How to Play CDs in a Car with no CD Player?

The world of tech constantly moves on and progresses, and so it should. But, sometimes, just sometimes, we’re not quite ready to say goodbye to technology when the rest of the world is.

This can be the case with CDs for some people…

You may have invested thousands of dollars in your CD collection and still have some primo stuff in there. Or, you may even be new to CDs, but love them because they can now be snapped up for pennies a disc.

Either way, you’re going to have a problem playing them in many cars. But all hope is not lost. If you want to know how to play CDs in a car with no CD player, I’ve got a bunch of different ways to help you do just that.

Cars That Have No CD Players

I remember when we got a new car back in 2011. I grabbed my book of CDs, and we jumped in to take it for that memorable first spin. But wait, where was the CD player?

After fiddling around for a while, we finally realized that the stereo face had a flip-down cover. Ah-ha! But no, the only things under that were a 3.5mm jack and a USB port.

What the…?

It seemed that tech had already moved on, and our new car no longer supported my music collection. This is the case with most newer cars, say from 2010 onward. So, if you’ve got yourself a ride that’s less than 15 years old, don’t expect it to have a CD player, because the chances of that are ultra-slim.

But, in case you’re driving an older car…

You might find yourself having the same problem from a different direction. In 1987, the Lincoln Town Car was the first model to have a CD player built in straight out of the factory. By about 1990, almost every new car was including this amazing new technology.

So if you’re driving a classic, pre-1990 vehicle, you probably won’t have a CD player either. You might have a tape deck, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish.

If you have a car that’s too old or too new to include a CD player, we have to look at the options that you can use so that you can still play CDs in a car without a CD player.

Option 1 – Plug In an External CD Player

The first option for most people would probably be plugging in an external CD player to your car stereo. Of course, that creates some concerns about where you would locate the CD player and having extra wires messing up your stereo setup.

But it’s still probably the cheapest and most convenient way to play CDs in a car with no CD player.

Of course, I’m talking about a compact CD player. These are normally known by the Sony-created model name “Discman,” but there are tons of other brands that made these portable CD players.

And guess what?

Many of them still do, surprisingly. You can find yourself an inexpensive but reliable CD player for as little as $50, like this model from Arafuna. It uses a rechargeable 2000mAh battery and has 100-second anti-skip protection that you’ll be thankful for when driving over rough roads.

Now, you can also pay a lot more and probably get more reliable anti-skip. But at least it’s good to know you can get started for a pretty low price.

Now, how to connect it?

The Line Out from any personal CD player or portable CD player is going to be a 1/8” or 3.5mm jack. This is also known as a standard headphone jack. So, if your car also has a 3.5mm input jack, you’re golden.

You can pick up a double-male 3.5mm cable and pretty much plug and play. However, you should think about where you’re going to position the CD player first.

Then get a cable long enough to reach that place comfortably, but not so overly long as to get in the way. For most cars, a 3.3-foot (1m) cable like this one from Synchwire will do the trick nicely.

If your car stereo doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack…

It will almost certainly have a USB-A port instead. Or, it might have both, so you can choose which is more convenient for you. USB-A, by the way, is the original USB size that you usually find on computers and charger adapters.

If you want to connect via USB instead, you can grab a cable that has USB-A on one end and the 3.5mm male connector on the other. Again, a 3.3-foot (1m) cable like this one from Koopao is probably all you need.

Finally, if you’re driving an older car…

Chances are good that you won’t have a 3.5mm jack or USB port in your old stereo. Well, you still have a way to connect to a CD player if you have a tape deck.

Cassette tape adapters like this one from Arsvita can go from the 3.5mm jack to your tape deck. These adapters are inexpensive, but they aren’t known to be extremely reliable. So, if you’re going to use this method, I recommend ordering a couple at a time.

Option 2 – Connect Wirelessly to an External CD Player

If the idea of having messy cables around your stereo offends you, don’t worry. Once again, portable CD player manufacturers have got you sorted. There are all sorts of brands and models that support Bluetooth now.

As long as your car also supports a Bluetooth wireless connection, you can use this option…

However, many car stereos will only connect to mobile phones and tablets, or “smart” products. Therefore you might want to check your user manual before you buy to be sure.

CD players like the HOTT C105 come with Bluetooth and a range of about 30 feet, more than enough to reach your stereo.

They do tend to cost more than non-Bluetooth devices since they offer more connectivity, but about $100 should still sort you out. They can also be connected with the same cables we talked about earlier if you need to.

But there is another option…

A way to connect wirelessly to a portable CD player that you might not be aware of. A few CD player models can function as FM transmitters. In other words, they can send out an FM radio wave signal over a short range that you can then pick up with your car’s radio.

The Hott C105 has both Bluetooth and FM transmission, so it can basically be used in any car, new or old. This is a great option for any car that doesn’t have Bluetooth. Older cars will still be able to pick up FM transmissions as long as they have an FM radio. So, there’s basically no car this won’t work with.

There are some drawbacks…

Using a portable CD player like an FM transmitter does introduce the problem of interference. You can set the FM frequency that you want to use to one that’s not being broadcast in your area.

However, if you live in a bigger city that has lots of FM radio stations, you might find it hard to choose a frequency that doesn’t get another radio station bleeding into it, at least in some parts of town.

Option 3 – Install a Multi-Disc CD Changer

I’m assuming that you don’t want to rip out your car’s stereo and replace it with a somewhat retro one that includes a CD player. Of course, that’s an option, but then you’ll be driving a car WITH a CD player, and you don’t need this article.

So, if you want to keep your car stereo as it is, there’s another way to get CDs playing in a car without a CD player.

And it’s kind of retro…

Back in the 90s, when CDs were THE technology for car audio, there were things known as CD changers. These were control units that sat in the trunk of your car and held up to 100 CDs (if you were a baller).

You used the stereo unit to select the disc and the track since the CD changer was wired into your system. This put an end to the fumbling and scratching that most people associate with CDs.

At the same time, you never saw your discs, so you either had to remember what was in there or spend a lot of time scanning.

True, these devices don’t seem to be made anymore…

But you can still find an “aftermarket” or used one and get it installed. Most professional installers can hook this up to your car stereo with no problem for about $100. The unit might cost you anywhere from $100 upwards, but you can probably find a good deal on a slightly used changer.

Option 4 – Use a CD Player with Speakers

Yeah, I mean, this is an option, but not perhaps your first choice. The truth is that you can get a CD player with decent speakers, AKA a boom box, and play your CDs with it in your car. Yes, I’m talking about bypassing your car stereo entirely and just playing from the box.

Sound crazy?

Well, it pretty much is. Your car stereo should have bigger, better speakers than any little boom box would. And, of course, the sound comes from all around you, so it’s more immersive.

At the same time, though, if you will only play your CDs in the car once in a while and will listen to them elsewhere, you could get a CD player boombox and use it for lots of applications (in the car, at home, outside, on picnics, etc.).

The good news here is that many of these units, like the B3 from Klim, use rechargeable batteries. And they’re also cheap. They cost about the same as you’d pay for a small personal CD player. But, of course, they’ll take up more space in your ride.

Other Solutions for How to Play CDs in a Car With No CD Player

If you haven’t found the right option for getting your favorite CDs into your car’s audio system so far, there’s still hope.

Get a New Car Stereo

Of course, you can install an aftermarket stereo with a CD player in your car. You can get a single-DIN (small) one like this one from Boss. Or, a Double-DIN stereo with a touchscreen like this model from Inexaccessories.

You just need to remove the stereo you currently have, disconnect it, connect the new one, and then install the new stereo.

Of course, you might need some YouTube videos to help you to do that on your particular car model. And you might need to buy a new harness adapter to connect the new stereo if it doesn’t come with one.

A bit of electronic know-how wouldn’t hurt, either…

For many people, a better option is just to pay a professional to install it for them. Of course, this will cost you some money, normally around $100-150. The stereo itself can cost from about $60 for no bells and whistles to a few hundred dollars, depending on what you want it to do.

You do need to know that there is some risk involved here. You can get a cheap stereo, but because it’s not the one provided by the car manufacturer, it might not work perfectly well with your car.

There is also the risk of improper installation of the new stereo. So, be sure to choose a qualified installer if you don’t know how to do it yourself.

Convert Your CDs to MP3s

Also known as “ripping” audio files, this is the way to bring yourself and your music into the modern era. I hate to say it, but you will have to do this eventually.

The big problem with CDs is that they are made of plastic coated with foil. The foil can scratch, and the plastic can crack and warp over time. Unless you keep your discs sealed in a climate-controlled vault (and then how would you play them?), they will eventually need to be replaced.

So, why not bite the bullet and do it now?

This will take some time and effort, especially if you have a few hundred CDs kicking around. You’ll also have to have enough storage to keep all these files, and you should back them up, too.

One audio CD converted to MP3 files takes up about 700 MB of data. If you have 100 CDs to convert, you’re looking at 70 GB of storage you’ll need.

Luckily, ripping CDs to MP3 is pretty easy to do…

If you use a PC, you can do this through free programs like VLC Media Player or the built-in Windows Media Player. If you use a Mac, iTunes is probably your best bet. In both cases, you just need to tell the program to “rip” or “covert to MP3” and let it know where to store your files.

Of course, you’ll need to be using a computer with a working CD drive, and those are also going out of fashion.

Once you have the files as MP3s, you can store them on your phone or tablet and use either a wire or Bluetooth connection to play them over your car stereo.

Pros and Cons of Listening to CDs in the Car

Now that you know how to play CDs in a car with no CD player, it’s time to think about whether or not that’s a good idea. As it turns out, there are benefits and detractions to using CDs over other types of media.

Need More Help with Your Car’s Audio System?

If so, take a look at our handy articles on How to Install Aux Input in Car Stereo, How to Play Music from Phone to Car without AUX or Bluetooth, How to Remove Car Stereo Without Keys, and How Do I Get Sirius Radio In My Car for more useful tips, tricks, and advice.

How to Play CDs in a Car with No CD Player – Final Thoughts

Just because your ride didn’t come with a CD player doesn’t mean that you are out of luck. There are plenty of options for you to choose from that will allow you to play CDs in your car without a built-in CD player.

You can use a portable CD player connected by wires or wirelessly. You can even find a CD changer to keep discreetly in your trunk. That’s if you don’t want to replace your stereo, of course.

CDs are considered less convenient than MP3s stored on digital devices or streamed. But CDs offer superior sound quality, and if you’ve already paid a bundle to build your collection, you may as well keep using them for as long as they’ll last.

Until next time, good luck and happy listening.