In the summer of 2011, German automotive magazine AUTO BILD conducted a thorough noise study. Out of the vehicles tested, they concluded which were the top 30 quietest and noisiest vehicles respectively in terms of the noise level inside the cabin of the car.
Read the full list of the quietest cars here, and see below the 30 top noisiest cars.
Bear in mind that a decibel rating of the interior noise level does not give you the full picture of the sound experience. The dBA decibel rating does not convey information about the frequency spectrums of the sound, which is something that also directly impacts how you as an individual perceive the noise in a given car.
That’s why it is so important to, after having done some desk research to arrive at a shortlist of interesting cars, go for test drives in your local surroundings and listen with your own ears to decide whether you feel comfortable with the sound or not.
As a support to your ears, do bring a decibel meter/sound meter (get one at Amazon here) so that you can measure the noise level in different parts of the car – by the left side of the head of the driver, the passenger seat and the back seat.
Here goes the list of the Top 30 Noisiest Cars according to the AUTO BILD test. The drivers of these cars are exposed to quite disturbing noise levels. Although, I assume not many of the drivers of the noisiest car in the lot (Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0) are complaining, since part of the attraction for Porsche drivers is the roaring sound.
| Noise level in decibels (dBA) at different speeds | 100 km/h | 130 km/h |
|---|---|---|
| Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 | 78 | 83 |
| Tesla Roadster Sport 1.7i Hunter | 78 | 82 |
| Lada Niva 1.7i Hunter | 77 | 82 |
| Lotus Evora S 2+0 | 75 | 79 |
| Audi R8 GT Spyder 5.2 R tronic | 75 | 78 |
| Renault Twingo 1.2 LEV 16V 75 Night & Day | 75 | 78 |
| Mazda MX-5 1.8 MZR Kaminari | 74 | 79 |
| MW M3 GTS | 73 | 76 |
| Porsche Cayman S PDK | 73 | 77 |
| Seat Leon 2.0 T FSI Cupra R | 72 | 75 |
| Ford Ka Titanium | 72 | 77 |
| BMW Z4 sDrive35is Automatik | 72 | 75 |
| Nissan GT-R Black Edition | 71 | 78 |
| Opel Corsa 1.3 CDTI DPF ecoFlex Start/Stop | 71 | 75 |
| Audi TT RS Roadster | 71 | 75 |
| Mazda3 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo MPS | 71 | 74 |
| Kia Picanto 1.2 Spirit | 71 | 76 |
| Hyundai i10 1.1 Classic | 71 | 77 |
| Dacia Sandero 1.6 MPI Stepway | 71 | 74 |
| Kia Rio 1.2 Spirit | 71 | 74 |
| Ford Focus 1.6 16V Concept | 71 | 74 |
| Suzuki Swift 1.2 Comfort | 71 | 75 |
| Honda Civic 1.4 i-VTEC Sport | 71 | 74 |
| BMW M3 Coupé | 70 | 74 |
| Porsche Boxster PDK | 70 | 74 |
| Peugeot 308 CC HDi FAP 140 Premium | 70 | 73 |
| Seat Ibiza 2.0 TDI CR FR | 70 | 72 |
| Fiat Doblo 1.6 16V Multijet | 70 | 75 |
| Fiat 500C 1.3 Multijet 16V DPF Lounge | 70 | 75 |
| Mini Clubman One | 70 | 74 |
Were you surprised by any of the cars in the list? Which car do you drive?
