Futuresource’s latest consumer research shows that a majority of drivers now use their phones as the main way to bring audio into the car. This research draws on the Audio Tech Lifestyles 2025 survey (ATL25), which ran in summer 2025 with a total sample of 10,399 respondents across the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China.
Across the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China, 51.5% of respondents said they rely on phone connections such as Bluetooth, cable, CarPlay or Android Auto.
Radio, however, remains resilient. At 26.9% it is still the second most common route to audio, valued for its immediacy and minimal effort. Built-in streaming is growing from a smaller base and moves fastest in China, where native ecosystems are trusted and resume logic is dependable.
The shift is about content as much as it is about sources. Music remains dominant, but spoken-word formats such as podcasts and audiobooks now take a meaningful share of incar streaming.
Built-in streaming accounts for 9% of listening overall, but it is far higher in China at 14%.
When digging into what type of audio content consumers listen to most often in the car music still leads, making up 58% of in-car streaming, however spoken-word formats are growing fast. Podcasts now account for 16.5% and audiobooks 16.1%. This shift varies by region. In the US and UK, podcasts are mainstream, especially among younger drivers. Audiobooks are particularly strong in the US. In China, spoken word is rising alongside native platforms. In Germany and Japan, radio still dominates, though spoken word is gaining ground.
Across the past three ATL surveys, smartphone-tethered listening has grown from 48.6% in 2023 to 51.5% in 2025. Radio has eased from 29.8% to 26.9%. Built-in streaming edged up from 8.7% to 9.4%, while CDs continued their decline.
The US and UK normalise podcasts quickly. China accelerates native adoption on top of smartphone primacy. Germany and Japan maintain higher radio shares but are moving in the same direction.
In the US and UK, podcasts drive demand for episode level controls. In China, local apps set expectations for instant response and deep integration. In Germany and Japan, dependable radio still matters most.
The study concludes that in-car audio is evolving, not abandoning its roots. Radio continues to sit alongside on-demand listening. Over the next model cycles, the distinction between tethered and native will matter less than the guarantee that whatever the driver was listening to before starting the car will continue instantly, clearly and without fuss.