Got a broken car radio? There are many broken car radio alternatives you could try out. To start with, you could completely change the car radio system or even use a portable Bluetooth speaker designed for this purpose.
Your car radio may have gone bad due to a blown fuse, damaged antenna, damaged tuner, or problem with the wiring. Whatever the case may be, know there are alternatives.
In a hurry? A great cheap portable solution would be the BESIGN portable car speaker, which clips onto your sun visor.
Best Broken Car Radio Alternatives
Your radio is useless when broken. So here are some of the broken car radio alternatives you can try out.
Portable Car Speaker
There are portable car speakers that can serve as broken car radio alternatives, and here’s the reason. These speakers can be stashed in strategic locations where they can sit and produce the best sound wave reproduction.
More so, most of these speakers support auxiliary input and wireless connection via Bluetooth. Hence, you could get one, connect it to your phone via aux or Bluetooth and enjoy your drive with cool music playing from the speaker.
The BESIGN BK06S is a solid option specifically designed to be used as a portable car speaker and can clip onto your sun visor.
It’s also in a precise position for easy access and for hearing the sounds and or picking up your voice when you’re on a phone call.
A New Head Unit
Getting a new head unit is more like getting a brand-new car stereo system. Well, it’s worth the buy if you really need a car radio on your vehicle, especially if the problem with your old car radio is unfixable.
Interestingly, you could switch from an analog car radio (head unit) to digital options. A good example is the Pioneer AVH-1400NEXD with Android Auto and wireless CarPlay support.
Installing a new head unit can bring whole-new entertainment vibes with new features to explore.
Pro Tip: Sometimes, it isn’t easy to install a head unit following Youtube DIY practices. So getting a professional car electrician to fix the new head unit may be a wise thing to do. Is Best Buy good place for a car stereo install? In short, yes, we recommend it over a DIY install.
The use of car MP3 players
Yeah, car MP3 players are now pretty advanced with several functions, including hands-free calls. For example, a standard car MP3 player would allow you to put music on a USB drive for car audio, SD card, Bluetooth (wirelessly), or through your mobile phone via AUX connection.
However, before choosing to go with car MP3 players, you must ensure your car speakers can still produce sound. Also, your native car radio tuner needs to be functioning to some degree too.
This is because the MP3 player needs to tune to a particular radio frequency, which it uses to transmit audio to your car stereo. So you can hear the sounds from the car speakers.
Note: Car MP3 players are also called FM Transmitters. The Sumind Car Bluetooth FM Transmitter is an excellent buy.
Car phone mounts
As awkward as it may sound, you could get yourself a good car phone mount, place your phone on it, and stream from your device. But note that you may not get satisfying sound, hence the need for a compact car speaker to boost the sound quality.
Car phone mounts come in different designs and colors. So choosing the right fit for your car is necessary. The Ottie Car mount holds up pretty well on dashboards, and it’s very flexible. There are, however, other excellent car phone mounts, such as the Loncaster Car Phone Holder. Its design is unique, though.
We wrote an article about the best Apple carplay phone mount, which outlines some other great alternatives.
Conclusion
As noted, a broken car radio is not entirely useless. Here are some of the best-broken car radio alternatives you should try out. Getting a new head unit seems to be an expensive option, but if that’s what suits you best, it’s a great choice.
It is important to note that a faulty antenna is a common issue with car radios. So, have your antenna checked before concluding you need to get an alternative set/device for music playback or FM radio.
