Buses, bikes and cars driving down a road in central London
Credit: LiTsai, Shutterstock

Hold on to your hats, Londoners – things are about to get pretty exciting over on this little corner of the internet. Why’s that, I hear you ask? Because like a group of nosey neighbours; we’re about to gather around and gossip about noise. And more specifically: vehicle-related noise complaints.

A new study conducted by the car-connoisseurs over at webuyanycar has delved into recent data to uncover where in the UK receives the most vehicle-related noise complaints. And look, it’s certainly no secret that London is a rather loud and lively place, and so it’s not particularly surprising that the capital city made a fair few appearances on the list. What might surprise you, however, are the specific neighbourhoods that have been named the noisiest of all.

The research looked into data provided by local authorities, analysing the number of vehicle-related noise complaints compared to the number of residents in each area. From revving engines to (*shudders at the thought*) car alarms; the data spans between 2022 and 2024, and the report has named the ten UK areas that suffer with vehicle-induced noise. Well, that – or they’re just the areas where the moaniest people live. But we’ll go with the former to avoid getting into trouble, hey?

cars driving down a central london road with big ben in the back groundCredit: lunamarina, Shutterstock

Webuyanycar’s study has revealed the rather gorgeous London Borough of Islington as the neighbourhood in the UK that’s causing the most racket when it comes to vehicle-related noise. Islington locals submitted an average of 13 noise complaints per 10,000 residents over the past few years. And the council received a total of 855 vehicle-related reports between 2022-2024, which is eleven times more than the UK average. Westminster took the second spot with 7.5 complaints per 10,000 residents, and Camden came closely behind with 7 complaints per 10,000 residents. Five of the ten noisiest neighbourhoods were, in fact, found to be in London.

The areas with the most vehicle-related noise complaints:

  1. Islington, London
  2. Westminster, London
  3. Camden, London
  4. Kensington & Chelsea, London
  5. Adur & Worthing, West Sussex
  6. City of London, London
  7. Cherwell, Oxfordshire
  8. King’s Lynn, Norfolk
  9. North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear
  10. Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

You can peruse webuyanycar’s full findings here.