# Regulation (EU) No 540/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on the sound level of motor vehicles and of replacement silencing systems, and amending Directive 2007/46/EC and repealing Directive 70/157/EEC (Text with EEA relevance), Division III.3: Sound type and volume

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

(a)The sound to be generated by the AVAS shall be a continuous sound that provides information to the pedestrians and other road users of a vehicle in operation. The sound shall be easily indicative of vehicle behaviour, for example, through the automatic variation of sound level or characteristics in synchronisation with vehicle speed. The sound shall be similar to the sound of a vehicle of the same category equipped with an internal combustion engine.
The following rules shall apply:
(i)where it is generated when the vehicle is in motion, the AVAS sound shall comply with the requirements laid down in paragraphs 6.2.1.1, 6.2.1.2, 6.2.1.3, 6.2.2.1, 6.2.2.2 and 6.2.3 of UNECE Regulation No 138, as applicable;
(ii)the vehicle may emit a sound when stationary, as set out in paragraph 6.2.4 of UNECE Regulation No 138.
(b)The vehicle manufacturer may provide for the possibility for the driver to select from among different sounds, which shall comply with the requirements laid down in paragraph 6.2.5 of UNECE Regulation No 138.
(c)The sound level generated by the AVAS shall not exceed the approximate sound level of a vehicle of the M 1 category equipped with an internal combustion engine and operating under the same conditions. In addition, the requirements in paragraph 6.2.7 of UNECE Regulation No 138 shall apply.
(d)The overall sound level emitted by a vehicle complying with the second subparagraph of point 2(a) shall not exceed the approximate sound level of a vehicle of the M 1 category equipped with an internal combustion engine and operating under the same conditions.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2014/540/annex/VIII/section/III/division/III.3 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-regulation-2014-540/annex-VIII/section-III/division-III.3
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.