Tyre noise: causes of humming, droning and thumping

The type of noise and the moment it changes tell you the most. That is why the first thing we ask at the desk is: when do you hear it, at what speed, and does it change in a corner or under braking? The table below will get you a long way.

Sources: ANWB, Wiellager. Michelin, Tire inspector tool. Supplemented with what our mechanics hear on a test drive.

Every tyre makes noise. With every rotation the tread blocks hit the road surface and air is squeezed out of the grooves. The coarser and more open the tread, the more you hear it. Winter tyres and all-season tyres with many sipes therefore often hum louder than a summer tyre with a closed tread. A wider tyre usually makes more noise than a narrow one too.

The EU tyre label gives the rolling noise of a tyre in decibels, with a class A to C. According to the ANWB this is the noise outside the car, not what you hear inside. It is still a good first indication: two tyres of the same size can differ by a few decibels. How to read the label is explained in EU tyre label explained. In the winter tyre test of 2025 the ANWB named the Continental WinterContact TS 870 P the quietest tyre of the test.

A new set of tyres can sound different from the old set for the first few hundred kilometres. That is normal. If the noise gets worse after a few weeks instead, something else is going on.

A tyre that wears unevenly starts to hum or thump. The best-known pattern is cupping, also called scalloping: the tread blocks wear alternately higher and lower, in a wave pattern around the tyre. Michelin writes that cupping points to a problem with balance or suspension, often worn shock absorbers, and that the uneven surface itself causes vibration and noise. You can feel it with your hand if you run it over the tread.

Source: Michelin, Tire inspector tool, consulted 6 November 2026.

The wear pattern cannot be reversed. We remove the cause, for example by replacing shock absorbers or aligning the car, and then assess whether the tyre still has enough tread to run down. Sometimes the noise only disappears with new tyres. All the causes and solutions are in uneven tyre wear: causes and solutions.

A tyre that is too soft makes a duller rolling noise and wears on both shoulders. So with every new noise, check the tyre pressure first. The value is in the owner’s manual and on the sticker in the door pillar. The ANWB advises checking every month, on cold tyres.

Imbalance usually gives no noise, but a vibration in the steering wheel at motorway speed. At every fitting we balance the wheel with small weights on the rim. If a wheel loses a weight, for example in a car wash or on a kerb, the vibration comes back. A bulge in the tyre or a flat spot after an emergency stop does make a noise: a rhythmic thumping that keeps pace with the wheel speed and can be heard at low speed. Read more about wheel balancing.

A wheel bearing lets the wheel turn smoothly on the axle. According to the ANWB, a worn wheel bearing makes a droning or humming noise that gets louder as you drive faster, sometimes together with vibration in the steering wheel or an ABS warning light. A worn bearing often gets louder in one direction and quieter in the other, while tyre noise usually changes much less in corners. Do not wait until the noise gets worse. We look for the cause of the noise and tell you in advance what replacing the bearing costs. Whether you can keep driving, how to recognise the noise and what the ANWB says a replacement costs: read our page about wheel bearing noise (in Dutch).

Because the motor is silent. Michelin writes that in an electric car the tyres, not the motor, are the main source of noise. Noise that disappears under the engine noise in a petrol car is clearly audible in an electric car. On top of that, an electric car is heavier and delivers its torque instantly, so according to Michelin tyres wear up to 20% faster and uneven wear develops sooner.

Tyre manufacturers therefore make tyres with a foam layer on the inside that dampens the noise inside the tyre. Continental quotes a reduction in interior noise of up to 9 dB for ContiSilent, Michelin about 20% less interior noise for its Acoustic Technology. These tyres are not compulsory, but the difference is clearly audible in an electric car. All the points to watch are in tyres for an electric car.

Straight away with a bulge in the tyre, a thumping noise after hitting a kerb, or a noise that comes together with a vibration or a warning light. With a humming noise that gets worse over a few weeks, make an appointment for a test drive and a check on the lift. A noise that only occurs on a certain road surface and disappears on smooth tarmac is usually the road surface.

With us it starts with a test drive and a look on the lift. We feel the tread, measure the tread depth in several places, check the tyre pressure and turn each wheel by hand. That way we know whether the noise comes from the tyre, the bearing or the suspension before we replace anything. If the tyre is the cause, we tell you one price in advance based on your registration number (kenteken). That price includes the tyres, fitting, balancing and disposal of the old tyres. We only recommend alignment when there is a reason for it, such as a car that pulls or a wear pattern that points to the alignment, not as standard. Everything about our tyre service is on tyre replacement and seasonal changes in Rotterdam.

Yes. A winter tyre usually has a coarser tread with many sipes, and those blocks hit the road surface audibly. On the EU tyre label you see the rolling noise in decibels and a class A to C. If a winter tyre is suddenly much louder than last season, something else is going on, such as saw-tooth wear.

Yes. Cobbles, concrete slabs and old, coarse tarmac hum much louder than new, fine tarmac. If the noise disappears as soon as you drive on smooth tarmac, it is the road surface and not the tyre. If it stays on every surface and rises with speed, look at the tyre or the wheel bearing.

No. Alignment removes the cause, but the wear pattern in the tyre remains. Sometimes the noise reduces as the tyre wears further, often it only disappears with new tyres. That is why it is important to find the cause early.

According to the ANWB, a wheel bearing gets louder at higher speed. Also pay attention in corners. Often the noise changes when you steer: louder in one direction, quieter in the other. Tyre noise usually changes much less in corners. According to the ANWB, vibration in the steering wheel, play in the wheel and an ABS warning light also point to the bearing. If in doubt we do a test drive and check the wheel on the lift.

Yes. In the longer term a worn bearing gets hot, the play increases and in the worst case it seizes. It also affects the ABS and the wear of the tyre. If you hear a droning noise that rises with speed, make an appointment soon.

Yes. Compare the rolling noise in decibels on the EU tyre label and choose a tyre with a closed tread. For an electric car there are tyres with a foam layer that dampens the interior noise, such as Continental ContiSilent (up to 9 dB less) and Michelin Acoustic Technology (about 20% less). Call us with your registration number and we will find a quiet tyre in your size.

In an emergency stop without ABS or on a slippery road a tyre can slide over the surface and wear down in one spot. After standing for a long time a tyre can develop a flat spot. In the first case the thumping remains and the tyre must be replaced. In the second case it usually disappears after a few kilometres once the tyre warms up.

• ANWB: Wiellager: symptoms, noise and costs
• Michelin: Tire inspector tool: wear patterns, cupping and noise
• ANWB: Bandenlabel: rolling noise in dB and class A to C
• Michelin: The new demands of EV cars on tyres (13 September 2023)
• Continental: Tyres for electric cars: ContiSilent up to 9 dB
• ANWB: Winter tyre test 2025: most economical and quietest tyre (22 September 2025)