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You can expect to pay around £250-£300 for a fully integrated digital radio solution to be installed – semi-integrated solutions are cheaper and more flexible for other types of car. For this reason, they are suitable only for cars with dash or steering wheel controls available to be adapted. DAB radio information is displayed on your existing vehicle radio display, and you control the radio via your existing dash or steering wheel buttons. With this type, the only visible change to your car will be a new antenna. If they are installed correctly, your vehicle interior will look unchanged, and they have much better antennas, so you will get a much more stable radio signal.Īgain, there are two different types: Fully integrated
![play via radio app play via radio app](https://i.imgur.com/rL7AC7a.jpg)
However, they are complicated to install, and need to be put in by a trained professional, which increases the cost. However, they look far better, with only a new antenna visible. This approach uses the same technology as plug-in-and-play solutions, converting the digital signal to FM. Both types will detract from the look of your car interior, and can make it look cluttered. These are easier to set up, but are more difficult to use while driving. These plug directly into your car’s cigarette-lighter or power socket, and have an antenna wire that needs trailing up on to the top of your car’s dashboard.
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Both give you Bluetooth connectivity and the latter also has hands-free connectivity with your smartphone. Examples include the Pure Highway 400 and Pure Highway 600. These can be fiddly to install, as they have a long antenna wire that you trail up to the dashboard, and another cable that trails down to your car’s cigarette lighter socket for power.
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These fix on to your windscreen or dashboard, like a portable sat nav. There are generally two types: Windscreen or dash-mounted However, these devices are more likely to lose the radio signal than more sophisticated solutions because of their internal wire aerials. Plug-in-and-play devices get the DAB radio signal through their antennas and convert the signal to FM, which your existing car radio can then pick up (or it can get the signal via your car's 3.5mm aux-in socket if it has one). They usually plug into your car's 12V or cigarette lighter socket for power, and good ones typically cost £60-£100.
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They can be useful if you're looking for an inexpensive way to upgrade more than one vehicle, as it's relatively easy to move them from one car to another. Pricing and recommendations correct as of November 2021.Īlthough plug-in-and-play devices are arguably the simplest way to get digital radio, they can make your car interior look ugly, with lots of visible wires.
![play via radio app play via radio app](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H261846d95d8542b5bc4f761d13384721v.jpg)
To find out which DAB car adaptor this is and avoid a costly mistake, log in or join Which?. However, we were not impressed with the signal or sound quality from this radio, and you can’t store any presets either – this is one to avoid. It’s robustly built, the buttons are easy to press and it also has a lovely large LCD screen.
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This cheaper car DAB radio adaptor conveniently plugs into your car’s 12V power socket, so couldn’t be easier to install – although you still have to fix the antenna wire into position up the side of your car. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access. Only logged-in Which? members can view which models we're talking about in our table below. We've tried three popular models available on the high street and online to see which are worth your money. All you need to do is plug them in for power, fix in place the control unit, attach the aerial to your windscreen and neatly fix any wires into place. Plug-in-and-play DAB radio adaptors are the most popular way to get DAB radio in your car, since they don't require serious modifications to your car interior. And you’ll get lots of new digital stations to choose from as well. At some point in the future, the government will stop using FM radio to transmit national radio stations, such as BBC Radio 4, although it's likely that FM will still be used for local and community radio stations.Īs a result, if you have an older FM or AM radio in your car, you have four main options available if you want to carry on listening to your favourite national radio stations.