Ever wonder the percentage of car audio customers that are under the age of 40? According to the 2026 SEMA Market Report the answer is 61%.
SEMA also found that the DIY share of installations in the sound systems & audio accessories category for 2025 was 48%. By comparison that figure in 2024 was 64%.
What share of aftermarket sound systems & audio accessories is purchased online? The answer is 57%.
So roughly half the car audio business is DIY and half of it is purchased online.
Of the 43% of the market purchased in-store, what percentage is through a specialty retailer/installer? 9%!
The remaining in-store purchases are through the following: 12% at a vehicle dealership, 6% each at a general retail chain and auto parts chain, 3% direct from a parts manufacturer, 2% from a car/truck show, 1% from a tire shop and 4% listed as “other.”
SEMA defines sound systems & audio accessories as radios, speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers, satellite radio add ons and “other mobile electronics products.” It does not include alarms and security products, navigation, mobile video screens or ADAS.
SEMA found that the size of the sound system & accessories market for 2025 was $1.10 billion, the same as in 2024 and down slightly from both 2022 and 2023 at $1.12 billion.
The chart below shows the share of vehicles (in dollars) receiving sound system products:
The 2026 SEMA Market Report is free (even to non-members). You can request a copy here. See more information on the car alarm/security, ADAS and Mobile Video (dash cams, monitors) categories.
For the main market sizing data, SEMA collects results directly from the end-consumer, surveying over 20,000 drivers across the country to find out what they drive, what they buy, where they shop, etc. This is used to estimate the market sizing along with triangulation with feedback from the business side and additional outside (government, etc.) sources, said SEMA Senior Director of Market Research, Gavin Knapp.
SEMA is not exactly qualified to speak on behalf of the12V industry, they have continually shown their disdain for it as well by recent actions towards brands in our industry and their show with abuse of power by show management. Lets be honest the online business of today is hard to ignore, and the DIY craze that came during COVID seemed to of stuck around we knew this already. Under 40 is quite vague i think we all know they are but not so much to say “younger” than any of us already assumed, again we knew this. The reality is most of the “younger generation” under 20 doesn’t even want to drive let alone upgrade a car which they are not driving nor do they own.. The survey was conducted with groups of people who sign up to be a part of surveys, third-party panel companies that recruit people through digital ad networks, affiliate partnerships, and direct opt-in web portals where users explicitly sign up to take verified consumer surveys so i am not sure if that is the right audience to ask either..