Which electric car is the quietest in the city?

I live two streets from a tram line in Ixelles. My windows look out onto 19th-century cobblestones. I can tell you precisely which car is passing under my office window by the noise it makes — the delivery diesel, the scooter, and now EVs with their mandatory AVAS at low speed.

What I've noticed since I started driving an EV myself: silence is actually more a question of road surface than of motor. Above 20 km/h, the motor no longer exists. What remains is the road, the tyres, and the quality of cabin insulation.

What really determines the quietness of an EV in the city?

Direct answer: below 20 km/h, the AVAS artificial sound is mandatory — all EVs make noise at this speed, by legal design. Above that, three factors define the noise level in the cabin:

1. The road surface — cobblestones, granular asphalt, smooth concrete don't emit the same frequencies
2. The tyres — acoustic or standard, the difference can reach 5 dB
3. Vehicle insulation — glazing, body mass, vibration absorption

Which acoustic insulation technologies really make a difference?

Mercedes EQS uses multilayer acoustic glazing, structural material absorption technology, and optimised body mass. It's not the lightest vehicle, but the money invested in sound insulation is real. The cabin at 50 km/h on the cobblestones of central Brussels feels like a padded office.

BMW iX adds an extra layer: active cancellation of residual noise. Like a noise-cancelling headset, microphones in the cabin pick up residual sounds and speakers emit counter-frequencies to cancel them. The system is most effective on medium-frequency vibrations — road noise on granular asphalt.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 takes a different approach: its Cd of 0.21 (world record at launch) reduces aerodynamic turbulence, a source of noise from 60 km/h. In the city at 50 km/h, the impact is less than on extra-urban routes, but the streamlined shape contributes to better-fitted seals and less sound infiltration.

Renault 5 E-Tech is a surprise in the city car segment. For its price (from €27,000), its acoustic insulation is better than expected, thanks to work on door seals and slightly reinforced glazing compared to thermal city cars. It's not an EQS, but for exclusively urban use on a limited budget, it's the best silence-to-price ratio on the market in 2026.

How do EVs behave on Belgian cobblestones at low speed?

On the route I take most often — Etterbeek, the cobblestones of rue Malibran, then the asphalt of boulevard Général Jacques — here's what I observe:

The Ioniq 6 absorbs the cobblestones satisfactorily. You hear the road, but it's manageable. With Michelin e.Primacy tyres fitted from the factory, the result is better than most saloons in the same price range.

The VW ID.7 is adequate on these surfaces, slightly more talkative than the Ioniq 6 but with a higher seating position that changes the perception.

The Dacia Spring on these same cobblestones: you can clearly hear every joint. For exclusively motorway use or on clean asphalt, it's manageable. For Brussels with its cobblestones and potholes, it's a notable daily sonic compromise.

The Renault 5 E-Tech on the same cobblestones stands out compared to what you'd expect from a city car at this price. Its compact format (Clio dimensions) and reduced weight absorb irregularities differently. It's not the silence of an SUV, but the experience is acceptable for a city car.

One point that doesn't appear in comparisons: centre of gravity height influences the perception of vibrations. Compact SUVs (IONIQ 5, VW ID.4) absorb irregularities differently from low saloons (IONIQ 6, Polestar 2). On Brussels cobblestones, an SUV with higher ground clearance transmits fewer vibrations directly to the seat. That's part of the NVH equation that numbers alone don't explain.

Are acoustic tyres worth the investment on an EV in the city?

If you already have an EV and find the road noise too present, before changing vehicles: change the tyres.

Michelin e.Primacy, Primacy 4+, Bridgestone Turanza Eco, Continental EcoContact 7 — all incorporate absorbent foam inside the tyre. Price is almost identical to a standard tyre. Real gain of 3 to 5 dB on standard asphalt, even more perceptible on cobblestones.

It's the improvement with the best cost-to-result ratio for an EV in the Belgian urban environment.

How to measure the noise level of an EV before buying?

Press tests measure cabin noise levels in dB(A) at various speeds, but this data is not always easily available. Here's how to assess it concretely during a test drive at the dealer.

Test on degraded surfaces. Ask to do the test drive on cobblestones or a road with potholes. Not in the dealer's car park. The network of streets around a Belgian dealership generally offers varied surfaces within a few minutes.

Test at standstill with the heat pump active. Park the vehicle, engine running, heat pump operating. Listen to the compressor noise. On some models (Tesla Model 3 before the facelift, some Peugeot e-208), this noise is audible at standstill. On BMW iX and Mercedes EQS, it is virtually inaudible.

Test at 50 km/h on standard asphalt. This is the key speed for Belgian urban use. At 50 km/h, road noise is the dominant factor. A model that is quiet at this speed will be quiet in the city.

Ask the salesperson for NVH data. Manufacturers like Hyundai, BMW and Mercedes publish dB(A) measurements in their detailed technical specifications. If the salesperson doesn't have this data, it is often available in specialist magazine tests (Auto Express, What Car?, Autocar).

A good indirect indicator: the cost of sound insulation in a vehicle typically represents 1 to 3% of the total price. An EQS at €100,000 has invested €1,000 to €3,000 in insulation alone. A Dacia Spring at €17,000 has a proportional insulation budget.