Every new car in the United States could soon need an AM radio after the House of Representatives passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The bill, H.R. 979, cleared the House on September 15, 2026, in a voice vote, so there’s no record of how each lawmaker voted. It would make AM receivers standard equipment in all new vehicles and bar automakers from charging extra. This is the first time either chamber of Congress has moved the bill forward, after years of pressure from radio groups and public safety officials.
The House version had 317 co-sponsors, allowing it to pass under the expedited “suspension of the rules” procedure, Radio Ink reported. The Senate companion bill (S. 315) has cleared the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and is awaiting a full Senate vote.
The fight comes down to one thing: AM radio remains a basic part of the US emergency alert system. Most drivers now use streaming or radio services such as FM and satellite, but AM stations still send out warnings about disasters, including hurricanes and tornadoes. Those warnings matter especially in rural areas where cell service can fail. Supporters say that’s reason enough to keep analog radios in every new car, regardless of changing listening habits. Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallone have framed the bill as a public safety measure, not a matter of nostalgia or convenience.
Automakers have pushed back. Big car companies say adding AM radio brings extra costs and technical challenges, especially in electric cars, where high-voltage systems can interfere with analog signals. Ford tried to drop AM radio from its Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning. After public backlash, Ford reversed course on one model and dropped the other. Car companies argue that most buyers never use AM and that modern alert systems have made old radio hardware less impressive. Trade publications like Radio Ink report that automakers also cite electromagnetic interference in EVs as a real technical problem for AM radio.
The National Association of Broadcasters calls the bill a public safety measure. It says AM radio reaches places where mobile networks can’t. Its figures show that one in three Americans over 50 still listens to AM radio while driving. Most younger buyers, but, use smartphones or radio, including FM and satellite, for news and music. Lawmakers backing the bill say AM radio is often the only way to get emergency alerts in remote or disaster-hit areas. Public safety advocates and official press releases make the same point.
There’s a complication. A 2015 federal law already directed the US to modernize its emergency alert system and rely less on AM radio. That makes the case for keeping analog radios as a life-saving tool less straightforward. One industry analyst points out that most people don’t skip buying a car just because it lacks AM radio. The law could end up serving a shrinking group, while most drivers have moved on.
Europe shows a different path. AM radio has quietly disappeared from new cars there. No law requires it, and carmakers have dropped medium wave receivers from their European models. The focus is now on DAB+ digital radio, which Brussels promotes and countries adopt at their own pace. Medium wave is fading as transmitters shut down, and the debate over analog is mostly over.
Spain is a good example. AM radio has vanished from new cars without fuss, since there’s no legal rule or public protest. Regulators are focused elsewhere. For example, Spanish drivers now risk fines if their cars don’t have a connected V16 emergency beacon, as reported earlier. The difference with the US is stark: while Europe moves to digital services, US lawmakers are fighting to keep a technology that much of the world has left behind.
For Spanish readers, the US bill won’t change anything soon. But it shows how rules can diverge: Europe is quietly erasing medium wave from cars, while the US may soon make it mandatory by law. The Senate will decide whether American car buyers must pay for a feature most will never use, all in the name of public safety. Car rules depend as much on local politics as on technology. The US push to protect AM radio reflects a different course from Europe’s move toward newer services.
