Contents
- Car infotainment systems statistics: consumer priorities for in-car entertainment
- Car infotainment systems statistics: phone mirroring and system preferences
- Car infotainment systems statistics: listening habits and content discovery
- Car infotainment systems statistics: streaming, connectivity, and content demand
- Car infotainment systems statistics: purchase influence and video features
- Sources
Car infotainment systems statistics: consumer priorities for in-car entertainment
Time spent in a vehicle gives entertainment systems a regular role in daily life, but the available findings describe more than listening time. They capture consumer expectations around organizing content, discovering something new, and expanding what a dashboard can do. The results come from surveys conducted in different years and populations, so they are useful as distinct snapshots rather than one continuous trend line.
In Gracenote’s 2025 survey, 42% of vehicle owners said they spend four or more hours in their vehicles each week. The study covered 4,001 owners, with 1,000 respondents in each of Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States, and one additional respondent implied by the reported total. Respondents were at least 18, owned a vehicle less than 10 years old, and could access internet entertainment in the vehicle. Fieldwork ran from July 28 to August 19, 2025. The four-hour measure is a self-reported weekly threshold; it does not indicate how many hours respondents spend using infotainment. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), pp. 2–3
A central preference in that survey was for a unified content experience. Some 67% of vehicle owners said they would like their in-car entertainment system to organize all available content, regardless of its source. This expresses a desire for organization across sources, not a claim that respondents already have such a system or that they use all available services. A further 66% of drivers said they would explore new content in the car if there were a safe and easy way to do so. That condition matters: interest in discovery was tied to ease and safety, not simply to a larger content catalogue. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), pp. 3, 5
A separate U.S. survey by DTS shows that many respondents wanted an experience beyond phone mirroring. Among 1,015 consumers aged 17 or older who owned or leased a vehicle, 56% agreed that they wanted more from in-cabin entertainment than a phone displayed on the dashboard. In the same survey, 65% said in-vehicle entertainment was important to them. The report combines “Strongly agree” with “Agree” for the first measure, and “Very important” with “Important” for the second. These findings were collected September 29–October 3, 2023, and describe U.S. owners and lessees, not the four-market Gracenote sample. DTS, Consumer Survey 2023, p. 3 and endnotes, p. 8
DTS also reported age-specific agreement with a broader dashboard vision spanning entertainment personalization and discovery, comfort, and safety. Agreement was 71% among surveyed vehicle owners and lessees aged 25–34 and 66% among those aged 35–44. These are two age groups within that survey; they should not be read as an age-wide ranking or as evidence that the same preferences hold across countries. DTS, Consumer Survey 2023, p. 3 and endnotes, p. 8
Car infotainment systems statistics: phone mirroring and system preferences
Phone-based access and in-dash systems coexist in the Gracenote results. In the 2025 survey, respondents reported how often they used phones to access vehicle content instead of the in-dash system. The share who said “Never” was 10% in Germany, 12% in Japan, 5% in South Korea, and 10% in the U.S.; the report’s average across those markets was 9%. The measure is the frequency of substitution, not the share who use mirroring at all. “Never” is only one response category, and the reported average is not described as a population-weighted global estimate. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 4
The pattern is consistent with a more nuanced view than a simple choice between a phone and a built-in system: respondents may use both, and frequency differs by market. The data provided here establish the “Never” shares, but do not provide every frequency category. They therefore cannot support a full comparison of how often each population relies on a phone. In the DTS survey, 56% of U.S. owners and lessees wanted more than a mirrored phone experience. Together, the findings suggest that mirroring is one part of the infotainment picture, while some consumers also want dedicated in-car organization and features. They do not establish what causes those preferences. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 4; DTS, Consumer Survey 2023, p. 3 and endnotes, p. 8
Gracenote also asked whether the in-car entertainment system was a critical buying or leasing decision. The table below reports respondents who strongly or somewhat agreed. It shows the importance attached to the system in a purchase or lease decision, rather than whether it was the single deciding factor.
| Market | Strongly or somewhat agree |
|---|---|
| Germany | 63% |
| Japan | 53% |
| South Korea | 60% |
| U.S. | 64% |
| Report average across surveyed markets | 60% |
Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 5
The reported agreement shares range from 53% in Japan to 64% in the U.S. The report also gives neutral and disagreement categories, but the figures above focus on agreement for a compact comparison. The average is the report’s average across the four surveyed markets; it is not a global population estimate. These responses indicate that infotainment can enter consumers’ buying or leasing considerations, while leaving open how respondents balance it against price, safety, performance, or other vehicle attributes.
Car infotainment systems statistics: listening habits and content discovery
AM/FM radio remained a frequently used in-car audio option in the 2025 Gracenote survey. Respondents selected how often they listened in their cars; “Often” was reported by 38% in Germany, 21% in Japan, 30% in South Korea, and 34% in the U.S. The report’s average was 31%. Japan also had a reported “Never” share of 20%. These are separate response categories from the same frequency measure: “Often” does not mean daily use, and “Never” is not the same as rarely. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 5
| Market | Often listen to AM/FM radio in the car |
|---|---|
| Germany | 38% |
| Japan | 21% |
| South Korea | 30% |
| U.S. | 34% |
| Report average across surveyed markets | 31% |
Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 5
The country differences show why a single average can hide variation in reported listening frequency. The largest “Often” share among these markets was Germany’s 38%, while Japan’s was 21%. This comparison does not show total radio reach or listening time, and it should not be generalized beyond the survey’s respondents. Radio frequency also sits alongside broader interest in content discovery: 66% of drivers said they would explore new content in the car if they had a safe and easy way to do so. That result signals potential interest without identifying which formats or services those drivers would choose. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), pp. 5–6
Finding something to listen to was not effortless for every respondent. In Germany, 19% said they never had trouble finding something to listen to in their vehicles. That wording describes the share reporting no difficulty at any time, not the share who always struggled. The statistic is useful alongside the desire for content organization: discovery and access are distinct questions, and the available figures do not show that one preference directly explains the other. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), pp. 3, 6
Car infotainment systems statistics: streaming, connectivity, and content demand
Vehicle owners in all four Gracenote markets reported whether they were streaming more, the same amount, or less content in their vehicles than a year earlier. The “More content” responses were 45% in Germany, 33% in Japan, 40% in South Korea, and 43% in the U.S. The report’s average was 40%. This is a self-reported comparison with the previous year, not a measurement of streaming hours, data consumption, or the number of services used. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 10
| Market | Streaming more content than a year earlier |
|---|---|
| Germany | 45% |
| Japan | 33% |
| South Korea | 40% |
| U.S. | 43% |
| Report average across surveyed markets | 40% |
Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 10
The result points to increased self-reported streaming for a substantial share of surveyed owners, alongside respondents who reported the same or less content. The data provided here do not specify the size of those latter groups, so the “More” figures should not be treated as a complete account of change. Gracenote separately asked whether owners wished their in-car systems offered more of what the internet offers. Agreement, combining “Strongly” and “Somewhat agree,” was 53% in Germany, 47% in Japan, 69% in South Korea, and 53% in the U.S.; the report average was 56%. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 10
South Korea had the highest reported agreement with wanting more of what the internet offers, at 69%, while Japan had the lowest at 47%. This is a measure of desired access, not a direct test of connectivity speed, coverage, or system capability. The survey does not establish that connectivity limitations caused the stated preference. It does show that the desire for a wider internet-like offering can coexist with current streaming behavior: current self-reported change and desired future access were asked as different questions. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 10
Content preferences were not limited to a general request for more online access. Across the four surveyed markets, 63% of vehicle owners wanted access to more music in their vehicles, and 22% wanted more podcasts. These are separate content categories from the report’s broader connectivity question. The higher music share indicates that demand for familiar audio formats remained salient within this survey, while the podcast figure documents a distinct stated interest. The findings do not indicate how many respondents already listened to either format or how much more access they wanted. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 11
Car infotainment systems statistics: purchase influence and video features
Respondents also considered whether a stronger in-dash experience could change their system preference. Gracenote asked about switching to an in-dash infotainment system if it offered everything available on a phone and more. “Yes” responses were 57% in Germany, 28% in Japan, 56% in South Korea, and 54% in the U.S. The report average was 49%. Japan had a larger “Maybe” share, 60%, than any of the other reported “Yes” values, which reinforces that stated likelihood is not the same as a completed switch. The question describes a hypothetical improved system, not a real-world adoption rate. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 8
| Market | Yes: would switch to an in-dash system offering phone content and more |
|---|---|
| Germany | 57% |
| Japan | 28% |
| South Korea | 56% |
| U.S. | 54% |
| Report average across surveyed markets | 49% |
Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 8
Video availability for passengers drew different levels of importance across markets. In 2025, 44% of German vehicle owners and 50% of Japanese owners said passenger video was very or somewhat important. The corresponding share was 55% in South Korea and 39% in the U.S. These responses concern video availability for passengers; they do not say that video should be shown to a driver while the vehicle is moving. Gracenote, In the driver’s seat (2025), p. 9
A separate DTS survey explored video as a purchase feature. Across its U.S. respondents, 46% said they were interested in in-vehicle video and more likely to purchase a specific brand if it included video; the report combines “Much more likely” and “Slightly more likely.” A further 37% said video that operates only when parked and/or only on passenger screens would make them more likely to want video as part of the dashboard or infotainment experience. The survey was fielded in 2023 among 1,015 U.S. consumers aged 17 or older who owned or leased a vehicle. These stated interests reflect the conditions described, rather than actual purchase behavior. DTS, Consumer Survey 2023, p. 5 and endnotes, p. 8
The DTS age breakdown points to stronger stated purchase interest among younger respondents in that sample. High-quality dashboard video capability would make 70% of respondents aged 17–24 more likely to purchase a specific model or brand; the share was 66% among ages 25–34 and 65% among ages 35–44. These figures combine “Much more likely” and “Slightly more likely,” and they concern a stated likelihood tied to high-quality video capability. They should be read as survey responses from U.S. owners and lessees, not as a forecast of sales or proof that video alone determines vehicle choice. DTS, Consumer Survey 2023, pp. 4, 8