The US House has passed a bill that would force every new car to include an AM radio. Lawmakers say it’s about public safety, even as carmakers and much of the world move on from analog radio.
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. The vote was a voice vote, so there’s no record of how each lawmaker voted. 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 fight comes down to one thing: AM radio is still a key part of the US emergency alert system. Most drivers now use streaming, FM, or satellite radio. But AM stations still send out warnings about hurricanes, tornadoes, and other disasters—especially in rural areas where cell service can fail. Supporters say that’s reason enough to keep analog radios in every new car, no matter how people’s habits change. Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallone have both said the bill is about public safety, not nostalgia or convenience.
The House bill mandates that AM radio receivers become standard equipment in all new vehicles, and prohibits automakers from charging extra for them.
Automakers have pushed back. Big car companies say adding AM radio means extra cost and headaches, especially in electric cars where high-voltage systems can mess 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 important. Trade publications like Radio Ink report that automakers also point to electromagnetic interference in EVs as a real technical problem for AM radio.
The National Association of Broadcasters calls the bill a public safety measure. They say AM radio reaches places where mobile networks can’t. Their numbers are clear: one in three Americans over 50 still listens to AM radio while driving. But most younger buyers use smartphones, FM, or satellite radio 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 repeat this point.
The House version of the bill had unusually broad support, with 317 co-sponsors, allowing it to pass under the expedited 'suspension of the rules' procedure. Meanwhile, the Senate companion bill (S. 315) has already cleared the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and is awaiting a full Senate vote.
But there’s a twist. A 2015 federal law already told the US to modernize its emergency alert system and rely less on AM radio. So the case for keeping analog radios as a life-saving tool isn’t as simple as it sounds. 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 out, transmitters are shutting 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 and no 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 and software-based 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 split. Europe is quietly erasing medium wave from cars, while the US may soon make it mandatory by law. The Senate will decide if American car buyers must keep paying for a feature most will never use, all in the name of public safety. This story shows that car rules depend as much on local politics as on technology. The US push to protect AM radio is a clear case of two markets heading in opposite directions—one holding on to the past, the other moving ahead.
