automakers to keep AM radio as standard equipment in new vehicles. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has scheduled a standalone floor vote on the bill for the week of September 14, with the legislation backed by 280 House co-sponsors and a filibuster-proof 61 senators. The bill’s goal is critical for emergency alerts and local news, and the new Share of Ear numbers show what’s also at stake for the youngest AM/FM audiences and the advertisers who reach them there.
