Low speed EV noise is quite loud.

[Shiplake]

At low speed I am sure my old petrol Jazz was not as noisy as the new Hybrid. Did Honda get a bit carried away when adding the EV warning noise?
Nice car though.

[John Ratsey]

Are you sure that the vehicle is in EV mode? I've never managed to hear whatever warning noise the vehicle is said to make when it is moving slowly in EV mode. I would, however, point out that the petrol engine noise is noticeable at slow speed because Honda have set it to run at about 2,000 rpm for better efficiency with power used to both move the vehicle and charge the battery. It takes about a minute to raise the battery charge from 30% to 60% whereupon, if the vehicle is still moving slowly, the vehicle will switch ti EV mode.

[Shiplake]

It is definitely generated pink noise, as against petrol engine noise. I will need to re-check, but I am pretty sure the noise occurs at low speed regardless of whether the petrol engine is charging.

[John Ratsey]

I've never managed to hear whatever noise that the vehicle is meant to produce when moving at slow speed in EV mode but maybe that's what you are hearing. Personally, i'd like the vehicle to emit a speed-dependent steam locomotive noise.

[Shiplake]

Mine reminds me of an ice cream van. :-)

[Jaroon]

It would be cool if we could change the zooming sound into something else. But i figure that would be impossible

[ahavoja]

You can hear it more easily if you open the driver's window and drive in a parking hall where the noise can echo from the walls. The noise turns off when the petrol engine starts. At 13 mph I also feel like the EV noise is louder than petrol engine noise at the same speed.

Also in some cars the EV noise is louder when reversing, so that pedestrians behind the car can hear it more easily, since the noise comes from the front of the car.

[Lincolnshire Rambler]

Toyota and lexus hybrids have a louder sound when moving slowly in EV mode compared to my jazz.its a legislative requirement for cars in electric drive mode to emit sound below a certain threshold speed

[Kremmen]

The only time I hear it is reversing into a garage where the noise is amplified

Certainly not that loud on mine

[Lord Voltermore]

They emit a sort of surreal 'space ship' sound at low speed, while in EV mode  to alert pedestrians.  Its less obvious to those in the car, as it can be drowned out by tyre noise etc, made by all cars. 
 
Not long ago  we were eating out in a town square.  A car  drove past in EV mode making the 'whirring' noise .
My wife commented on it being an electric vehicle.  I pointed out it was  a mk4 Jazz 

[peteo48]

I can't hear my Jazz when in EV mode from inside the car but I have heard both a Jazz and a CRV passing our house and the EV noise is loud enough in my opinion. I wonder if some people don't know what it is.

[Jazzik]

They emit a sort of surreal 'space ship' sound at low speed, while in EV mode  to alert pedestrians.

I wonder if some people don't know what it is.

I tried it out. I always see people looking up, as if they are looking for the aliens landing.
Downright dangerous : they really don't see your Jazz!!!

[Nicksey]

It took me awhile to remember what the sound reminded me of. Then, it suddenly clicked...

It was just the same whirring hum that milk-floats used to make around 6am on a school day.

[Lincolnshire Rambler]

Ha yes and glass milk bottles …recycled for years …. Luckliy now the supermarkets will deliver in vans your milk in nice plastic tubs  we wash and put out in our recycle wheelie bin. And yes some of those vans are now electric …….  Hmm

[Lord Voltermore]

Nostalgia . free school milk in 1/3 pint (190ml)bottles.   (And school dinners with pink sponge and pink custard. All the E numbers you could ever need)   IIRC dairies also used the bottles to sell orange juice but I dont know if it was the real stuff, or just more E numbers.   My family managed to avoid scurvy without new fangled fresh orange juice 

But I wouldn't describe the noise as the same as a milk float.  Its more like an deliberate ultrasonic noise  ,which the car switches off when it reaches a certain speed above which pedestrians presumably dont have time to jump out of the way.  Maybe some people are more sensitive to that sound frequency.