Tesla Joe Mode: The Key to a Quieter Ride

Joe Mode is an audio feature in Tesla vehicles that lowers the volume of non-critical auto chimes and alerts for passengers, making it ideal for sleeping babies, anxious dogs, and passengers with migraines, autism and PTSD. Our road test showed that Joe Mode reduces the average volume by 50-75%.

Auto chimes are used in Tesla’s autopilot and traffic-aware cruise control features. They include sounds linked with turn signals, green lights, lane changes, autopilot activation and proximity warnings. Chimes and alerts are an excellent safety feature for drivers, but can be annoying for passengers.

We tested the cabin volumes with and without Joe Mode, and share our real world data so you can use Joe Mode with confidence.

How Joe Mode Came About

Joe Mode came about from a Tesla owner just like you and me. Joe had young kids in the back seat and the vehicle’s auto chimes were waking them up. Joe asked Elon Musk if there was a way to reduce the volume of these alerts in the back seat. Musk honored Joe’s request by developing the feature and calling it “Joe Mode”.

How to Turn on Joe Mode

To enable Joe Mode, use your vehicle’s touchscreen and select Controls > Safety & Security > Joe Mode.

When to Use Joe Mode

Use Joe Mode in your Tesla to reduce the volume of auto chimes and alerts:

• if you have sleeping babies that you don’t want to disturb
• if you or your passengers suffer from disabilities or conditions that are bothered by excessive or unpredictable noises such as post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, migraines, Lyme disease or tinnitus
• if you are driving with an anxious dog that reacts to noise (barks, whines or becomes anxious)
• when you’re driving overnight and don’t want to disrupt passengers
• when you’re using your Tesla as part of a ride share service and don’t want to disrupt your passengers
• when your back seat passengers are playing videos with similar chime alerts (we wouldn’t want them to blow a level due to your turn signal chime!)

We Tested the Decibel Level With and Without Joe Mode

Drivers report that the volume of non-critical chimes and alarms drops by about 50% when Joe Mode is active. The EVehiclePro team decided to put this claim to the test to see if we could measure the actual drop in decibel levels when Joe Mode was activated.  

Here’s how we tested Joe Mode:

• We drove a Tesla Model Y equipped with 19” Michelin x-ICE winter tires (thicker tread) and 3D Maxpider floor liners (sound-absorbing)
• We recorded the decibel levels (volume) of non-critical chimes and alerts using the Decibel-X app on an iPhone ProMax phone 
• We measured turn signal, proximity and autopilot chimes
• We measured decibel levels from the front and back passenger seats, with and without Joe Mode
• The Model Y was driven at 35 miles per hour, on city roads with slight snow covering
• We drove in relatively quiet traffic conditions with no interior music or conversation. We did run the Tesla climate control with the fan on Low. 
• We used the same roads
• Exterior ambient noise appeared to be relatively consistent

Although far from a rigorous scientific study, we felt we got some reasonable measurements in a real world setting, that adds data to Tesla’s Joe Mode feature. 

What are Decibels (dB)? 

Simply put, a decibel is a unit that measures the intensity of sound. The greater the decibel level, the louder the sound. The decibel scale is a logarithmic ratio. Because the scale is not linear, it measures the human perception of sound much more accurately. Based on the logarithm, it only takes an increase of 3 dB to double the volume that the human ear perceives. An increase of 20 dB is perceived as 100 times louder. Here are some examples to help illustrate some common decibel levels:

Near complete silence   – 0 dB

Whisper  – 15 dB

Normal conversation  – 60 dB

Toilet flushing    – 75-85 dB

Heavy city traffic     – 85 dB

Baby crying  –  110 dB

It’s important for our test to note that a decrease of only 3 decibels represents a 50% drop in perceived volume.

Results of our Decibel Test With and Without Joe Mode

Chime	Location	Without Joe Mode	With Joe Mode
Turn Signal	Front Passenger Seat	54 dB	52 dB
	Rear Passenger Seat	53 dB	51 dB
Proximity Warning	Front Passenger Seat	72 dB	65 dB
	Rear Passenger Seat	71 dB	58 dB
Autopilot Initiated/Cancelled	Front Passenger Seat	86 dB	83 dB
	Rear Passenger Seat	88 dB	81 dB

The average dB level of chimes in the vehicle without Joe Mode was 70 dB. When Joe Mode was activated, the average level dropped to 65 dB. This represents an impressive 50-75% drop in perceived volume.

For passengers, Joe Mode significantly reduces the interior cabin noise from non-critical chimes which means a quieter sleep and perhaps even fewer triggers for migraines, autistic behaviors or emotional responses. 

Our test results showed that Joe Mode reduced the average volume of non-critical chimes by 50-75% for passengers. 

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