Electric cars are the best listening rooms on the road. With no engine noise, a stiff, well-sealed cabin and near-silent cruising, an EV exposes everything — which means factory speakers built down to a cost have nowhere to hide, and a proper upgrade sounds better in an EV than in almost any petrol car. CEN designs and installs audio upgrades for electric vehicles from our Nottingham premises.
How we upgrade an EV
You cannot replace the screen in a modern EV — infotainment, climate and vehicle controls all live in it. The right approach works behind the factory system: upgraded speakers in the factory locations, a compact DSP amplifier that takes the factory signal and corrects it digitally, and a subwoofer where the vehicle allows. Everything uses vehicle-specific harnesses and factory mounting points, so the interior looks untouched and the car can be returned to standard.
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla is the EV we upgrade most. Plug and play speaker kits from Focal Inside and vehicle-specific solutions from Alpine drop straight into the factory locations in the Model 3 and Model Y, and pre-cut Dynamat kits quieten the doors while we are in there. See our dedicated Tesla audio upgrades and Focal Inside pages for the detail.
Will it affect my range?
Not meaningfully. Modern DSP amplifiers are highly efficient Class D designs — even driven hard, a full system draws a tiny fraction of what your heating does. Efficiency is part of how we spec every EV install.
Other electric vehicles
We also upgrade the Polestar 2, VW ID.3 and ID.4, BMW i4, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the growing list of EVs on UK roads. If your EV is not listed, ask — the approach above applies to almost all of them.
Dash cams in EVs
One EV quirk worth knowing: electric vehicles have small 12V auxiliary batteries, so hardwired parking mode gives very limited recording time. For EVs we recommend a Cellink battery pack instead, which powers the camera for days without touching the vehicle. Details on our dash cam installation page.
Frequently asked questions
Will an audio upgrade void my EV warranty?
No. Upgrades use factory locations and vehicle-specific harnesses, nothing is cut, and the work is fully reversible.
Can you make the standard audio Tesla sound like the premium one?
Better, in most cases. Upgraded speakers with a DSP amplifier and subwoofer outperform the factory premium system on clarity, staging and bass control.
Can I hear an EV system before committing?
Ask about our demo vehicles — bring your own music and listen for yourself.
Get in touch for a quote, or call 0115 924 0666.
