Vehicle noise

The vehicle noise standard (ADR83/00) defines the limits on external noise generated by all light and heavy vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds in order to limit the contribution of motor traffic to community noise. The introduction of ADR83/00 significantly reduced the allowable ‘drive by’ noise limits PDF: 41 KB for all vehicles.

The Department also provides information on the stationary (‘signature’) noise data for vehicles currently certified to ADR83/00.

ADR83/00 Stationary “Signature” Noise Data

ADR83/00 defines the limits on external noise generated by motor vehicles, motor cycles and mopeds in order to limit the contribution of motor traffic to community noise. The primary requirement of ADR83/00 is that manufacturers must demonstrate that their vehicles meet a specified noise limit on a ‘drive-by’ noise test procedure. ADR83/00 also includes a stationary noise test which does not specify a limit, but requires manufacturers to report the test result. As each vehicle model has its own test result, it is often referred to as a ‘signature’ noise value.

The Green Vehicle Guide now includes the stationary “signature” noise data for all light four wheeled vehicles. Information is available for most vehicle makes and models currently certified to ADR83/00. The Green Vehicle Guide does not include motorcycles, mopeds, low-volume imports or heavy vehicles.

The Department has also prepared a supplementary spreadsheet featuring ADR83/00 noise data for vehicles in the Road Vehicle Certification Scheme database. Where a vehicle is listed in both the Green Vehicle Guide and the supplementary spreadsheet, the data from the Green Vehicle Guide should be considered as the primary reference.

The data is taken from tests conducted using the stationary noise test procedures in ADR83/00. The data is intended to be compared with the stationary noise emitted by a vehicle in-service. The noise level of vehicles in service should not exceed the quoted figure by more than the tolerance decided by each jurisdiction.

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