Which Cars Have Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for 2022?

Since their mid-decade launch, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have required a physical USB connection in almost all cases. But new in-car multimedia systems are beginning to offer wireless integration of the two platforms — first among aftermarket stereos, but more recently from a few factory systems. In the span of just a few model years, wireless integration of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto has gone from rare to widespread. Although most cars still require a conventional tethered USB connection for either integration, numerous models now offer wireless CarPlay or Android Auto — the latter showing up more recently, but in some cases addable to previous model years via over-the-air updates.

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BMW was the first automaker to the party, offering wireless Apple CarPlay on select cars beginning with the 2017 model year. Still, wireless CarPlay from the factory isn’t a given and wireless Android Auto is still aftermarket-only. The vast majority of both platforms today still require a physical USB cable. We originally published a comprehensive list of all models offering a wireless smartphone integration feature in 2019, but availability has increased considerably since.

For the full list and further information on what we know about each feature, keep reading.

Which Cars Offer Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for 2022?

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

• Acura: MDX, RDX
• Audi: A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, E-Tron, E-Tron GT, Q3, Q5, Q7, Q8
• BMW: 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, 8 Series, iX, i4, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, Z4
• Buick: Enclave, Encore GX, Envision
• Cadillac: CT4, CT5, Escalade/Escalade ESV, XT4, XT5, XT6
• Chevrolet: Blazer, Bolt EV, Bolt EUV, Camaro, Corvette, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado 1500, Silverado 1500 LTD, Silverado 2500/3500, Suburban/Tahoe, Trailblazer, Traverse
• Chrysler: Pacifica
• Dodge: Durango
• Ford: Bronco, Edge, E-Transit, Expedition/Expedition Max, F-150, F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E
• GMC: Acadia, Hummer EV, Sierra 1500, Sierra 1500 LTD, Terrain, Yukon/Yukon XL
• Honda: Accord, Civic
• Hyundai: Accent, Elantra, Ioniq (excludes Ioniq 5), Kona, Kona EV, Palisade, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Sonata, Tucson, Venue
• Infiniti: Q50, Q60, QX50, QX55, QX60, QX80
• Jeep: Compass, Grand Cherokee/Grand Cherokee L, Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer
• Kia: Carnival, Forte, K5, Niro, Rio, Sorento
• Lincoln: Navigator, Nautilus
• Maserati: Ghibli, Levante, MC20, Quattroporte
• Porsche: 911, Cayenne, Panamera, Taycan
• Ram: 1500, 2500/3500, ProMaster
• Toyota: Tundra
• Volkswagen: Arteon, Atlas/Atlas Cross Sport, Golf GTI/Golf R, ID.4, Jetta, Taos, Tiguan

Wireless Apple CarPlay Only

• BMW: X1, X2
• Nissan: Armada, Pathfinder, Rogue
• Porsche: Macan
• Toyota: Supra

Specifics to Note

Some caveats exist for the two lists above. For cars that offer wireless Apple CarPlay or wireless Android Auto integration, the feature may not always be standard. In many cases, automakers restrict wireless access to certain trim levels or optional packages, with conventional wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto elsewhere. In similar fashion, certain variants related to the root nameplate (a hybrid or high-performance version, for example) may also offer the feature, so you’ll want to research the model therein for more specifics. We point out differentiations (the Golf GTI versus the regular Golf, for example) whenever possible.

Finally, this information reflects what we’ve learned from major automakers at the time of this writing, excluding exotic or ultra-luxury brands. Technologies can, and increasingly do, change down the road as automakers incorporate cars that can accept over-the-air updates. BMW, for one, now offers wireless Android Auto in certain models via over-the-air updates to its Live Cockpit Professional and iDrive 7 interface. It’s possible other cars with similar capabilities may do the same, though it’s less likely that current models with neither wireless Apple CarPlay nor wireless Android Auto will get one or both, for reasons we lay out below.

Further questions? Here’s what we know.

How Does the Connection Work?

The connection needs in-vehicle Wi-Fi, as Bluetooth alone isn’t robust enough. The latter enables phone calls or streaming music, but it ultimately supports relatively little data. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto need a hardier connection — the impetus behind a physical cable in the first place, which both systems required at inception. A Wi-Fi connection to the multimedia system through an in-vehicle router accommodates more data. It’s the “only wireless protocol that has enough bandwidth to support phone mirroring,” explained David Amodeo, J.D. Power’s global director of automotive.

The downside of such a data-intensive connection? It kills your battery. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can exact such a heavy drain that we’ve observed phones tethered to older-generation USB ports lose their battery charge while using the systems, so robust charging sources are a must. Wireless charging pads have answered the call — a feature that’s proliferated across the industry, especially in cars with wireless Apple CarPlay.

If My Car Already Has Wi-Fi, Could I Get Wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto?

That’s unlikely because it isn’t that simple. Almost all cars with in-vehicle Wi-Fi (think GM’s built-in 4G LTE hot spot) have a single-band router, explained Colin Bird-Martinez, former senior tech analyst at IHS Markit. And just like good Wi-Fi at home needs a dual-band router — one for phones and laptops, the other to stream Netflix — any car with wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto needs unique dual-band hardware, Bird-Martinez said.

Another requirement? An in-vehicle GPS receiver, which most cars package with in-dash navigation. Even if you seldom use the car’s system, any smartphone connected to wireless CarPlay will hitch a ride on its GPS signal. Like the dual-band router, it’s all for the sake of minimizing interference.

“Your phone has a modem, and it also has a Wi-Fi receiver, and it also has GPS — and if you’re connected to Wi-Fi and you’re trying to use GPS at the same time, there can be interference,” Bird-Martinez said. “If you’re using wireless [CarPlay], you must have a navigation system in your car.”

For similar reasons, don’t expect automakers to enable conventional Apple CarPlay or Android Auto to work wirelessly down the road. It’s doubtful that many of them, if any at all, have the right hardware.

Does the Connection Require a Paid Subscription to the Car’s Wi-Fi?

No. The Wi-Fi hot spot is separate, enabling devices inside the car to go online without using cellular data. Cars with it generally charge a monthly subscription fee after a free trial period, but BMW and Audi both confirmed the subscription need not be active for wireless Apple CarPlay to work. That said, your car may require a paid subscription to keep Apple CarPlay active in any form.

One final caveat: Without any active Wi-Fi hot spot in the car, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will likely use your phone’s cellular data regardless of whether it’s through a USB cord or wireless connection. That, of course, may result in you incurring extra charges on your cellphone bill depending on data usage.

More From Cars.com:

• What Is Apple CarPlay?
• What Is Android Auto?
• Android Auto Gets Easier on the Eyes
• Do Apple CarPlay, Android Auto Keep Data From Your Smartphone?
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Vs. Native Car Tech: What’s More Distracting?

Is the Wireless Connection Slower Than a Physical Connection?

It shouldn’t be. Ivy Chen, communications lead at Google’s Android Auto division, called the data transfer for wireless Android Auto “robust,” adding that the experience “should be consistent whether the user is connected via USB or wireless.”

Apple officials did not respond to Cars.com’s questions for this report, but Bird-Martinez said a wireless connection shouldn’t add much lag. “The purpose of the dual band is to make sure the screen projection isn’t on the same channel as devices connected to the hot spot,” he said. “In theory, the latency should be minimal.”

When Will More Cars Have Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

It’s hard to say. Chen said wireless Android Auto will expand, while Audi expanded wireless Apple CarPlay to become available across most of its lineup for the 2021 model year. Mercedes-Benz said in 2018 that its MBUX multimedia system would support wireless CarPlay, but there’s been no update for the full 2022 lineup.

Bird-Martinez warns that the full cost of hardware will limit which cars offer it at first.

“Requiring the GPS [and] navigation and the dual-band router is expensive tech that you’ll usually only find on luxury cars right now,” he said. “It’ll grow slowly over the next couple of years.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated Feb. 9, 2022.

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