'They don't hear the engine noise': EV owner notices surprising behavior with animals on neighborhood streets

Reduced engine noise in electric vehicles may be changing how animals react on neighborhood streets. Writing on Reddit, an electric car owner said cats, birds, and squirrels often stay put until the vehicle is nearly beside them.

What happened?

A user on Reddit said that after two months of driving an EV, they began noticing slower reactions from animals on the road, which other EV owners in the thread also reported.

"Since owning my EV (2 months now) I notice that animals take much longer to move out of the road ... cats, squirrels, and birds just wait until I'm basically right up on them to move out of the road. I seriously think they don't hear the engine noise," the original poster wrote.

They continued: "Either way, I like knowing that my car makes a more peaceful environment for everyone. I have to drive slowly through the neighborhood … I always prioritize safety at high speeds."

Replies expanded the list beyond those three animals, with people mentioning rabbits, deer, birds, snakes, and even kangaroos that seemed less alarmed by EVs at low speeds.

Why does it matter?

The behavior may reflect one of the most noticeable traits of electric cars: They are far quieter than gas-powered vehicles when moving slowly, especially on residential streets, in parking lots, and similar areas. That lower noise level can benefit nearby people, but it may also give animals less warning that a vehicle is approaching.

Several commenters said the difference becomes less important as speed increases. Their explanation was that tire noise overtakes engine noise in both EVs and combustion vehicles at higher speeds, so the effect is most apparent at slow speeds. As commenters in the Reddit discussion noted, this also helps explain why some places require low-speed warning sounds on EVs to alert pedestrians and animals.

It was also noted that if an animal freezes in the road, suddenly swerving may not be the safest choice — a quick honk may be better.

What are people saying?

Some commenters treated the situation with humor. 

One Reddit user joked: "I find the button in the middle of the steering wheel helps sometimes," referring to the horn.

Other replies emphasized safety.

"It is not always safer to try to avoid hitting animals. It may just give you a clearer conscience," one commenter wrote.

Another Redditor offered a more technical explanation about the engine noise versus tire noise: "Above about 25mph/40kph tire noise becomes the dominant sound for combustion cars … so above that speed, EV or ICE doesn't really matter from a noise perspective."

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