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Comparing Soundproofing in SUVs vs Sedans

Comparing Soundproofing in SUVs vs Sedans

Comparing Soundproofing in SUVs vs Sedans

Driving experience can be totally transformed by the level of noise in a car. Other cars inherently sound softer, and a few allow road noise, wind turbulence and vibration that can even cause a brief journey to be exhausting. One of the most popular arguments between motorists and car lovers is the question whether SUVs or sedans offer a better cabin quietness. When the SUV noise vs sedan experience is compared and the way the soundproofing upgrades, such as the SoundSkins, make a difference, it becomes clear where each of the vehicle types performs well and where the changes are necessary.

Soundproofing Importance in Vehicle Comfort

Soundproofing is not only to block noise, it also increases the comfort, safety, and even focus while driving. A quieter cabin means you don't need to shout to hold a conversation, and you can hear the radio speakers more clearly, as well as not getting tired from the noise on long road trips. Manufacturers often sell high-quality insulation in luxury vehicles, but even in the same affordability range, SUVs and sedans are not the same in terms of how they treat unwanted noise.

How SUVs Handle Cabin Noise

SUVs are larger vehicles with higher ground clearance, and these design factors directly affect noise levels:

  • Tire and Road Noise: Bigger tires and more exposed wheel wells in SUVs transmit more vibration and road noise into the cabin.

  • Aerodynamic Factors: Taller vehicle profiles increase wind resistance, leading to more turbulence at higher speeds.

  • Interior Space: The larger cabin can create echoes if soundproofing is not strong enough.

  • Engine and Exhaust Tones: SUVs with larger engines often produce more low-frequency sound entering through the firewall and floor.

While many modern SUVs do have insulation from the factory, to get that fine, luxury-level of quiet ride, the car will usually need additional upgrades.

How Sedans Handle Cabin Noise

Sedans, being lower to the ground and more compact, often perform better at blocking certain types of noise:

  • Aerodynamic Advantage – The sleek design of sedans reduces wind turbulence, especially at highway speeds.

  • Smaller Cabin Size – Less interior volume means fewer sound reflections and easier control of noise.

  • Lower Tire Noise – Smaller wheel arches and closer contact with the road make sedans easier to insulate.

  • Factory Soundproofing – Mid-range and premium sedans usually have more attention to sound deadening from the manufacturer compared to budget SUVs.

This natural advantage makes sedans feel quieter in most driving conditions, though they are not completely immune to engine, road, and trunk noise.

SUV vs Sedan: Ranked Noise Leak Spots

Experts often analyze noise by identifying car noise entry points. Here’s how SUVs and sedans compare:

1. Floor Panels and Wheel Wells

  • SUVs: Larger tires create more resonance; road noise is stronger.

  • Sedans: Smaller tires produce less vibration, but floor panels still transmit road rumble.

2. Doors

  • SUVs: Thicker doors with large cavities often let in wind and rattles.

  • Sedans: Thinner doors leak more high-frequency sound but are easier to insulate.

3. Roof and Headliner

  • SUVs: Taller body design increases wind noise entering from the roof.

  • Sedans: Lower profile helps minimize roof resonance.

4. Trunk Area

  • SUVs: Open cargo space allows exhaust and road noise to travel freely into the cabin.

  • Sedans: Enclosed trunk design keeps much of this noise separated from passengers.

5. Firewall

  • SUVs: Larger engines transmit stronger low-frequency vibrations.

  • Sedans: Smaller engines reduce this problem, though sporty sedans may still have noticeable firewall noise.

Where SoundSkins Makes the Biggest Impact

Regardless of the type of vehicle, soundproofing upgrades target the same areas, but the benefits differ between SUVs and sedans. SoundSkins Pro and Premium are designed to treat the noisiest entry points with a layered approach.

  • Floors and Wheel Wells – Installing SoundSkins damping sheets beneath carpets helps block vibrations, especially in SUVs where tire noise dominates.

  • Doors – SoundSkins door kits reduce rattles, create a tighter seal, and improve speaker acoustics in both sedans and SUVs.

  • Firewalls – SoundSkins layered materials cut engine resonance, a bigger issue for SUVs.

  • Roof Panels – Lightweight SoundSkins foam under the headliner helps reduce wind turbulence in SUVs and keeps sedans even quieter at speed.

  • Trunk and Cargo Areas – Treating the trunk in sedans and cargo floors in SUVs blocks exhaust drone and rear-entry noise.

Practical Soundproofing Tips for Both SUVs and Sedans

Whether you own an SUV or a sedan, the right strategy ensures effective results without adding unnecessary weight:

  • Cover at least 60% of metal surfaces in doors and floors for noticeable sound reduction.

  • Always prep surfaces by cleaning and drying them before applying adhesive mats.

  • Use a combination approach—vibration damping mats plus foam insulation for airborne noise.

  • Keep the installation reversible, especially for leased or collectible cars.

  • Pair soundproofing with fresh weather seals to further reduce wind leaks.

Comparing SUV Noise vs Sedan: Which is Quieter?

Sedans are, by average, at an advantage because of the aerodynamics, reduced cabins, and factory consideration of insulation. However, with an upgrade of quality soundproofing such as SoundSkins, SUVs can match and even exceed sedans in their sound. The main distinction is that SUVs tend to need greater coverage, particularly when it comes to the floors and wheel wells whereas sedans will most likely benefit when it comes to covering doors and trunks.

Creating a Quieter Ride with SoundSkins

Drivers no longer have to deal with factory noise levels. By taking into account the weak points of each vehicle category and using SoundSkins solutions, SUVs and sedans can have a quiet, luxurious cabin that can compete with the noise of luxury models. This translates to quieting down vibrations and wind noise for SUV owners, but even more so for the sedan commuters with some fine-tuned enhancements. In both cases, the result is a smoother, more enjoyable ride where the soundproofing works in harmony with the natural design of the car.

Step 1

To install the material you need be working on the metal surface of the car, remove upholstery. If you have never done this, we suggest searching it up on YouTube. Once the upholstery is removed, make sure there is no debris, waxy oils or rust by cleaning the surface with denatured alcohol.

Step 2

Once surface is clean and ready to go, cut the sound deadening material to the right size so it fits desired area. For small surfaces, we recommend that you measure the dimensions and then cut to fit.

Step 3

With the surface area clean and pieces cut to desired dimensions, peel off the paper and apply material to surface area starting from the top to bottom using the car door holes to help with alignment. We recommend using a hand roller to ensure that there are no air pockets and ensure the adhesiveness.

Sound Deadener Install On Jeep

SOUNDSKINS GLOBAL

Sound Deadener Install FAQ: Tips & Tricks

What tools will I need to for a sound deadening project?  
  • Rag & Denatured Alcohol: Apply the alcohol to the rag and use to clean the metal surface areas you will be applying the material to.
  • Gloves: Our product is pretty safe to install without gloves but if you have never installed a sound deadener mat, we recommend using gloves.
  • Hand roller: We highly recommend using a small roller to reach the tighter surface areas of your vehicle. You can find these on Amazon or most online retail shops. There are wooden, rubber and metal rollers, we recommend wooden or rubber, try and stay away from metal as they can tear the material.
  • Utility Knife: The utility blade is to cut the material. Make sure to cut the material on top of a pice of cardboard so that your blade stays sharper longer, if it's a big job, have some extra blades around.
How do you apply sound deadener material? 

We sell our roll on sound deadener product in 2 different formats: custom cut to fit pro kits and an easy to work with rolled up large sheet. If you can measure, cut, peel and stick you can install sound deadener! You can use your hand to apply pressure when positioning the material and then use a roller to make sure it sticks down to metal surface.

After you cut the material and are ready to stick it on, some customers find it easier to peel off a small portion of the release liner and then apply it to metal surface, and then work their way across the sheet, peeling off a small section at a time.

Make sure to always remove the air bubbles with the roller. The second most important thing when it comes to quality of sound deadener is the quality of adhesion to the surface area. You want the material to be stuck down properly to ensure it stays in place.

Where do you apply the sound deadening material?  

The great thing about our sound deadening material is that it can be applied to all types of metal surfaces. All SoundSkins sheets use extremely strong adhesive and they can even be mounted on fiberglass, plastic and even wooden surfaces, but it's not very common to apply to these surfaces since they don't vibrate as much. By covering all metal surfaces such as your doors, roof, trunk and floor you can make a significant difference to unwanted road noise.

Your top priority when applying a car sound deadener is to cover the doors, floor and trunk. If you have extra material then proceed to other metal surfaces you wish to cover for extra sound insulation.

How much surface area should I cover?  

To properly deaden the metal surfaces, we recommend to at least do 25% coverage with our SoundSkins material, this will make a difference in unwanted road noise, but to have a huge impact we recommend covering up 60% of metal surfaces. If you want to get the most used from your sheet, one effective strategy is the CHECKER BOARD APPROACH, using this technique you cut the SoundSkins sheet into small pieces and apply them to the metal surface in a checkered pattern.

It is very common for our customers to do close to 100& coverage to any metal surface because not only are they looking to reduce road noise, they also want to insulate their car from heat or they like the way the material looks on the car's bare metal surface.

How do I make sure the sound deadener sticks well?

SoundSkins products are made with a very strong adhesive and create a extremely strong bond with the metal, it's really hard to NOT make it stick. To ensure the best possible bond, we highly recommend cleaning the metal surface before applying our material and then using a hand roller to firmly attach the SoundSkins deadening mats.

Great adhesion with no air bubbles is the absolute key if you want to get the best performance. Remember that any air pocket with poor adhesion means you will not get the full benefit of the deadener.

How to install car sound deadener: Recap
  1. Remove upholstery and carpet from your vehicle. Proceed to vacuum to get rid of debris and dirt. Clean all greasy spots with denatured alcohol, other solvents or degreasers will leave behind a film that prevents a solid contact surface. Allow metal surface to try.
  2. Cut the SoundSkins sheet to desired size and cut using a sharp utility knife. Use gloves to avoid any cuts.
  3. Peel off the wax paper from the back of material and apply to surface, this can be done by small sections at a time. Use roller to create a strong bond between material and metal surface and to get rid of any air bubbles.

If you have any questions, make to reach out to use and we'll be happy to help.

SOUNDSKINS GLOBAL