As car technology races ahead, one of the oldest features in the dashboard is back in the spotlight: AM radio. In the United States, lawmakers are advancing a bill that would require every new vehicle to include an AM receiver, even as automakers argue that consumers no longer need it.
The decline of AM in new cars isn’t accidental. Electric vehicles generate electromagnetic interference that makes AM signals noisy and unreliable, and solving that problem adds cost and complexity. With most drivers turning to smartphones, streaming apps, or FM, carmakers saw little reason to keep AM. Some gasoline-powered cars have also followed this trend, dropping the feature quietly in recent years.
Congress Says It’s About Safety
Supporters of the new bill argue that AM remains crucial in emergencies. When cell towers go down and internet connections fail, AM broadcasts can still reach entire regions with vital updates. “AM radio is a lifeline to critical and life-saving information,” said Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, who is sponsoring the measure. Emergency managers share that view, stressing that AM requires no subscription and can operate when modern systems collapse.
Unusually for today’s divided politics, the measure has attracted strong bipartisan backing, with more than 300 cosponsors in the House. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, who helped broker the deal, said automakers promised to cooperate. The bill now requires the Department of Transportation to mandate AM in all new cars within a year, at no extra cost to buyers. The rule would last for eight years before Congress reviews it again.
Critics See a Relic
Not everyone is convinced. Rep. Jay Obernolte of California voted against the bill, arguing it forces consumers to buy a feature most never use. He pointed to FEMA data showing that only about 1% of Americans currently receive alerts via AM radio. Automakers, too, warn that adding AM back into EVs could increase costs without real consumer demand.
The debate highlights a larger question: should governments preserve old technologies for safety, even when most people have moved on? To some, Congress’s insistence on keeping AM radio feels out of place in a world where nearly everything runs through smartphones and digital networks. Yet lawmakers argue that emergencies can still knock out those systems — and AM remains one of the simplest, most resilient ways to broadcast.
For now, that caution seems to have won. If the bill passes, AM radio will remain in every new car in America, whether or not drivers choose to tune in. It’s a reminder that in an age of high-tech cars, sometimes the oldest tools are still seen as the most reliable lifelines.
