New Law Mandates AM Radio in All New Cars Sold in the US, Prioritizing Emergency Alerts Over Digital Trends

When you buy a new car in the next few years, you won't have to worry about whether it can pick up your local AM station. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2025 is setting a new federal standard, requiring that every new passenger vehicle manufactured for sale in the U.S. must come equipped with standard equipment capable of receiving and playing AM broadcast signals. This isn't just about preserving talk radio; it’s primarily about public safety and ensuring that the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)—which sends out those emergency alerts—remains accessible in cars, especially when cell service or the internet goes down.

The Secretary of Transportation, working with FEMA and the FCC, has one year to draft the specific rules, and the mandate generally kicks in two to three years after that rule is issued. However, the bill is flexible enough to allow manufacturers to use digital AM receivers instead of the old analog ones, acknowledging that technology is changing. If you’re a smaller manufacturer—meaning you sold 40,000 or fewer vehicles in 2022—you get a little more breathing room, with four years to comply.

The Emergency Alert Mandate: Why AM Still Matters

This whole push is driven by the fact that AM radio is often the last signal standing when a major disaster hits. It’s a resilient, low-frequency signal that can travel far and isn't dependent on cell towers or broadband infrastructure. For folks living in rural areas or those caught in a major power outage, AM radio can be a lifeline for critical information. This law essentially treats the AM receiver as an essential safety feature, much like airbags or seatbelts, ensuring that every driver has access to the primary broadcast emergency system. It also immediately stops state and local governments from creating their own conflicting rules about AM radio access in cars, creating a uniform national standard.

The Cost and the Consumer Catch

While the goal is solid, there’s always a cost when the government mandates new equipment. The bill specifies that the required equipment must be Standard Equipment—meaning it’s included in the base price, not charged as a separate add-on. However, if you’re buying a car between now and when the final rule takes effect, manufacturers who skip AM radio must clearly label the vehicle as lacking that capability. Crucially, during this interim period, if a manufacturer does include AM radio, they cannot charge a separate fee for it. This is a clear attempt to prevent manufacturers from turning AM access into a premium feature before the mandate hits, but it doesn't stop them from rolling the cost into the vehicle’s overall base price, which is likely where the compliance costs will end up landing.

A Study in Resilience

Perhaps the most interesting part of this bill is the required homework assignment for the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO has to conduct a deep dive study comparing AM radio’s reliability and accessibility for emergency alerts against other technologies used in the IPAWS system. They need to figure out if other methods—like satellite alerts or advanced cellular warnings—can reliably reach at least 90 percent of the U.S. population during a crisis, even at night. This study, which will be reported back to Congress, is key because it forces a data-driven look at whether AM radio is truly the best or only solution for in-car emergency alerts, or if there are more modern, equally reliable alternatives. The findings of this study will inform future reviews of the rule, which must happen at least every five years, ensuring the policy keeps pace with evolving communication technology.