Contents
- In car podcast listening statistics: U.S. listening and vehicle access
- In car podcast listening statistics: U.S. podcast time by listening location
- In car podcast listening statistics: UK car listening by survey year
- In car podcast listening statistics: UK car listening by age
- In car podcast listening statistics: German and Australian listening contexts
- Sources
In car podcast listening statistics: U.S. listening and vehicle access
U.S. findings show several different ways to describe podcast use in a vehicle. Edison Research’s 2025 report says 31% of Americans aged 18 and older who had driven or ridden in a car during the previous month had ever listened to podcasts in their primary vehicle. The wording is an “ever” measure: it does not indicate how often they listen, how long they listen, or whether they listened on their most recent trip. The population is also limited to adults with recent car use. Source: The Podcast Consumer 2025
The same report gives a separate figure for people with connected in-car systems. Among U.S. adults aged 18 and older who had driven or ridden in a car in the previous month and used Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, 44% listened to podcasts in-car. This describes listeners within the system-user group; it is not a percentage of all U.S. adults or all recent car users. The difference in denominator matters when comparing it with the 31% primary-vehicle measure. Source: The Podcast Consumer 2025
Edison’s 2023 Infinite Dial report provides additional vehicle context. In 2023, 38% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older who had ridden in a car in the previous month said they listened to podcasts in the car. A chart in the same report records 38% as currently ever using podcasts as an in-car audio source, based on adults with recent car use; these are closely related descriptions within that report, rather than separate populations to add together. The chart’s broader online-audio row is 37%, also among recent car users, but online audio is not limited to podcasts. Source: The Infinite Dial 2023
Vehicle interface access is another distinct measure: in 2023, 26% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older who had driven or ridden in a car in the previous month had Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their primary vehicle. This reports system availability, not podcast listening. Source: The Infinite Dial 2023
| U.S. measure | Reported result | Population and measure |
|---|---|---|
| Ever listened in primary vehicle | 31% | Adults 18+ with a car trip in the previous month; 2025 report |
| Listened in-car among Android Auto or Apple CarPlay users | 44% | Adults 18+ with recent car use who use either system; 2025 report |
| Said they listened to podcasts in the car | 38% | Adults 18+ who rode in a car in the previous month; 2023 |
| CarPlay or Android Auto in primary vehicle | 26% | Adults 18+ with recent car use; 2023 |
Sources: The Podcast Consumer 2025; The Infinite Dial 2023
In car podcast listening statistics: U.S. podcast time by listening location
A different Edison measure asks how audio listening time is divided among formats and locations. Share of Ear data for Q3 2022–Q2 2023 put podcasts at 5% of all audio listening time in-car among the U.S. population aged 13 and older. At work, podcasts accounted for 14% of audio listening time, and at home they accounted for 12%. These figures describe shares of listening time, not percentages of people who listen in each place. Source: The State of Audio in 50 Charts
| Listening location | Podcast share of all audio listening time | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| In-car | 5% | U.S. population 13+; Q3 2022–Q2 2023 |
| At work | 14% | U.S. population 13+; Q3 2022–Q2 2023 |
| At home | 12% | U.S. population 13+; Q3 2022–Q2 2023 |
Source: The State of Audio in 50 Charts
The in-car time share and the person-based U.S. findings answer different questions. A person may count as someone who has ever listened in a vehicle even if podcasts make up a small share of their total in-car audio time. The diary-based Share of Ear result also covers ages 13 and older, whereas the vehicle-use findings described above focus on adults aged 18 and older. Those differences prevent treating the percentages as interchangeable measures of the same behavior. Sources: The State of Audio in 50 Charts; The Podcast Consumer 2025; The Infinite Dial 2023
In car podcast listening statistics: UK car listening by survey year
Ofcom’s UK surveys report the share of podcast listeners who usually listen while travelling in a car, but the listener base differs by year. In the 2024 survey, 32% of adults who listened to podcasts at least monthly reported usually listening while travelling in a car, as driver or passenger. The base was 1,006 monthly listeners. Source: Audio listening in the UK 2024
In 2025, 59% of adults who listened to podcasts at least weekly usually listened while travelling in a car. The base was 1,504 weekly listeners. Ofcom’s 2026 survey reports 33% among weekly podcast listeners, with a base of 1,502. Both later figures are based on weekly listeners, while the 2024 figure covers monthly listeners. Sources: Audio listening in the UK 2025; Audio Report 2026
| Ofcom survey | Car-travel listening | Listener base |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 32% | At least monthly podcast listeners; n=1,006 |
| 2025 | 59% | At least weekly podcast listeners; n=1,504 |
| 2026 | 33% | At least weekly podcast listeners; n=1,502 |
Sources: Audio listening in the UK 2024; Audio listening in the UK 2025; Audio Report 2026
These results should be read as survey-year snapshots, not a like-for-like trend. The qualifying frequency changed between the monthly base in 2024 and weekly bases in 2025 and 2026. The reported question concerns what listeners usually do; it does not measure the proportion of all UK adults, trip frequency, or time spent listening in a car. Sources: Audio listening in the UK 2024; Audio listening in the UK 2025; Audio Report 2026
In car podcast listening statistics: UK car listening by age
Ofcom’s 2025 breakdown shows car listening across three age groups among weekly podcast listeners. The reported share was 51% for listeners aged 18–34, 63% for those aged 35–54, and 65% for those aged 55 and older. The overall adult result in that survey was 59%, with all figures drawn from the weekly-listener base of 1,504. Source: Audio listening in the UK 2025
| Age group | Usually listened while travelling in a car |
|---|---|
| 18–34 | 51% |
| 35–54 | 63% |
| 55+ | 65% |
Source: Audio listening in the UK 2025
The 2024 survey gives a separate age-specific observation: 37% of monthly podcast listeners aged 18–34 usually listened while travelling in a car. The overall 2024 result was 32% among monthly listeners. The change in survey year and listener base means the 2024 and 2025 age figures should not be treated as a controlled year-to-year comparison. Source: Audio listening in the UK 2024
Ofcom also describes other listening settings for younger monthly listeners in 2024. Among listeners under 35, 37% usually listened while walking and 33% on public transport. These are contextual location measures, not car-listening figures. The survey’s under-35 wording corresponds to its 18–34 age column. Source: Audio listening in the UK 2024
In car podcast listening statistics: German and Australian listening contexts
Germany’s Seven.One Audio 2024 study reports on podcast use in 2023 among adults aged 18–49 who listened at least monthly; the relevant chart base was 795. Within that group, 49% reported listening in a car, and the same 49% reported listening while travelling on buses or trains. At home, for example while doing housework, the figure was 66%. These are reported listening situations among monthly listeners in the specified age range. Source: Podcast 2024
The same German chart records 31% using podcasts to fall asleep. This is a distinct activity rather than a travel setting, and it helps show that the chart covers a range of contexts beyond vehicle use. The study’s age range and monthly-listener qualification should remain attached to all these figures; they do not describe all German adults. Source: Podcast 2024
| Germany listening context | Share | Population |
|---|---|---|
| In a car | 49% | Adults 18–49 listening at least monthly; n=795 |
| On buses or trains | 49% | Adults 18–49 listening at least monthly; n=795 |
| At home, such as during housework | 66% | Adults 18–49 listening at least monthly; n=795 |
| To fall asleep | 31% | Adults 18–49 listening at least monthly; n=795 |
For Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s report published in December 2024 describes listening behaviours as of June 2024, citing the News Media and Research Centre’s annual consumer research survey. Among podcast listeners, 65% listened in a car and 71% listened at home; 32% listened elsewhere. The passage does not provide a detailed age subgroup or define the “elsewhere” category further, so those labels are retained as reported. Source: Trends and developments in viewing and listening 2023–24
The country figures provide context, not a ranking on a common scale. The U.S. Share of Ear finding measures podcast share of audio time, Ofcom reports usual locations among monthly or weekly listeners, Seven.One focuses on German monthly listeners aged 18–49, and ACMA reports Australian listener locations. Their populations, questions, and periods differ, so each statistic is most useful when interpreted within its own stated survey base. Sources: The State of Audio in 50 Charts; Audio listening in the UK 2024; Audio listening in the UK 2025; Audio Report 2026; Podcast 2024; Trends and developments in viewing and listening 2023–24
Sources
- The Podcast Consumer 2025
- The Infinite Dial 2023
- The State of Audio in 50 Charts
- Audio Report 2026
- Audio listening in the UK 2025
- Audio listening in the UK 2024
- Online-Audio-Monitor 2026
- Online-Audio-Monitor 2025
- Online-Audio-Monitor 2024
- Trends and developments in viewing and listening 2023–24
- Podcast 2024