Read James Careless’ additional WorldDAB Automotive 2026 coverage of Radio France CEO Sibyle Veil’s keynote speech.
Modern drivers want radios in their dashboards.
That was the primary and unshakable finding shared by researchers at WorldDAB Automotive 2026.
The annual event, which is hosted by the WorldDAB advocacy organization, was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 11.
It included a presentation from the London-based Fifty5Blue, formerly Kantar Media, which is a media measurement and analytics firm that said it operates in approximately 80 countries.
Ultimately, the message Fifty5Blue conveyed is that the six-country study proves that car buyers not only want radio in the dashboard — they are demanding it.
Julie Soulsby, Fifty5Blue’s director of insight, said the study surveyed 8,000 recent buyers across Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K.
“Our research among recent car buyers across six countries proves that broadcast radio is expected, it’s relied upon, and it’s valued in the car,” she said.
Fifty5Blue’sData revealed that 83% of buyers typically listen to the radio while driving, with half making it their most frequent choice.
Additionally, these drivers are loyal to radio, with 85% saying that they would deeply feel the absence of a broadcast dial.
“Car buyers do not want to lose this essential part of the in-car experience,” Soulsby said.
The frequency of listening as measured by Fifty5Blue highlights radio’s placement in the car, with close to a third of the sample group tuning in every single day.
“To put this in context, that is twice as many as those who are listening to music streaming services every day in the car,” Soulsby said.
Phyllis Chen, Fifty5Blue’s insight manager, believes that listeners choose radio because it provides connection, companionship and ease of use.
“Over 8 in 10 find it an extremely accessible form of in-car audio entertainment being just one click away,” she said.
Eight in 10 surveyed car buyers also view radio as being vital during crises. When asked where they would go first for information in the case of an emergency while on the road, over half of car buyers stated that they would turn to the radio, Chen said.
As for streaming in the car? Fifty5Blue’s research argues that it doesn’t match radio’s on-the-road resilience.
Soulsby explained that data dropouts plague connected-car users, with 40% of drivers reporting frequent signal loss when streaming.
“Of those who stream, nearly half worry that they will run out of mobile charge while streaming in the car,” she said.
Physical safety issues also turned up in Fifty5Blue’s research results, as 45% of drivers using smartphone cables expressed worry about distraction.
Consumer satisfaction with digital terrestrial choices like DAB+ remains near-universal, the firm said, due to its consistency.
“Sometimes my streaming loses quality, whereas radio reception provides a more consistent experience overall,” one survey respondent wrote.
“The verdict is clear,” concluded Soulsby. “Broadcast radio belongs in the car.”
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