Congress Pushes to Require AM Radios in All New Cars

In May 2023, bipartisan legislation dubbed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act was introduced in both the House and Senate, requiring all new passenger vehicles to include AM broadcast radio as standard equipment at no additional charge. The bill was prompted by a growing trend among electric vehicle manufacturers — led by Tesla — to drop AM radio from their cars, citing electromagnetic interference between AM signals and electric drivetrains.

Supporters argued that AM radio is a critical component of the national Emergency Alert System, capable of reaching millions of Americans during disasters when cell networks fail. The legislation enjoyed an unusual coalition spanning conservative talk radio audiences and progressive emergency-preparedness advocates. Critics, including some automakers, pushed back on the mandate, arguing that alternative alert systems were sufficient and that the interference problems in EVs were genuine engineering challenges.

Three years after Congress first took it up, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is still a bill, not a law, while Tesla and Rivian ship new models carrying neither AM nor FM tuners Digital Music News. The measure directs safety regulators to require free AM receivers as standard equipment in every new passenger vehicle, a safeguard broadcasters tie to the more than 80 million Americans who listen monthly, often for storm alerts AP. Automakers call the mandate unnecessary, though Ford restored the band in May 2023 once Washington threatened to require it. Watch the House floor, where the bill has waited since November 2025, and the surface transportation package that could carry it into law by September 30.