Radio remains the must have audio option for motorists

8 out of 10 new car drivers would never consider purchasing a vehicle without a radio, according to the biggest ever survey of motorists across UK, France and Germany. Drivers think radio is as ‘vital as tyres and a steering wheel’ in a car* according to research by Radioplayer launched today at a European Broadcasting Union conference in Geneva.

Top line findings include:

• 82% of drivers would not consider buying a car without a radio
• 75% of all in-car listening is to the radio, even in modern cars
• 84% always or mostly listen to the radio on every journey
• 90% believe radio should always be free and easy to listen to

The results that shows radio delivers 75% of all in-car listening, with 84% of drivers ‘always’ or ‘mostly’ listening to radio on every journey.

All 1500 respondents had bought one of the top 20 European car brands within the last 3 years, ensuring a fair comparison between radio and alternative audio options (like music streaming and smartphone integrations), present in more modern cars.

When drivers were asked to nominate the one entertainment source they’d keep in their car above all others, it was overwhelmingly shown to be radio, chosen by 69%, with UK drivers feeling particularly strongly at 73%.

The survey was commissioned by UK Radioplayer, the not-for-profit partnership between the BBC and commercial radio. The Radioplayer model has now spread to Germany, Austria, Norway, Belgium, and Ireland – and these six countries are working together to help grow radio across Europe.

The research comes as the latest UK RAJAR figures (Q4 2015 issued 04/02/16) revealed that a higher proportion of radio listening is being done at the wheel than ever before.

Michael Hill, Managing Director of Radioplayer said: “Seatbelt, ignition, radio. That habit’s clearly as ingrained today, as it was 20 years ago. Now we need to act in partnership across the European radio industry, share this research with the car companies, and work together to build the dashboards of the future.”

The research is supported by the two largest European broadcasting associations – the EBU (which represents public broadcasters), and the AER (representing private broadcasters).

Siobhan Kenny, CEO of Radiocentre said: “These fantastic research findings come as no surprise to Radiocentre.  Radio remains the essential source of information and entertainment for the overwhelming majority of motorists. It stands to reason that a massive 82% of drivers across the UK, France and Germany would not even consider buying a car without a radio. We relish the opportunity to join Radioplayer in spreading the word: radio is here to stay.”

Find out more about Radioplayer here.