DS 3 E-Tense review

It's a sign of the times that the DS 3 E-Tense gets its motor and battery pack from what was once described as the world's biggest diesel-engine factory, in Trémery, France.

Ironically, however hard you look today, you won't find a new diesel-powered DS 3 at all – just this E-Tense all-electric version and the petrol DS 3 (which we've reviewed separately).

Only the really observant will notice that the DS 3 E-Tense has a different badge on its bonnet to the petrol model. The rest of the exterior is pretty much unchanged, aside from the absence of an exhaust pipe of course.

As a premium Stellantis brand, DS gets first dibs on most new technology and benefits from the combined electric-car knowhow of Citroën and Peugeot. That’s just as well because the DS 3 E-Tense finds itself up against some very capable rivals.

The other small electric SUVs you might be considering include the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30 – so would we recommend the DS 3 E-Tense above those? Read on to find out...

With 154bhp, the DS 3 E-Tense isn't powerful enough to match the Hyundai Kona Electric or Kia EV3 for pace, but its 0-62mph time of nine seconds will be quick enough for many people, and getting up to motorway speeds is stress-free.

The motor is impressively quiet – you essentially drive in silence around town and there’s no noticeable motor whirr at higher speeds. There’s more sound-deadening in the E-Tense than in a petrol DS 3 so it’s quieter at a motorway cruise too.

That said, the mechanical quietness draws your attention to the wind rushing around the windscreen pillars and tyre roar on coarse surfaces at motorway speeds. The sound is not particularly loud or annoying though.

The DS 3 E-Tense has soft suspension, making it comfortable and relaxing to drive around towns and cities, but at higher speeds you’ll notice a shift, and it doesn’t feel very well tied down (the same is true of the Citroën ë-C4).

On country roads there's a floatiness that can make it less comfortable than some rivals – including the Peugeot e-2008 – and in corners it suffers from a noteworthy amount of body lean. It’s far from the sharpest handler.

If you’re set on sticking within a Stellantis brand and want a better driving experience, we’d point you towards the Jeep Avenger Electric. Beyond Stellantis, the Volvo EX30 is one of the best electric SUVs to drive.

Like rivals, the DS 3 E-Tense has regenerative braking to return energy to the battery as you slow down. There are two levels of regen but even the stronger mode doesn’t allow one-pedal driving. Still, the brake-pedal feel is pretty consistent and allows you to make smooth stops.

When it comes to range, the DS 3 E-Tense feels a bit behind the times, with just one battery option and no long-range version. Its 50.8kWh usable battery capacity allows for a 248-mile official range, and we'd expect it to manage around 200 miles in the real world. A Kia EV3 or Renault Megane will go further on a charge.

“I found the DS 3 E-Tense's cushy ride and hushed cruising manners gave the driving experience a luxury feel that related Stellantis models struggle to match. Then again, you might expect that given the price premium.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The DS 3 E-Tense's extrovert exterior is matched by an equally striking interior, which makes the inside of the Kia Niro EV look as interesting as a caretaker's cupboard. DS clearly dug out its most imaginative mood boards, and the dashboard has a diamond-themed lay-out, with a tessellated pattern of touch-sensitive buttons and controls.

Those touch-sensitive buttons can be a pain though: they provide no confirmation when you press them, which might lend you to make a second attempt that will sometimes frustratingly cancel your initial stab. You’ll eventually get used to them, but there’s no doubt that the Niro EV’s conventional controls are far more user-friendly.

Every E-Tense gets a 10.3in touchscreen with DAB radio, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. On the whole it responds relatively swiftly to commands, although the air-con controls are buried within a menu, making them fiddly to use on the move.

The 7in digital driver's display behind the steering wheel is small but crisp, with handy read-outs telling you how much battery charge you have left and your approximate remaining range – along with plenty of other information. Top-of-the-range Opera trim gives you a head-up display that puts speed and sat-nav instructions in your line of sight (it’s optional on all other trims).

On entry-level Pallas trim, the interior materials are plush, with plenty of soft-touch areas around the dashboard, and Étoile covers some of the dashboard and doors in expensive-feeling Alcantara. The E-tense has a suitably upmarket feel (similar to the rival Volvo EX30) and everything feels well screwed together.

There’s plenty of adjustment in the driving position, but only top-spec Étoile trim gets driver's side electric seat adjustment with adjustable lumbar support. The seats are soft and fairly comfy, but if you're looking for a tall, SUV-like driving position you'll be disappointed – you don't sit as high up as you do in a Kia EV3 or an EX30. 

In fact, visibility is poor for the class. The DS 3 E-Tense's chunky front pillars and the kink in the side window line obstruct your view around corners and when looking left or right. The wide rear pillars have the same effect on rearward vision. Overall, the EV3 is much easier to see out of.

Fortunately, every DS 3 E-Tense has front and rear parking sensors, plus a reversing camera – it’s just a shame you’re forced to rely on them so much.

“The DS 3 E-Tense looks and feels expensive inside. I appreciate that DS didn’t cheap out on the smallest car in its model range.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

There’s a decent amount of space in the front of the DS 3 E-Tense, with enough head and leg room for even tall drivers to stretch out. Storage space is less generous though. The door pockets are small and their rearmost extremes are awkward to reach, while the cubby under the centre armrest isn’t that big.

In the back, passenger space is poor compared with the Kia EV3. There's not much leg room, especially if someone tall is sitting in the seat in front, and the downward-sloping roofline eats up head space. Children will be fine but six-footers won't want to ride in the back for too long – especially as the tiny rear windows make the whole experience even more claustrophobic.

The DS 3 E-Tense's boot space isn’t particularly impressive for an electric SUV either. You get 350 litres – more than in a Volvo EX30 but nowhere near as much luggage-carrying capacity as in a Kia EV3. There's also a considerable lip at the boot entrance, which is a pain when you're trying to lift in heavy items.

The rear seats split and fold in the standard 60/40 configuration, but don't slide back and forth, or provide a handy pass-through ski hatch.

“If you’re considering buying a DS 3 E-Tense as a practical family car, I'd recommend looking towards the Kia EV3 instead.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As the product of a premium brand, the DS 3 E-Tense doesn’t come cheap. You’ll find the list price exceeds that of all its Stellantis cousins (including the Jeep Avenger Electric and Peugeot e-2008) and many other rivals, including the Kia EV3 and Volvo EX30. It undercuts the Tesla Model 3 by only a small margin.

There’s more bad news: the DS 3 E-Tense is predicted to depreciate more quickly than most of its rivals, which isn’t great news if you decide to sell in three years.

There are two trims to choose from – Pallas and Étoile. Pallas comes well equipped, with 17in alloy wheels, automatic air-conditioning, tinted rear windows and a wireless phone-charger. Upgrading to Étoile gets you 18in alloys, keyless entry and Alcantara interior trim, but we’d stick to Pallas and save the money.

The DS 3 E-Tense has a competitive maximum charging rate of 100kW, which allows you to top up from 10-80% in as little as half an hour if you use a fast enough charger. If you have a 7kWh home EV charger you’ll be able to do a full charge in about seven and a half hours.

DS didn’t feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey but the closely related Citroën brand finished in an impressive seventh place out of 31 manufacturers. DS gives you a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which isn’t as generous as Hyundai’s five-year warranty or Kia’s seven-year offering.

The petrol DS 3 scored the full five stars when it was safety tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 so the all-electric E-Tense version should offer good protection. It comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitoring and a speed limiter as standard.

“There’s a good amount of luxury on offer here, but is there enough to warrant such a high price? I’m afraid not.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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