DAB accounted for 61% of in-car radio listening in the United Kingdom during Q1 2026, according to media regulator Ofcom’s “Media Nations 2026” report. That represents an increase from 56% in Q1 2025, while AM/FM’s share fell from 37% to 33%. Internet-delivered radio remained unchanged at 7%.
U.K. audiences spent around 260 million hours listening to radio in cars and vans each week, broadly stable against 263 million hours in Q1 2025. In-vehicle listening accounted for 26% of all radio hours in both periods. Ofcom also found that 23% of radio listeners now listen to radio only while traveling in a vehicle.
Live radio, including online radio, retained the largest share of overall audio time in vehicles at 69%. Streamed music accounted for 19%, while podcasts took 3%, personal music 5% and audiobooks 4%. The findings show that radio remains the primary in-car audio choice despite the expansion of streaming services, podcasts and smartphone-based infotainment systems.
Ofcom found that access and convenience appear to influence in-car platform choices more strongly than age. Among listeners aged 15–24, DAB accounted for 56% of in-car radio listening in Q1 2026, compared with 37% for AM/FM and 8% for internet delivery. Digital broadcast radio therefore held a clear majority of listening hours even among the youngest age group measured by RAJAR.
The report used a longer four-year comparison to show how competition for audio time has intensified beyond the car. Across all environments, live radio accounted for 52% of weekly audio time in 2025/26, down from 64% in 2021/22. Streamed music increased from 18% to 23% over that period, while podcasts more than doubled their share from 5% to 11%.
The same four-year measure shows a sharper shift among adults aged 16–34. Live radio’s share of their weekly audio time fell from 34% to 24%, while streamed music reached 46%. Podcasts increased from 8% to 15%, giving on-demand audio a growing role in younger listeners’ routines.
Despite that fragmentation, live radio’s overall weekly reach remained stable year on year at 86.9% in Q1 2026. Audiences generated just over 1 billion listening hours each week. Commercial radio accounted for 55% of those hours, also unchanged from Q1 2025.
You can read or download the Ofcom “Media Nations 2026” report below.
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