Until relatively recently, buying a car and turning on the radio went hand in hand: you turned a knob or pressed a button to listen to music, the news, a football match, or a Formula 1 race.
It was something so basic and normal that, until today, no one had questioned its existence. The reality now is that brands are already saying goodbye to the radio in their new cars, and there are those fighting to prevent this from continuing to happen.
In 2026, some new cars are already arriving without a radio
The automotive industry has for years been turning the car interior into true multimedia hubs: huge screens that look like tablets, apps, assistants, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Spotify, streaming… and a myriad of services that have gradually displaced the traditional radio. Then there is the other side of the coin: some manufacturers have already started removing the radio from certain models.
One of the first brands to do so has been Dacia, which has removed this equipment in certain entry-level versions of the Spring; Citroën has followed a similar strategy in some variants of its most affordable models, while Tesla has been betting for years on an ecosystem focused on connectivity.
The objective is straightforward to understand: save costs. It may not seem like much to remove a radio in a car, but in a production line manufacturing hundreds of thousands of vehicles, every euro counts, especially in cheap models with tight margins.
The consequence of a trend: new habits
This is the consequence of a trend: that the 2026 car user no longer listens to the radio as previous generations did. The mobile phone is the new entertainment hub of the car, and platforms like Spotify, YouTube Music, or Apple Music have largely replaced radio usage.
However, there is a related issue: not everyone shares that view: radios. According to Xataka, France’s public, private, and associative radio stations have launched a joint petition to European institutions so that FM radio and DAB+ remain mandatory in all new vehicles sold within the EU.
The defenders of radio argue that it is a fundamental tool in critical moments such as power outages, fires, or crisis situations. Therefore they contend that it cannot disappear from cars.
There is a peculiarity: since 2020 European regulations already require that any vehicle equipped with a radio be compatible with DAB+, the digital standard that progressively replaces traditional FM. At the same time, there is a loophole: the law requires the radio to be digital if there is a radio, but it does not require the car to include a radio. And there that some manufacturers have found space to completely remove this equipment without violating any rule.
Thus broadcasters have joined forces to urge Brussels to take a step forward and require EU manufacturers that all cars come with FM and DAB+ receivers as standard, regardless of trim level or price.
Images | Niklas Carle/Vi Bilägare
