Methods are provided for reducing impulse noise effects in a motor vehicle radio. One method includes the steps of first detecting impulse noise received by the motor vehicle radio. The received impulse noise is classified as either short pulse width impulse noise or as long pulse width impulse noise. The short pulse width impulse noise can generally be blanked without seriously affecting the audio quality of the radio. For the long pulse width impulse noise, a maximum long pulse width blanking repetition rate is set and such impulse noise pulses are blanked at a blanking rate less than the maximum long pulse width blanking repetition rate.