Car Radio

Update: 08/28/2026

• Bug Fixes: Fixed an issue where pie menu options did not appear on cars bought directly from parking spaces. A big thanks to Nikkimin for noticing this!

Brings fully functional radios to cars! Just click a vehicle to turn the radio on/off, change the station, skip tracks, or adjust the volume.

Features:

- Works exactly like regular in-game stereos.
- NPCs will turn on the radio while driving and play their favorite genres! (The chance of this happening is tunable).
- Service vehicles (police, ambulances, ice cream trucks, etc.) don't get radios by default. You can edit this list.
- All text is pulled directly from the game, meaning it's automatically translated into all languages (except for the pie menu).

Compatibility:

- It's a lightweight script mod. It doesn't override any core game files or write to your save file, so it's 100% safe to add or remove anytime. Please note, as of the 08/15/2026 update: while the radio is playing, the mod keeps the vanilla "Enjoying Music" moodlet alive with no timer (the one shown as "-"). Unlike a normal moodlet, that one never expires on its own and it is stored in your save (only my mod can end it). Before removing the mod: switch the car radio off, wait a few sim minutes for the moodlet to disappear, then save. After that the mod can be removed safely. If you already removed it and a sim is stuck with an "Enjoying Music" moodlet that never runs out: put the mod back and load that save. The moodlet will start counting down and disappear within a few sim minutes. Then save again and remove the mod.

XML Tuning (via s3pe):

- kAutonomyChance: The chance (in %) that another Sim will turn on the radio. Default: 60.
- kAutonomyPollMinutes: How often (in Sim minutes) the game checks for autonomy. Default: 1.
- kRadioMasterGain: Radio volume. Default: 0.7.
- kExcludedVehicleKeywords: A blacklist for vehicles (by class name) that shouldn't have radios. Default includes: Service,Police,Fire,IceCream,FoodTruck,Carpool,Limo,MovingVan,BusSchool,Siren,Repoman,MaidVan,Ambulance.
- kRadioMenuLabel: Fallback text for the pie menu. It auto-translates, but you can type in your own custom text here if you want.
- kAutoOffWhenParked: Automatically turns off the radio when your Sim's car is parked. Default: True.
- kPlayerAutonomyChance: The chance (in %) that your Sim will turn on the radio. Default: 50.
- kDanceAutonomyChance: The chance (in %) that another Sim will start dancing near a car with the radio on. Default: 25.
- kDanceMaxNpcDancers: The maximum number of Sims that will dance near a car at the same time. Default: 3.
- kNpcDanceMinutes: How many (in Sim minutes) another Sim will dance before stopping (does not affect the active Sim). Default: 60.
- kShowMusicNotesPlayer: Toggles music notes for the player's cars. Default: True.
- kShowMusicNotesNpcs: Toggles music notes for other Sims' cars. Default: True.
- kMusicNotesScale: The size of the music notes (maximum value is 5). Default: 0.4.

Install:

- Just drop CarRadio.package into your Mods/Packages folder. Done!

I highly recommend using this alongside "Realistically Slower Cars, Taxis, and Bikes" mod. It makes car rides last a bit longer so you can actually sit back and enjoy the music on your trip!