The Mercedes-Benz EQS appears to be the quietest electric car on the market right now, according to recent tests conducted by Bjørn Nyland on the 580 4MATIC version.
Bjørn Nyland finds the EQS absolutely the best and even says it's hard to describe the almost unreal experience of silence - even at high speeds, which was multiple times pointed out in several videos (including range test and 1,000 km challenge).
The measurement in the winter conditions with 21" wheel tires is very good:
Mercedes EQS 580 4Matic test results:
- Season: Winter
- Surface: Wet
- Tires: Nokian R3
- Wheels: 265/40-21 (front) 265/40-21 (rear)
- 80 km/h (49.7 mph): 61.4 dB
- 100 km/h (62.2 mph): 63.2 dB
- 120 km/h (74.6 mph): 65.3 dB
- Average: 63.59 dB
If we check the chart below, we can see that the EQS is on par with the Audi e-tron, however the Audi e-tron test is an older one and requires re-testing, as the 60 dB level at 80 km/h (50 mph) appears surprisingly low compared to the other top models.
Another thing is that the Audi e-tron was equipped with 19" wheels compared to 21" wheels in the EQS, and usually, the bigger the size the higher the noise result.
In other words, the EQS is expected to be confirmed #1 ahead of the Audi e-tron, especially at higher speeds.
* Aftermarket soundproofing
** some models appear in the chart more than once because they were tested with different wheels (usually, the bigger wheels, the higher noise)
General info:
3 dB increase is perceived to be a noticeable change (10x increase of sound energy).
10 dB increase is perceived to be twice as loud (100x increase of sound energy).
See more about the artial sound and silent driving:
Outstanding audio
A separate thing noted by Bjørn Nyland is the outstanding audio system in the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which should get "11/10" compared to other EVs.
The high notes also concern the comfort but don't think that everything is perfect, as for example, the infotainment happens to be laggy sometimes.