Should car makers bother with fake engine noises for EVs? 

Is there any point in synthesising engine noises for electric cars? 

Well, those into their sporty machines would answer in the affirmative. The Ioniq 5 N fake engine noises tell a lot about the relationship between a car’s gearing and its speed in an otherwise silent EV. Extra sonic information and feedback while driving in a spirited fashion is useful. It’s another way of telling what the car is doing, according to Alistair Crooks from Auto Express. 

The fake engine sounds and gearshifts do boost driver engagement but no EV yet can convincingly mimic a combustion engine. 

BMW is following a different path with its HypersonX system for its Neue Klasse models. The firm calls it a “unique soundscape” but it doesn’t attempt to recreate ICE power noises. Evidently the firm is using “tones from nature” and “structures from the worlds of art and science”. The mind boggles.

However, the German does suggest HypersonX will “embody the pleasure of driving for which BMW is renowned”. And good on BMW for sidestepping what’s involved in replicating the sound of a straight-six through an audio set-up. Besides, an EV isn’t an ICE machine so why should it strive to be one?

The job will be doubly difficult for Ferrari, given its ICE power machines sound about as good as it gets. It recently filed a patent for ‘audio files’ that it will use in its inaugural EV, due later this year. Whether or not it tries to replicate ‘historical’ Ferrari engine and exhaust notes is unclear. However, it has partnered with Bang and Olufsen so there’s hope it will do justice to the endeavour.

And while we’re on the subject of EVs, AutoExpress believes it has found the best of the genre to date. Mike Rutherford reckons the R5 is the most convincing and credible EV yet. 

High prices, range anxiety and an inadequate charging network have worked to moderate EV uptake. However, in the 15 years they’ve been on sale, prices have dropped thanks to increasing competition, and range has ballooned.

He praises the R5’s minimalism, honesty and entertainment value. The International Best Cars of the Year (Best COTY) awards named the R5 as The New Car World Champion 2024/2025. 

Car designer, Shiro Nakamura, commented “Although the all-new 5 is designed as a homage to the original version, it [goes] beyond retro design and expresses modernity.” 

In the UK Renault’s R5 kicks off at £23k and has 18-inch alloys. Admittedly, it is a tight on interior space but “it has on-road presence, proportions and credibility of no other EV in its class”.

“If there is a similarly priced, better-looking, more desirable and classier pure-electric supermini with greater provenance, I’m not aware of its existence”, proclaimed Rutherford.

He even rated it as ‘highly recommended,” primarily because of its design. Also at its price it is “special as a pure-electric car for the real world”.

Here, Renault New Zealand is currently selling commercial vehicles only, Trafic and Master vans.