Single DIN vs double DIN head units — which one does your car actually have?

If you've been shopping around for a new head unit or single din car stereo, chances are you've bumped into the terms "single DIN" and "double DIN" and had no idea which one applies to you. Fair enough — it's not exactly obvious. But it's also one of those things worth getting right before you buy, because ordering the wrong size means a unit that just won't sit in your dash properly.

So what does "DIN" even mean?

DIN comes from "Deutsches Institut für Normung," a German standards body that set the sizing for car stereo openings decades ago. Nothing to do with sound quality, features, or brand — it's purely about how big the hole in your dashboard is.

• Single DIN — a slim opening, around 180mm wide and 50mm tall
• Double DIN — same width, but double the height at around 100mm, which is what basically every modern touchscreen unit is built around

How do you tell which one you've got?

A few ways to check:

1. Measure the opening where your factory stereo currently sits. A slim rectangular slot points to single DIN — sometimes just called "one din" — while a larger, more square-shaped gap means double DIN.
2. Look at your factory unit. Older cars and some base-model trims often shipped with single DIN as standard, even when a fancier trim of the same model went double DIN.
3. Search your exact make, model, and year to see what it left the factory with — this can genuinely vary trim to trim, not just model to model.

Single DIN vs double DIN — size comparison

Why almost every CarPlay and Android Auto unit is double DIN

The extra height in a double DIN opening is what makes room for the big touchscreens that CarPlay and Android Auto need to actually be usable. That's why nearly all modern aftermarket units — Kayhan Audio's included — are built as double DIN. If you're comparing car audio single din options against double DIN gear, this is really the whole story: a single DIN slot just isn't tall enough to fit a screen worth looking at.

What if your car only has a single DIN slot?

Worth being upfront here: if your dash only has a single DIN opening, fitting a double DIN head unit into it isn't always a simple swap. It comes down to whether a proper conversion fascia exists for your exact make and model.

Kayhan Audio stocks vehicle-specific double DIN fascia kits built to fit the double DIN opening in most modern cars.

Either way, the easiest first step is checking your exact vehicle using our Select Make / Select Model tool, which shows you the right fascia and head unit combo for your car — whether that turns out to be a single double din question or a straightforward double DIN fit.

Quick summary

Still not sure which one you've got?

Use the Select Make / Select Model tool at the top of our site to find the right head unit and fascia for your car, or just message us — we're happy to help you figure it out.