Automakers keep asking whether electric cars need AM/FM, and the people riding in them have an answer. New Edison Research data shows radio remains the largest source of in-car audio time for EV drivers and riders, even as access is increasingly removed.
Edison Research’s third-quarter 2026 Share of Ear study found that AM/FM and its streams account for 42% of in-car audio time among Americans 13 and older whose primary vehicle is an electric vehicle, the largest share of any audio platform. Among the total US population 13 and older, AM/FM holds 53%. The EV figures are based on 160 respondents.
Edison says time spent with on-demand audio sources has exploded outside the car, but AM/FM still accounts for the largest percentage of in-car audio time for both groups, at dramatically different rates. Streaming music is second among EV drivers and riders at 22%, up from 17% among all listeners. SiriusXM rises from 16% to 20%, and the EV audience’s share of in-car time with podcasts is twice that of the total population.
The car matters to audio. Edison reports it accounts for over one-quarter of daily audio listening time, an average of one hour and four minutes per day.
The data arrives as the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act waits in the Senate.
The House passed H.R. 979 by voice vote in September, and the Senate companion, S. 315, has more than 60 bipartisan cosponsors. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has said the bill needs unanimous consent or a ride on year-end legislation. Q3 lobbying filings show Tesla ($650,000) and Lucid USA ($80,000) among the automakers and related groups opposed to the bill, which together spent about $6.3 million in the quarter.
EV makers have also moved on radio. Radio Ink previously reported that the Rivian R2 launched without a tuner or antenna, and that Tesla removed terrestrial radio from the Model 3 Standard and Model Y Standard. Consumer research points the other way. A Critical Mass Insights study found that 96% of Americans said built-in radio is important in a new car, and 89% said the absence of over-the-air radio would likely keep them from buying a vehicle.
The NAB has released PSAs in English and Spanish asking radio listeners to contact their members of Congress by texting AM to 39179, urging them to support legislation that ensures AM radio remains in cars. Get them for your station here.
