Many cars have become by design, both inside and out, less noisy than they were decades ago. Ever fewer cars have massive V8 engines. They have been replaced by four-cylinder, high-mileage engines often powered with the addition of turbos. Hybrids tend to be quiet. Electric cars, like Teslas, make almost no noise at all, even though they have set acceleration records.
Luxury car manufacturers prize low “cabin noise.” In some cars, drivers and passengers can barely hear the noise outside at all. The U.S. News & World Report 12 Quietest Cars list is dominated by expensive cars from such manufacturers as Audi, BMW, Genesis, Mercedes and, of course, Tesla.
Financial information comparison site Confused.com looked at the cars at the far end of the “quiet” scale for its noisiest cars report. The information was based on A-weighted decibel (dBA) noise levels provided by the Vehicle Certification Agency. Car models were those sold in the United Kingdom.
How loud is loud? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.” Firecrackers are at the top of the CDC’s damaging noises list at 140 to 150 dB.
The loudest cars do have massive engines. At the top of the list, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR 19MY causes 86 dB of noise. It has a huge 5.0 supercharged V8. The vehicle is Jaguar’s sport utility vehicle. Priced at $81,000, it can go from 0 to 60 in just over four seconds, which is muscle-car fast. Forbes recently pointed out that Jaguar may never make a vehicle like that Jaguar F-Pace SVR as it moves toward a quiet, electric car future.
These are the noisiest cars:
- Jaguar F-Pace SVR 19MY (86.00 dBA)
- Kia ProCeed MY22 (79.68 dBA)
- Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe (78.50 dBA)
- Mercedes-Benz GLE Estate Model Year 2022 (78.17 dBA)
- Kia Ceed MY22 (75.10 dBA)
- Aston Martin Rapide AMR 2019MY (75.00 dBA)
- Morgan Motor Morgan Roadster (75.00 dBA)
- Audi New A6 Saloon (75.00 dBA)
- Audi New A6 Avant (75.00 dBA)
- Audi Q8 (75.00 dBA)
- Mercedes-Benz G Class Model Year 2019 (75.00 dBA)
- Morgan Motor Roadster (75.00 dBA)
- Morgan Motor Aero 8 (75.00 dBA)
- Renault Megane Renault Sport Euro6 2015 (75.00 dBA)
- Volkswagen New Touareg (75.00 dBA)
- Jaguar XE Saloon 17MY (75.00 dBA)
- Jaguar XF Saloon 17MY (75.00 dBA)
- Volkswagen Caddy Life Bluemotion (75.00 dBA)
- Jaguar F-Type Manual RWD 16MY (75.00 dBA)
- Jaguar F-Type S Manual RWD 16MY (75.00 dBA)
Click here to see which was recently the fastest-selling car in America.
ALERT: Take This Retirement Quiz Now (Sponsored)
Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Take the retirement quiz right here.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
