The imprint on the devices' casing states that they were designed in the UK and manufactured in China. The tick mark shows that the radio is capable of receiving not only DAB and the extended range of DAB+ radio stations, but FM radio as well , so you can be sure you don’t lose any stations.

As long as you are in the broadcasting area, the sound quality is crystal clear and free of any static noise. The tech is now fitted to almost every new car as standard, and is how more than 60 per cent of us listen to the radio. Although plug-in-and-play devices are arguably the simplest way to get digital radio, they can make your car interior look ugly, with lots of visible wires. As stipulated by law, all radio devices supporting RDS (which allows to display some basic information such as station name) need to be able to do the same with DAB+ (which will allow for a whole range of additional information). Simply stick the aerial to your windscreen, plug the power lead into your 12V socket, and mount the smartphone-like colour display using a suction pad.If you really like DAB radio then it's probably worth a punt, however for us we will wait until these issues have been addressed in version 2.

Our other gripe is that the aerial is designed for fitment to left-hand drive cars and was a pain to install, requiring professional removal of the A-pillar trim. A DAB+ radio uses an MPEG-4 audio-codec, which is considered to be one of the best codes, while DAB radios use the inferior MPEG-1 codec to compress files. According to the motto “Hit Music Only” the station really plays hits only, and the programme is rarely interrupted by presenters. The other main gripe is that so many of us have satnav devices on our windscreen already that sticking yet another device up there is likely to make your dashboard even more crowded.It’s quite simple: DAB+ radios allow you to receive all your preferred stations at the best possible quality and without any static noise. If you are outside the transmission range, you won’t receive anything at all – no music, no sound, but also no static noise. Internet radio obviously offers an even larger choice, however: Digital radio is the safest bet in sparsely populated areas with unreliable internet reception.

On the contrary, Digital Audio Broadcasting offers an infinite number of radio programmes to choose from. The largish box sits on a cradle similar to satnav devices and plugs into your cigarette lighter for power. Beware that this can be a very costly solution, as it counts against your smartphone’s data allowance, so watch your data usage and check your smartphone subscription to see whether this is viable for you.A Swiss station that plays Jazz Standards, Swing, Bebop, Soul and Blues – all day long and without being interrupted by commercial breaks or presenters.

And if that was not enough, the signal can transmit additional information such as artist, song title, album cover and even videos. This Anker Soundsync is a simple device that plugs into an Aux slot and allows you to wirelessly connect a smartphone to it, allowing for an unintrusive way to wirelessly connect to an older car's entertainment system. The attachment usually depends on the model; it will either be fixed to the rubber seal or on the outside of the vehicle. The unit struggled to find even the BBC’s national stations, and couldn’t hold them when we were in areas of low reception. As a result, if you have an older FM or AM radio in your car, you have four main options available if you want to carry on listening to your favourite national radio stations.

You can connect your phone through your car’s aux in if it has one, or through a separate Bluetooth car kit, such as the Parrot Handsfree Kit. Pure DAB radio alarms are also available with integrated/external batteries and, depending on model, colour display. Obviously, this has its benefits too, as digital radio offers additional services, perfect sound quality and a myriad of programmes.