Skar Audio EVL-18 D2 Review: the 18" brute for people who actually like too much bass

I put the Skar Audio EVL-18 D2 in my car because my old 12" setup started to feel weak, especially on low notes. I’ve run cheaper 12s and a single 15 before, so I kind of knew what to expect from Skar, but jumping to an 18" is a different story. This thing is big, heavy, and you immediately feel like you’re committing to something a bit stupid, in a good way. It’s rated 1,250 W RMS, 2,500 W peak, dual 2 ohm, and you really need to treat it like a serious sub, not a budget toy.

From the first power-up, it was clear this driver isn’t for casual background music. Even at half gain, my rearview mirror was buzzing and panels started to complain. I put it in a roughly 8 cu ft ported box tuned low, similar to what one of the Amazon reviewers mentioned, and it reacts well to proper airspace. If you stuff this in a tiny prefab box, you’ll just waste your money and blame the sub for no reason.

I’ve been running it for a few weeks on a proper amp with clean power, and the main takeaway is simple: it hits hard, especially in the 25–40 Hz range, and it doesn’t feel like it’s dying when you push it. It’s not an SQ competition woofer, it’s more of a daily/ground-pounder type driver. If you care more about breaking trim pieces than hearing every detail in a bass guitar, you’ll probably like it.

It’s not perfect though. The thing is heavy, takes up a stupid amount of space, and you really need electrical upgrades and a solid box. If you’re just trying to add a bit of bass to a stock system, this is total overkill. But if you’re already thinking in terms of big alternators, 0-gauge wire, and bracing your trunk, the EVL-18 D2 starts to make sense.

In terms of value, I’d say the EVL-18 D2 sits in a sweet spot for people who are already serious about car audio but don’t want to pay boutique prices. You’re getting a big 18" sub with a real 3" coil, solid motor, and a lot of output potential for the money. When you compare it to some high-end brands that cost much more for similar or only slightly better performance, the Skar looks like good bang for the buck.

But you have to consider the hidden costs. This woofer demands a few things:

• A strong amp that can actually deliver around 1,000–1,500 W RMS clean
• A properly built large box (often custom)
• Decent electrical (big 3 upgrade, good battery/alternator if possible)
• Trunk space you’re willing to sacrifice

Compared to running two cheaper 12s, the EVL-18 D2 gives a different experience. One big 18 in the right box can feel deeper and more violent than a pair of budget 12s in a small prefab box. If you’re chasing that “flex the car” feeling, the value is actually pretty good. If you’re just trying to slightly upgrade a factory system, then no, this is not good value — it’s the wrong tool entirely.

Taking into account the Amazon 4.6/5 rating, the long time it has been on the market (since 2017), and my own use, I’d rate the value as above average. Not dirt cheap, not overpriced, just fair for what it can do. There are cheaper subs, but they won’t take this kind of power for long. There are better subs, but you’ll pay a lot more for the last 10–20% of performance. If your goal is loud, low bass without going full competition budget, the EVL-18 D2 is a pretty solid deal.

Design-wise, the EVL-18 D2 is pretty straightforward: black cone, high-roll foam surround, and the classic Skar logo. The red dual-layer spider is the only real touch of color, and you don’t really see that once it’s installed. It’s not trying to be pretty; it just looks like a serious chunk of hardware. The basket is vented, and the motor has good ventilation around the coil, which is important when you’re feeding it 1,000+ watts for long periods.

The first thing you notice is the size and depth. With dimensions around 20.75" x 20.75" x 14.25", you definitely need to measure your trunk or cabin before buying. This is not going under a seat or in a tiny trunk without some planning. I had to slightly adjust my box design to give enough mounting depth and clearance behind the magnet. If you’re running a sedan with a small trunk opening, there’s a real chance the box + sub combo simply won’t fit through the opening even if it fits inside the trunk space.

Another detail I liked: the push terminals are decent and make wiring dual 2 ohm coils less annoying. They’re not cheap spring clips that pop off. You still need to be careful with thick wire, but they hold 8-gauge fine. The gasket and mounting ring are okay, nothing fancy, but they seal well against the box. Overall, it looks and feels like a driver meant to be hidden in a big box, not a show car centerpiece with chrome and LEDs.

If I had to nitpick, the design isn’t compact at all. For people trying to keep some trunk space, an 18" EVL is just not the right direction. Also, the high-roll surround sticks out a bit, so you really want a proper grille or at least enough clearance so it doesn’t hit the box edge or rear seats at full excursion. In short: the design is functional, strong, and a bit brutal, which fits the type of use this sub is aimed at.

The EVL-18 D2 uses a competition-grade paper cone with a high-roll foam surround. Paper might sound cheap to some people, but in car audio it’s pretty common because it gives a good balance between stiffness and weight. In hand, the cone doesn’t feel flimsy at all. I tapped it and flexed it slightly around the dust cap — it feels rigid, not like thin cardboard. The foam surround is tall and soft enough to allow good excursion, and after a few weeks of daily use at high volume, I don’t see any cracks or weird deformations.

The red two-layer spider is one of the key parts here. It’s stiff out of the box, then loosens up a bit with playtime, which is normal. I did notice the sub got noticeably louder and deeper after a few days of breaking in, especially on low frequencies. That lines up with the spider softening slightly. The 3" high-temp voice coil with black coating is the other big piece of the durability puzzle. I’ve run long bass-heavy sessions, and while the motor gets warm, I haven’t smelled coil or seen any signs of mechanical stress yet.

The basket and motor structure feel solid. You don’t see cheap plastic anywhere that matters — it’s mostly metal, with decent venting and a solid magnet stack. The sub weighs around 43.8 pounds, and that weight actually gives some confidence in the materials used. You won’t want to keep pulling it in and out of the box though; it’s awkward to handle if you’re alone, and you really should pre-drill good mounting holes so you don’t strip the MDF.

On the downside, the foam surround and paper cone still mean you need to be careful with moisture and physical abuse. This thing is not waterproof, and if you’re the type to toss tools or luggage in the trunk without thinking, you can easily damage the cone or surround. Also, the materials are more about output than finesse, so if you’re chasing ultra-clean, ultra-precise bass, this isn’t going to feel high-end in that sense. But for heavy daily use with proper power and a good box, the materials feel up to the task.

I’ve been running the EVL-18 D2 fairly hard for a few weeks now — daily driving, multiple long sessions with bass-heavy playlists, and some intentional “let’s see what it does” moments. So far, no burnt coil smell, no scratching sounds, no loose parts. The suspension still feels solid, and the surround shows no cracks or separation. For a sub at this price, that’s a good sign. It doesn’t feel like it’s on the edge of death every time you turn it up, which I’ve experienced with cheaper brands claiming similar wattage.

That said, you still need to be realistic. This is a 1,250 W RMS woofer, and if you slam it with dirty power, constant clipping, and no electrical upgrades, you can absolutely cook it. The high-temp 3" coil helps, but it’s not magic. I made sure to set my gain with a test tone and not just by ear, and that alone probably adds a lot to the lifespan. Also, with a heavy sub like this, box construction becomes part of durability. If your box flexes or your baffle is too thin, you’ll start breaking wood or pulling screws out before the sub itself fails.

The user reviews back up the long-term reliability pretty well. With over 4,000 ratings at 4.6/5, if these were dying left and right, the rating would be lower by now. People mention running them on strong amps (like Crown or big Taramps) and still being happy months later. That doesn’t mean everyone has a perfect experience, but it suggests the failure rate is reasonable for a high-power driver that often gets abused.

One weak point to keep in mind is environmental stuff. It’s not waterproof, and the materials (paper cone, foam surround) don’t love heat, moisture, and physical impacts. If your trunk leaks, or you live somewhere extremely humid and you never protect it, it might age faster. Also, because of the weight, if you don’t secure the box properly, a hard stop or accident could throw that mass around and damage the sub or car. Overall, though, for regular heavy daily use with halfway decent installation, the durability feels pretty solid.

In terms of performance, the EVL-18 D2 is pretty straightforward: it hits very hard and goes low, as long as you feed it good power and put it in the right box. I’m running it on an amp that does roughly 1,200–1,500 W RMS at the final impedance, with proper wiring and a decent electrical system. At that level, it easily shakes mirrors, doors, and the rear deck. On tracks with deep 30 Hz bass, it makes the whole car feel like it’s breathing. You feel it in your chest more than you hear it clearly, which is exactly what a lot of people want from an 18".

One thing I noticed: it really likes bigger boxes. In a roughly 8 cu ft ported setup, it comes alive. The low end is strong and doesn’t feel choked. If you try to cram it into something small and poorly tuned, you’ll probably say it’s boomy or weak. This isn’t a compact sub; it behaves best when you respect the recommended airspace and tuning. Several Amazon reviewers say the same thing — in a big box with real power, it absolutely hammers. One person even mentioned their rearview mirror ripping off and taking glass with it, which honestly doesn’t surprise me based on how much flex I’m seeing in my own car.

Sound quality-wise, it’s good enough for a loud daily setup, but it’s not surgical. Kick drums are a bit slower compared to smaller, lighter subs, which is normal for a big 18" cone. If you listen to a lot of fast metal or tight rock, you might feel it’s a bit lazy. But for hip-hop, trap, EDM, and anything with long low notes, it fits really well. It keeps control better than I expected at this price, as long as the amp is clean and the gain is set correctly.

Pushed hard for longer sessions, the sub stays in control. I haven’t hit what feels like mechanical limits yet, and I’ve had the cone moving a lot. No obvious bottoming out, no weird noises, just a lot of air moving. If you clip your amp, you can obviously kill it, but that’s on the user, not the woofer. Overall, in real use, the performance matches the reputation: it’s a loud, low, daily banger, not a perfect SQ driver, and that’s fine as long as you know what you’re buying.

On paper, the Skar Audio EVL-18 D2 looks pretty serious: 18" cone, dual 2 ohm voice coils, 3" high-temp coil, 1,250 W RMS, 2,500 W max, and a sensitivity of 88 dB. Frequency response is listed at 20–300 Hz, but in reality this thing is all about the lows. The free-air resonance (Fs) is around 37 Hz, and in a big enough ported box it digs noticeably under that. It’s not the tightest or fastest sub I’ve owned, but that’s kind of expected for an 18" that’s clearly built for output.

The driver itself weighs about 44 lbs, which you feel as soon as you try to install it. The magnet is chunky, the basket is solid, and the motor structure looks like it actually matches the power ratings. It’s not one of those “3,000 W” subs that weigh as much as a cereal box. If your box is weak or built with cheap MDF, this sub will expose that fast. My box is 3/4" MDF with a double baffle and bracing, and I still get flex around the port and top panel when I really lean on it.

Compared to the typical 12" or 15" entry-level subs, the EVL-18 D2 sits a step up. It feels more like an entry competition / serious daily sub. It’s not in the same league as the ultra high-end brands that cost twice or three times more, but for the price bracket, the motor strength and coil size are pretty solid. The Amazon ranking (#5 in car component subwoofers and 4.6/5 rating) lines up with what I experienced: it’s not perfect, but it does what people buy it for — loud, deep bass.

If you’re expecting a super balanced, hi-fi style woofer, you’ll probably find it a bit brute-force. But if you want something that can actually make your car shake and take real power without crying, the specs of the EVL-18 D2 match the experience in the car pretty well, as long as you give it the space and power it needs.