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What is an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) for EVs?
Electric vehicles are quieter than traditional cars, making them harder for pedestrians to hear. Some EVs have warning speakers, but many don't. Here's a safety guide to help all road users.
Electric vehicles and hybrid cars that use an e-motor to drive the wheels are becoming more prevalent on Australian roads, as more affordable new models arrive and buyers make the switch from traditional petrol and diesel power.
While EVs offer benefits such as reduced running and maintenance costs, they pose an increasing safety risk to pedestrians because of their quieter operation compared with internal combustion engine (ICE) cars.
This has prompted the Federal Government to make it compulsory from November 2025 for all new electric cars to be fitted with an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS). However, many thousands of EVs are already on Australian roads without a sound warning to alert pedestrians.
To keep our roads safer, here’s a guide to how the alerting systems work and the actions that car buyers, drivers, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users including cyclists can take to reduce the risks.
In this article
Older Tesla Model Y variants can be retrofitted with a pedestrian warning speaker.
EVs on our roads and their risk for pedestrians
Electric cars are now commonplace in Australia and the trend will continue as they become better known, more affordable and as the public charging infrastructure expands.
There are now more than 300,000 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on our roads, according to the Electric Vehicle Council. This includes more than 114,000 new BEVs and PHEVs sold in 2024 alone, while close to 173,000 non-plug-in hybrid cars were also bought last year – some of which can run silently like an EV at times.
This changing landscape has thrown the spotlight on the safety of vulnerable road users, most notably pedestrians and cyclists, because EVs are so much quieter than ICE cars.
Many studies, including two from the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), have found that EVs present a significant safety risk for pedestrians – especially those who are blind or have low vision.
Noise warnings for EVs to become mandatory
The question is often asked: Do EVs make any noise at all? Cars that rely on an electric motor for propulsion are not silent but do generate much less noise compared to ICE vehicles. An e-motor naturally emits a quiet hum.
As with any car, electric vehicles generate tyre and wind noise that’s noticeable at higher speeds, but less so when travelling below around 20km/h. That makes pedestrians and cyclists particularly vulnerable and raises the risk of a collision with an EV that’s running so quietly it might go undetected in car parks, intersections, driveways and so on.
This has prompted the Australian government to follow other major markets such as the European Union, the United States, Japan, South Korea, China and the United Kingdom to mandate the connection of an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) to electric vehicles.
AVAS is designed to emit an artificial sound external to the vehicle when it’s travelling at low speeds. It must be loud enough to be detected by pedestrians.
In Australia, it’s estimated that only about 20 per cent of electric cars and hybrids that fall under the ‘quiet road transport vehicle’ definition are currently fitted with AVAS. This will naturally increase as new models already meeting overseas regulations are launched here, but a change to Australian Design Rules (ADR 113/00) will require all newly approved electric vehicles and many hybrid cars, trucks and buses produced from November 1, 2025, to be fitted with AVAS.
This will extend to all newly manufactured ‘quiet’ vehicles on sale in Australia from November 1, 2026, but will not apply to those already on the road. For these cars, there is no requirement for them to be retrofitted with AVAS.
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The Jaguar I-Pace’s sound was tested by members of Guide Dogs for the Blind in the UK as part of the carmaker’s AVAS development.
Which cars will have AVAS and how does it work?
The new Australian AVAS regulations apply to cars, trucks and buses that can be propelled in at least one forward drive gear or in reverse without an internal combustion engine (ICE) operating.
This will therefore include EVs, PHEVs, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and many non-plug-in hybrid cars, which will all need to be fitted with a special speaker system and electronics that emit enough noise at speeds up to 20km/h to alert pedestrians and other road users. The speakers are typically concealed in the bodywork.
Each manufacturer is responsible for creating its own AVAS but must work within the conditions set down in the legislation. These include the minimum and maximum volume at different speeds, the direction of travel, and accounting for background noises.
The maximum level when travelling forward is 75dB, which is said to be equivalent to a dishwasher and should ensure it’s not noisier than a conventional petrol or diesel vehicle. The minimum overall level is 47dB when reversing and 50dB moving forward.
There is, however, scope to make different artificial sounds specific to the brand and the model variant. Some carmakers, such as BMW and Skoda, already highlight the fact that they’ve enlisted professional music composers to help develop a unique sound for their EVs. This might be an electronic and futuristic sound, for example, while other brands have attempted to imitate a traditional combustion engine.
Porsche, for one, believes it has a “typical Porsche sound” so its engineers have adapted the sound to make it “as emotive, sporty and powerful as possible within the framework of the legal regulations”. The AVAS fades out above the legally required speed ranges up to about 50km/h.
At the required low speeds (up to 20km/h in Australia), AVAS cannot be turned off. But the vehicle manufacturer can offer driver-selectable options.
On an ever-increasing number of EVs, often with a sporting bent, carmakers are blending their AVAS noises with other switchable modes that deliver synthetic noises designed to enhance the driving experience. Porsche has created an Electric Sport Sound, for example, while the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N has N Active Sound+ that simulates combustion engine and exhaust noises and even has one that aims to evoke the sound of fighter jets.
Tesla’s Boombox feature also works in conjunction with AVAS, allowing owners to play customisable sounds using the external speakers when parked.
Porsche engineers analyse and adjust noises from various components of their cars, including EVs, to create the ‘perfect Porsche sound’.
Can you retrofit AVAS on older electric cars?
There is no Federal Government mandate that requires all electric cars, including large numbers of older EVs, to be retrofitted with AVAS but that doesn’t mean it can’t be added to the vehicle.
Aftermarket systems are available in Australia, while owners of certain Tesla EVs, including versions of the Model 3 and Model Y (before about mid-2023), can retrofit the pedestrian warning speaker through the brand’s website. It’s included with the Boombox feature.
When buying an electric car, whether new or second hand, check whether it has acoustic protection for pedestrians. Current models equipped with AVAS include the Hyundai Kona Electric and BMW iX1. Also note that given the mandatory requirement for new vehicles starts from production on November 1, 2025, it will take some time before Australian showrooms are filled with AVAS-equipped cars.
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Why drivers and pedestrians must still remain alert
The benefits of AVAS are clear but Australia’s rapid uptake of EVs and the general move towards electrification across almost all vehicle brands and models makes it more important than ever for drivers and those outside the car – including pedestrians and cyclists – to remain alert.
Whether driving an EV or any other vehicle, all motorists must follow road rules for pedestrians and cyclists. If you’re driving an older hybrid or electric vehicle that does not have AVAS, you should also be acutely aware that vulnerable road users outside the car may not hear you at lower speeds.
What’s more, just as distracted drivers pose a significant safety risk to other road users, forcing strict rules for the use of mobile phones and inbuilt devices such as infotainment screens, road safety authorities are concerned about the growing number of pedestrians near roads using increasingly sophisticated and attention-absorbing smartphones, especially with noise cancelling headphones.
Studies have found that pedestrians using a mobile phone typically walk more slowly, change direction more often and have poorer observational skills than others around them. So staying safe in our rapidly changing environment is something we can all consider.
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