This Iconic Car Feature Is Officially Dead In 2026

As of 2026, cars with built-in CD players are a thing of the past. The 2025 models of the Subaru Outback, Lexus IS, and Lexus RC were among the final holdouts for the iconic feature first introduced with the 1987 Lincoln Town Car. Subaru's 2026 Outback was released in late 2025, dropping the CD player. Meanwhile, Lexus is redesigning the IS without a CD player and discontinuing the RC series altogether. There are no car models currently in production that offer a CD player as a factory-included feature.

Interestingly, Lexus was also one of the last brands to offer cassette decks in its cars. The 2010 Lexus SC 430 convertible was the last model with an in-dash cassette player, keeping the tapes alive long after their popularity waned. Now, physical music media is leaving the road for good — which is a shame considering that car audio systems sound better than most home speakers.

So what are you supposed to do with your collection of CDs now? Disc-based music is still relevant, and in fact, CDs are coming back to the mainstream in a big way. There is a present demand for playing CDs on the go, and that's why attachable CD player peripherals and aftermarket CD player installation kits continue to sell.

Installing an aftermarket CD player is a decent alternative to relying on music streaming apps. Connecting your phone via Bluetooth, USB, or AUX might give you access to a seemingly infinite library of online tunes, but CDs are not out of the picture just yet. After all, there are some uncomfortable truths about using Spotify, including an abundance of AI slop and poor payment for artists. Buying CDs is still one of the best ways to support musicians, particularly indie artists. It's worth sticking to physical media even if the CD player is officially a dead feature in modern cars.