I have a family member who has bad ears and has developed Hyperacusis, which is a sensitivity to sounds. He currently has a Yamaha Rhino but he has to wear hearing protection to be able and ride in it. He is looking to purchase a new UTV and wants one as quiet as possible. He has tried putting an aftermarket muffler on the Rhino but it is still loud. He does not want to go the battery route with a Bad Boy etc. Does anybody know of any data on the various manufacturers of UTV's in regards to actual decibels, or good factual opinions on who makes the most quiet model?
Many thanks for advice given.

Ranger EV isn't an option? Everything I've been on short of a road vehicles have been loud.

I'd try an automotive muffler. It'll take some fabrication to get it fitted in with the smaller tubulars on the UTV, but it'll get you away from the motorcycle stuff.

My wife's cousins put small car mufflers on their 4 wheelers. They're really quiet after install.

If he has an issue bad enough to not be able to even stand a silencer type muffler on a regular utv yet can't deal with the battery utv route, I'd say he'll have to go custom fab to get an automotive type muffler for his rhino or just deal with the ear protection.

Noise canceling headphones?

I guess I need to rephrase the question. The Yamaha Rhino and Viking are louder than a lot of other brands I have experienced riding in. I don't have an ear issue and they are loud to me as well. So which model/brand seem to be the most quiet to everyone?? His Rhino is getting up in age and he was just asking me which brand was the quietest now. I thought that some good Ags on the OB board could give us some answers on that.

Had a ranger and a rhino. We have a Mule Pro Fx now. It is a lot quieter.

Most likely exhaust is not the issue. Alot of these sxs you are sitting right over the engine and belt. Those can be very noisy in the cab. I know my Yamaha Wolverine rspec is alot quieter than my neighbors can am.

Try a Mule Pro. Mine is quieter than I expected.

Noise canceling headphones.

I would look at the ranger ev, as mentioned earlier. I've driven one and it's got plenty of juice and the only noise is the tires on the ground.

Not lab tested but the Hondas for decades has always been the quietest ATV's, motorcycles. A more subdued type of exhaust sound as well.

Option 1 Put a turbo on it.
Option 2 Ls swap.
Option 3 put turbos on the Ls, then swap.

Supposedly the electric Polaris is pretty legit

I've owned a 2018 Can Am for about 3 months now. I test drove Polaris, Kawasaki, Yamaha, & Bobcat before buying my Can Am.

Not only did it perform better than the others, but it was the quietest machine I drove.

Rode in the 72V Arctic Cat this weekend. That sucker is fast and seems to be able to go places a regular golf cart/electric cart wouldn't be able to go.

Not sure what activities he does with his UTV, but this might be a viable option. Lots of power in this little rig!

Thank you to all who replied....I much appreciate it. I have passed on all the information. He went yesterday and looked at a Mule Pro FX and a John Deere. Today he is to test drive a Kabota and Polaris 1000 I believe. Again thanks to all for the input. Gig em.

Check out the 4x4 conversions for golf carts. It won't go through as much as a side-by-side, but they're a fraction of the cost. I've been thinking about getting one to drive around my neighborhood and hunting lease.

I bought a Mule FXT. Here is a review about the machine. According to the review the engine is more like an automotive engine. The Gator 825i is a similar engine. I am not sure if that would make it easier to modify though.