Since there's anecdotal debate against your comment, here are some sources:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90774779/heres-what-science-says... (2022)

> On average, cars moving at around 30 mph on local roads will produce sound levels ranging from 33 to 69 decibels.

> To ensure that pedestrians will hear electric and hybrid vehicles coming, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires these vehicles to emit sounds ranging from 43 to 64 decibels when they are moving at less than 18.6 mph.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S24685... (2025)

> Electric vehicles (EVs) are effective in reducing noise levels, primarily at low speeds and frequencies.

> at speeds over 50 km/h, EVs do not contribute significantly to noise reduction

https://carconfections.com/all-car-confections-sound-level-r... (2026, comparing 527 models at 55mph)

https://backend.orbit.dtu.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/399523477... (2025)

> Acoustic Vehicle Alerting Systems (AVAS)

> Results align with previous findings that EVs and ICEs exhibit similar noise levels at low speeds, particularly post-AVAS implementation. Earlier studies reported larger differences (3–4 dB lower for EVs than ICEs at 10–20 km/h), likely due to the absence of AVAS

> Additionally, a deeper investigation of how AVAS contributes to annoyance could inform improved design standards for EV noise emission, encouraging a balance between functional safety and acoustic quality in urban environments.

Urban Birds Are Rising Earlier Because of Traffic Noise (2013)