Contents
- Car audio market statistics: U.S. aftermarket category size and growth
- Car audio market statistics: retail channels and DIY installation
- Car audio market statistics: vehicle segments and purchase fulfillment
- car audio market: Car audio listening statistics: platforms and listening time
- car audio market: In-car audio statistics: infotainment access and listening habits
- car audio market: Car audio and driver behavior statistics: radio and music controls
- Sources
Car audio market statistics: U.S. aftermarket category size and growth
SEMA’s “Sound System and Audio Accessories” category is a broad aftermarket grouping. Its examples include satellite radio add-ons, in-dash stereo systems, speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers and other mobile electronics products. The category therefore extends beyond head units alone. Its reported market-size figures describe this named U.S. product category, not all factory-installed audio equipment, related services or the entire automotive electronics market.
| Year | Reported category market size |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $1.03 billion |
| 2019 | $1.03 billion |
| 2020 | $1.06 billion |
| 2021 | $1.12 billion |
Source: SEMA, 2022 SEMA Market Report, “Sound System and Audio Accessories” market sizing
The printed series is unchanged from 2018 to 2019, then shows higher values in 2020 and 2021. These are nominal market-size observations. The report does not express them in inflation-adjusted terms or give unit volumes, so the figures should not be read as a measure of how many products were sold or how prices changed. The last observation is for 2021, even though it appears in a report published in 2022.
SEMA also reports that 76% of manufacturers in the category had sales growth. That percentage refers to manufacturers reporting growth; it does not state the category’s growth rate or the amount of sales growth for any manufacturer. It is a separate indicator from the dollar-valued market-size series, with a different measure and denominator.
Source: SEMA, 2022 SEMA Market Report, “Sound System and Audio Accessories” market sizing
Car audio market statistics: retail channels and DIY installation
SEMA’s channel figures show the share of category sales dollars assigned to each channel. Among physical locations, general retail chains and specialty retailers/installers each represented 9%. Auto-parts chains accounted for 8%, and new-vehicle dealerships 7%. Smaller listed physical channels included other outlets, car and truck shows, direct sales from parts manufacturers, and tire shops.
| Physical-location channel | Share of category sales dollars |
|---|---|
| General retail chains | 9% |
| Specialty retailer/installer | 9% |
| Auto-parts chains | 8% |
| New-vehicle dealership | 7% |
| Other | 3% |
| Car/truck show | 2% |
| Direct from parts manufacturer | 2% |
| Tire shop | 2% |
The online channel distribution has a different pattern. Online-only general retailers represented 15% of category sales dollars, while specialty retailers/installers accounted for 11%. Auto-parts chains and general retail chains each held 9%; marketplaces or auction sites represented 6%. Direct-from-parts-manufacturer sales were 4%, other online channels 2%, and online tire shops 1%.
| Online channel | Share of category sales dollars |
|---|---|
| Online-only general retailer | 15% |
| Specialty retailer/installer | 11% |
| Auto-parts chains | 9% |
| General retail chains | 9% |
| Marketplace/auction site | 6% |
| Direct from parts manufacturer | 4% |
| Other | 2% |
| Tire shop | 1% |
These shares describe dollars by sales channel, not the number of customers, purchases or products. The “specialty retailer/installer” label combines retail and installer terminology; it does not separate product revenue from installation labor. Likewise, online sales do not establish who installed the product. The channel figures cannot be used to calculate how much of the category is installed by do-it-yourself buyers.
Car audio market statistics: vehicle segments and purchase fulfillment
SEMA also breaks category sales dollars down by vehicle segment. Pickups represented the largest listed share at 26%. Midsize/large cars and SUVs each accounted for 18%, followed by small cars at 12% and CUVs at 9%. The remaining categories shown are classic vehicles, alternative-power vehicles, sports cars and vans.
| Vehicle segment | Share of category sales dollars |
|---|---|
| Pickup | 26% |
| Midsize/large car | 18% |
| SUV | 18% |
| Small car | 12% |
| CUV | 9% |
| Classic | 7% |
| Alternative power | 5% |
| Sports car | 3% |
| Van | 3% |
The denominator matters: these are shares of category dollars associated with vehicle segments. They do not describe the vehicle mix on the road, the proportion of owners who upgrade their audio, or units sold. SEMA lists CUVs separately from SUVs and small cars separately from midsize/large cars; those categories should remain distinct when reading the reported distribution.
Purchase fulfillment is reported separately, with percentages applying within the specified order group. For purchases ordered online, 41% were shipped to the buyer’s home and 21% used in-store pickup/install. Among purchases ordered in-store, 4% were shipped home and 33% used in-store pickup/install.
| Order group and fulfillment | Share of purchases in that order group |
|---|---|
| Ordered online: shipped to home | 41% |
| Ordered online: in-store pickup/install | 21% |
| Ordered in-store: shipped to home | 4% |
| Ordered in-store: in-store pickup/install | 33% |
The figures above are not a complete accounting of every possible fulfillment outcome. “In-store pickup/install” is the report’s combined label. It does not separate simple pickup from installation, or state who performs an installation. The table therefore provides a view of reported order and fulfillment patterns without measuring DIY behavior.
car audio market: Car audio listening statistics: platforms and listening time
Edison Research’s Share of Ear chart compares the distribution of daily in-car audio listening time among U.S. people age 13 and older. It separates respondents whose primary vehicle had Apple CarPlay or Android Auto from those whose primary vehicle had neither. “Primary vehicle” means the car or truck a person rides in or drives in most often. The chart covers Q2 2024 through Q2 2025 and measures listening time, not people, vehicles, subscriptions or equipment purchases.
For the group with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in the primary vehicle, AM/FM radio accounted for 47% of daily in-car listening time. Streaming music represented 21%, SiriusXM 20%, owned music 6%, podcasts 5% and other audio 8%. The chart’s streaming-music category includes Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, YouTube Music and other services.
For people whose primary vehicle had neither feature, AM/FM radio represented 62% of daily listening time. Owned music and SiriusXM each accounted for 13%, streaming music 12%, other audio 9% and podcasts 4%.
| Audio platform | CarPlay or Android Auto in primary vehicle | Neither feature in primary vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| AM/FM radio | 47% | 62% |
| Streaming music | 21% | 12% |
| Owned music | 6% | 13% |
| SiriusXM | 20% | 13% |
| Podcasts | 5% | 4% |
| Other | 8% | 9% |
AM/FM radio is the largest named listening-time share in both groups. Streaming music has a higher reported share in the CarPlay or Android Auto group, while owned music and SiriusXM have higher shares in the group with neither feature. These are descriptive comparisons between groups. The chart does not show that vehicle technology caused the differences or account for other characteristics that might distinguish the respondents.
The percentages are reproduced as printed. They do not add to 100% in every group, and the source provides no basis for adjusting them or inferring an unreported category. They represent portions of listening time for the stated population and period; they do not measure demand for car audio hardware.
Source: Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2025: Top 10 Findings, page 27
car audio market: In-car audio statistics: infotainment access and listening habits
The Edison comparison uses the presence or absence of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in a person’s primary vehicle as its technology grouping. This describes infotainment access in that vehicle. It does not identify a stereo brand, speaker configuration or sound quality, and it does not indicate whether the relevant equipment was factory-installed or added later.
Among U.S. people age 13 and older with either feature in their primary vehicle, AM/FM radio still represented 47% of daily in-car audio listening time. Streaming music was 21%, and SiriusXM was 20%. Owned music, podcasts and other audio accounted for 6%, 5% and 8%, respectively. The distribution shows that the group’s reported listening time spans several formats. It does not say what proportion of people use each platform or how many vehicles contain the technologies.
Among people whose primary vehicle had neither feature, AM/FM radio accounted for 62% of daily in-car listening time. Streaming music represented 12%; owned music and SiriusXM each represented 13%. Podcasts made up 4%, and other audio 9%. Because the two groups use the same listening-time measure and chart period, their reported shares can be compared on that basis. They cannot be used to estimate the number of vehicles with either infotainment feature.
The chart does not specify the device, connection or interface listeners used to access their audio. Its listening-time percentages cannot be translated into sales of replacement head units, speakers, amplifiers or other products. Listening behavior and aftermarket sales dollars are separate observations, and the sources do not link an individual’s listening mix to a product purchase.
The periods and populations also differ across the market and listening evidence. SEMA’s category size, channel shares and vehicle-segment distribution come from 2021 SEMA U.S. Market Data, presented in a report published in 2022. Edison’s chart spans Q2 2024 to Q2 2025 and concerns daily listening time among U.S. people age 13 and older. The two sources illuminate different parts of the car audio landscape and should not be combined as if they measured the same activity.
Source: Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2025: Top 10 Findings, page 27 Source: SEMA, 2022 SEMA Market Report, “Sound System and Audio Accessories”
car audio market: Car audio and driver behavior statistics: radio and music controls
A 2015 NHTSA survey asked U.S. drivers how often they engaged in specific behaviors while driving. In Table 10-1, “Distracting Behavior Frequency (Used in Cluster Analysis),” the car-radio adjustment item had 6,001 respondents. The distribution was 22.0% “Always,” 12.6% “Almost Always,” 33.0% “Sometimes,” 16.4% “Rarely” and 15.7% “Never.” These are historical self-reports, not direct observations or a current measurement of audio-control use.
“Sometimes” was the largest response category for adjusting the car radio. The survey keeps its frequency choices separate and does not define a cutoff for regular adjustment. The item also does not specify which control the driver adjusted, the time spent doing so, or whether the radio was factory-installed or aftermarket.
The same table asked about using a portable music player, including a smartphone, with external speakers or the car’s speakers. This item also had 6,001 respondents. “Always” was 10.9%, “Almost Always” 5.9%, “Sometimes” 12.8% and “Never” 63.5%. The checked source value for “Rarely” is not reported, so it is left unlisted rather than treated as zero.
| Self-reported frequency | Adjust car radio | Portable music player/smartphone with speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Always | 22.0% | 10.9% |
| Almost Always | 12.6% | 5.9% |
| Sometimes | 33.0% | 12.8% |
| Rarely | 16.4% | — |
| Never | 15.7% | 63.5% |
The responses offer historical context on reported interaction with in-car audio. They do not show that radio adjustment or portable-player use caused distraction, a crash or another outcome. Because the survey dates to 2015 and asks about specific behaviors, its portable-player responses should not be presented as a current estimate of smartphone or connected-car behavior.