Cars with the best sound systems

The best car sound systems bring your favourite music to life. Most mainstream car models have a standard audio system that’s good enough, but higher-spec models generally have an upgraded version with additional speakers, extra power and more advanced features. 

While you’ll only find the most top-end audio systems in luxury models, we’ve been careful to include some more affordable options here, proving that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get in-car audio that sounds like a million dollars.

Cars with the best sound systems:

• Audi Q4 E-Tron

• Ford Puma

• Lexus RX

• Hyundai i20

• Volkswagen Polo

• BMW X5

• Nissan Juke

• Mercedes-Benz S-Class

• Volvo XC40

• Bentley Batur

What makes a good car sound system?

Whether it’s your daily commute or a weekend road trip, enjoying your favourite music while driving can really add to the experience. And for the best possible experience you need a car with a good sound system. Most cars come with some kind of audio tech, but there’s a big difference between the ‘CD player and two speakers’ approach that was common a few years ago and the latest high-end audio setups. 

So if you’re a music lover and you want to hear your tunes in your car as they were meant to be heard, where do you start? In this guide we take a look at some of the best in-car sound systems on the market. 

Audi Q4 E-Tron

You might be familiar with Sonos home audio systems but did you know you can now get a similar setup in your car? The first model to be available with one was the Audi Q4 E-Tron. 

This compact electric SUV has an impressive 8-speaker, 180-watt audio system as standard, but the optional Sonos system (available as part of the Technology Package option pack) bumps that up to a mighty 580 watts and it generates a three-dimensional surround sound thanks to what Sonos calls a ‘Sonamic Panorama algorithm’. 

Ford Puma

It might be small, but the Ford Puma is available with a big-sounding audio system. Entry-level models have a perfectly decent 6-speaker system, but higher-spec versions have an upgraded B&O (Bang & Olufsen) sound system with 10 speakers and a 575-watt output. 

You need the limited-edition Puma Sound Edition model if you want the most powerful audio setup, though. Its ‘High Performance’ B&O audio system delivers a staggering 650 watts and features special ‘midwoofers’ in the front doors. It also has a ‘Beosonic’ feature that allows you to choose from four different sound settings or five pre-set modes: Custom, Lounge, Neutral, Party or Podcast.

Lexus RX

Lexus has become legendary among audiophiles (hi-fi enthusiasts) for its tie-up with American audio brand Mark Levinson, a partnership stretching back 25 years. In the latest Lexus RX SUV, the result is Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound. It’s standard for higher-spec models in the range and includes 21 speakers, a 12-channel amplifier and an 1800-watt output.

As with many high-end audio systems, it was developed and tuned for that specific model, with a design that puts the speakers as close as possible to listeners’ ears, for ‘least obstruction in the flow of sound’. 

Hyundai i20

You might not expect to find a high-end audio system in a bargain-priced runabout such as the Hyundai i20, but looks can be deceiving. Jump inside its compact cabin and, if it’s a top-spec model or one with the optional Tech Pack, you’ll find a Bose Premium Sound System.

The setup features 8 speakers (including a subwoofer), an 8-channel amplifier and ‘dynamic speed compensation technology’, which monitors the car’s speed and automatically adjusts the audio levels accordingly. 

Volkswagen Polo

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly small car with a great audio system you may find what you’re after with a Volkswagen Polo Beats. This limited-edition model was sold new between 2016 and 2021. As you might have guessed from the name, it was a collaboration with Beats Electronics, the U.S. audio brand founded by Dr. Dre.

With an output of 300 watts (compared with just 80 watts in standard Polo models), it packs a real punch, whether you’re listening to a Beethoven symphony or the latest K-Pop banger. Volkswagen even gave the Polo Beats an urban-style makeover, with contrast-colour door mirrors, ‘Beats’ exterior badges and decals and, for some models, a red bonnet stripe. 

BMW X5

The Bowers & Wilkins Diamond Surround Sound available for the BMW X5 looks as good as it sounds, with its stainless-steel speaker grilles and illuminated tweeter domes. But the listening experience is what you buy it for, and that comes courtesy of some amazing specs: 11 tweeters, 7 mid-range speakers, 2 subwoofers, a 20-channel amplifier and a total output of 1,475 watts. 

As for the ‘diamond’ part, the system features ‘Diamond Dome’ technology that uses a synthetic diamond coating to create a stiff, light tweeter that reduces distortion at high volumes. 

Nissan Juke

The Bose Personal Plus audio system available for the Nissan Juke takes a direct approach to getting you closer to your favourite tunes. That’s because it has ‘UltraNearfield’ speakers mounted on either side of the front headrests. And you can’t get much closer than that.

It’s part of an eight-speaker set-up that’s designed specifically for smaller cars, with the other speakers mounted in the doors and at the base of the windscreen. Another innovation is Bose’s ‘PersonalSpace’ feature, which allows you to choose from different settings that offer either a more focused or more expansive sound.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

You expect a big luxury saloon like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class to have a good sound system, but the optional Burmester 4D Surround Sound System takes things to the next level. There are speakers everywhere, in places such as the doors, footwells, parcel shelf, door pillars, roof lining and dashboard. In total there are 31, giving a maximum output of 1,750 watts.

The system features a noise compensation function that adapts the output according to ambient noise, as well as Dolby Atmos technology that’s designed to add depth. As for the ‘4D’ element, that’s provided by ‘exciters’ mounted in the front and rear seat-backs: tiny motors that vibrate in time to the music so that you feel it as well as hear it.

Volvo XC40

The Volvo XC40’s interior features lots of innovative tech and design features, and that includes its sound system. The standard 8-speaker audio system, for example, has an air-ventilated subwoofer behind the dashboard. It avoids the need for speakers in the front doors that take up space and can cause items in the door bins to rattle.

For maximum music enjoyment you should find one specced with the top-line Harman Kardon Premium Sound package. This 13-speaker set-up bumps the output up to 600 watts and it features a subwoofer built into the rear wheelarch to give deep bass tones.  Standard on top-spec models, the system is a surprisingly affordable option for lower-spec models, at £545. 

Bentley Batur

If you’re spending £1.65 million (before taxes) on a Bentley Batur, what’s another £25,000 for the premium audio system? Called ‘Naim by Mulliner’, it’s a collaboration between British brands Naim and Bentley that features 20 speakers and a 2,000-watt output. 

It features beautifully designed speaker grilles (of course), as well as ‘bass transducers’ (also known as shakers) in the seats that help you feel low frequencies. Okay, £25k is a lot to spend on your car’s sound system, but when the car itself costs more than five times as much as the average UK house, it makes some kind of sense.