Carmakers have ‘let down’ music-loving Brits by ditching CD gamers

UK carmakers have been accused of ‘letting down’ down seven million music fans who listen to CDs in their cars, after it emerged all mainstream car manufacturers have stopped putting the players in new models.

A trade body which represents music, video and gaming retailers, described the move by vehicle producers as ‘remarkably short-sighted’ saying it will stop people ‘listening to the music they love’.

Last week, we revealed Which? found there were no new cars with CD players on sale. The consumer group revealed that Subaru, the last brand to sell a car with the device, removed the technology earlier this year.

In response, ERA, the digital entertainment and retail association, has carried out research which it says shows seven million individuals still listen to CDs in their cars. 

This is about 20 per cent of the estimated 34.5 million English residents aged 17 and over who hold a full driving licence.

UK carmakers have been accused of ‘letting down’ down seven million music fans who listen to CDs in their cars, after it emerged all mainstream car manufacturers have stopped putting the players in new models

The ERA said its research showed that 15 per cent of the UK adult population ‘reported that they listen to music on CD in their cars’.

ERA chief executive Kim Bayley said: ‘This is a remarkably short-sighted move by carmakers to stop fans listening to the music they love.’

People listening to CDs in their cars is only slightly less than those who do so in the home, the ERA added.

But the numbers using CDs at home and in the car has dropped significantly in the last five years, research shows.

The trade body added that while there had been a ‘sharp slide’ in CD sales over the past 20 years – down to 11.4m in 2023 from 170m in 2004 – in recent years there had been signs of a ‘rebound’.

It pointed to the revival in vinyl sales with 18 years of successive growth for that format.

The ERA said its research showed that 15 per cent of the UK adult population ‘reported that they listen to music on CD in their cars’

Ms Bayley said: ‘Carmakers seem to be looking through the rear-view mirror when it comes to CD.

‘The lesson of vinyl is you should never write off a music format. Even today 50 per cent more people say they listen to music on CD as on vinyl.’

She added: ‘Taylor Swift is leading the way. The 172,000 CDs sold in the UK this year of her latest album The Tortured Poets Department is more than the three biggest-selling cars in the UK last year combined.

‘Car manufacturers should listen to the Swifties and give the CD another chance.’

There have been CDs in car for about four decades.

Mercedes-Benz was the first to have included them in their vehicles in 1985.

According to reports, as recently as last year a number of new models had still included the technology, such as the Porsche 718 and Lexus LC.

The day the music died: Subaru was the last brand to have sold a model with in-car CD player

Drivers aren’t happy about death of the CD player – will they return?

Drivers have already made the complaints about not being able to play their CD in their new motors, writes motoring editor Rob Hull.

As part of the latest annual Which? Car Reliability Survey, drivers were asked what frustrates them most about their cars – any many respondents expressed their dismay about the lack of a CD player.

‘Very disappointed that there was no option to have a CD player fitted,’ said one Ford Focus Estate (2018 to present) owner, while a Dacia Sandero (2013-2021) driver commented: ‘I bemoan the lack of a CD player.’ Many other owners simply exclaimed: ‘No CD player!’

The lack of CD players means that buyers of new cars now need to familiarise themselves with the world of streaming music on the move. 

The advantage is that you can listen to a vast library of songs in your car. And with many cars linking seamlessly to your phone by Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, streaming from services such as Amazon Music and Spotify has never been easier.

However, operating streaming services via infotainment screens is another distraction for drivers when on the move.

Independent car safety body, Euro NCAP, earlier this year announced plans to downgrade the safety ratings of cars that don’t have physical buttons for controlling five key functions over concerns about distraction.

From 1 January 2026, vehicles without physical hard buttons or switches for the indicators, hazard lights, horn, windscreen wipers and SOS function will also receive lower marks in crash tests.

Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP, explained: ‘The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle-maker moving key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes.’