When it comes to an EMP or carrington event or even a faraday cage...nobody can say for certain.
It's all in theory.
I just try to prep for no electricity at all, and that way any electricity will be a blessing.
Quoting: Mental Case It is all theory, but I did a lot of research on this subject for an article I wrote for DWS. There was some testing performed on vehicles back in the 80s. The studies found that a majority of vehicles, while sustaining some damage to electronics such as radio or dash instrumentation, would still be capable of starting and being driven normally.
As for other electronics, if they are powered down and not plugged into a power outlet at the time of the event, they may survive the pulse. Any device that is plugged into a household outlet will almost certainly be destroyed.
The most important thing to understand is how a nuclear EMP is broken down into three components - E1, E2, and E3 - and how each component can affect various electronics.
Only a nuclear detonation will produce all three components. The E2 component is very similar in effect as a bolt of lightning hitting your house, and the effects of a massive coronal mass ejection such as the Carrington Event are very similar to the E3 component.
So, my recommendations are as follows:
1: Store a netbook computer or tablet and other small, sensitive electronics in a shielded safe, preferable in a basement or underground shelter area. They should survive all components of an EMP. For instance, in our safe we have a small netbook computer loaded with survival documentation, a GPS unit (which probably won't function if the satellites are knocked out), two "burner" cell phones (which probably won't function if the cellular networks are destroyed), and two shortwave radios for communications.
2: If a nuclear crisis reaches DEFCON 2 level or higher, unplug as many electronics from their outlets in your house as possible. They may survive; they may not, but it's worth the attempt.
3: Don't assume that once an EMP weapon has gone off at high altitude that it's now safe to bring out all of your electronics. Wait until the nuclear exchange has completely halted.
4: Don't just assume your car won't start after an EMP hit. Try to start it and see what happens. Some research indicated that disconnecting the battery from a damaged vehicle for a few minutes then reconnecting it may allow the vehicle to start.
As Mental Case said, prepare as if there is going to be no electricity at all, that way if any electronics survive it's gravy on top of what you're prepared for.