DS No 4 E-Tense review

The DS No 4 E-Tense is the all-electric version of the brand’s family hatchback. The ‘E-Tense’ part of the name is similar to how Audi uses ‘e-tron’ for its battery-powered models, and is sold alongside the mild-hybrid (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions.

While the DS No 4 first went on sale in 2021, the E-Tense version only joined the range during the model’s mid-cycle facelift. That means it benefited from the car’s latest styling – such as a refreshed front grille, and a light-up DS logo on the front and back – right off the bat. 

The interior gets the same tech revisions as well, which promise to make it more user-friendly, while aiming to make this small electric car more upmarket than its rivals. 

Speaking of which, the E-Tense’s competition is slightly different to the combustion-engined DS No 4, and includes the closely-related Peugeot e-308 and Vauxhall Astra Electric, plus the Cupra Born, Renault Megane and VW ID 3. Price wise, it overlaps with the bigger Tesla Model 3, too. 

What’s New?

- November 2025: First deliveries take place

- August 2025: Orders open for DS No.4 E-Tense. Choice of Pallas, Pallas+, Étoile, Étoile Nappa trims

- May 2025: Facelifted car shown with new name (now DS No 4) with electric option: DS No 4 E-Tense, with 210bhp electric motor, 58.3kWh battery, potential 280-mile range

- February 2022: First DS 4 deliveries take place

- December 2021: DS 4 orders open

How fast is it and which motor is best?

The DS No 4 E-Tense is limited to one power output: a 211bhp electric motor driving solely the front wheels. It’s the same setup you’ll find in the new Peugeot e-408, and is more powerful than the 152bhp motor found in the closely-related Peugeot e-308 and Vauxhall Astra Electric. 

As a result, the No 4 E-Tense has a slightly quicker 0-62mph time of 7.1sec than those two stablemates (which require more than 9.0sec). It’s more than strong enough around town, while acceleration doesn’t tail off as noticeably as the e-308 or Astra on country roads and motorways. However, there are many electric cars in the No 4’s price bracket that are quicker still and feel more explosive off the line, including the Cupra Born and Tesla Model 3. 

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

DS is more focussed on comfort than sportiness, so let’s address the ride first. Generally speaking, the No 4 E-Tense’s relatively supple suspension cushions you over most bumps well – speed bumps and scruffy surfaces included. 

The thing is, the suspension still trips up over sharper ridges and imperfections, meaning it still frequently fidgets and jostles occupants in their seats. As a result, the DS No 4’s ride isn’t as cosseting at low speeds as some may hope, especially given the higher price over its rivals. Thankfully, the ride settles down on a motorway cruise.

Meanwhile the Cupra Born and VW ID 3’s firmer suspension setups help them feel better tied down, especially over undulations.  

The rear-wheel-drive Born is a much sharper handler, too. Dynamically, the No 4 E-Tense feels more laid-back. It’s easy to manoeuvre around town and on twistier roads there’s enough grip to feel safe and secure – but it’s not the most fun. The steering has some weighting and responds accurately enough but there’s more body lean in quicker corners than there is in the Born – or the Tesla Model 3 for that matter.  

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

Given its luxury focus over rivals, this should be an area the No 4 E-Tense excels in, but it doesn’t quite fully master it. It’s good at delivering its power and building up speed without a fuss, but when it comes to slowing down, the brake pedal response could be more progressive to help you slow down the car smoothly. 

There is regenerative braking to help recoup some electric energy while slowing the car down. You can choose from three levels of strength by using paddles on the back of the steering wheel and the braking effect activates smoothly when you lift off the accelerator.

If you find yourself on a particularly pothole-ridden road, you will notice some suspension noise but, otherwise, it’s a commendably hushed cruiser. 

There’s very little road noise, especially for a car that comes as standard with relatively big 19in wheels, while wind noise is cut down to a minimum thanks to laminated front side windows. Go for mid-level Performance Line trim and the rear side windows are also laminated.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

With a 58.3kWh (usable capacity) battery, the No 4 E-Tense has an official electric range of up to around 280 miles. Expect around 230 miles in the real world – that’s what we saw during our test in the spring season. All versions come with a heat pump to help warm up the interior more efficiently on colder days. 

The No 4 E-Tense’s maximum charge rate of 120kW can deliver a 20-80% charge in around 30 minutes. That’s disappointing, given most rivals can charge from 10-80% within the same amount of time.

“The No 4 E-Tense has no interest in being fun to drive and is much more concerned with comfort. I find that quite refreshing, although it’s not quite as luxurious as it wants to be.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The DS brand is French – specifically it was founded in Paris (after being attached to Citroën for many years). So, the intention is that the glitz and glamour of the City of Love has rubbed off in the design of the No 4 – as opposed to the parts that gave birth to Paris Syndrome. Has it worked, though?

In a word, yes. The overall design certainly looks plush. It’s curvaceous and striking, with soft-touch materials on the dashboard, centre console and doors, and contrasting silver trims and switches sprinkled around to add some colour contrast. 

Everything feels well-screwed together too, but some of the finishes, on closer inspection, look and feel a bit cheap. Those silver highlights, for example, aren’t real metal but sprayed plastic. 

The No 4 is definitely still a big step up over the Vauxhall Astra Electric, but the Tesla Model 3’s more consistently top-notch materials make it feel a touch classier.  

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The driver’s seat is soft and comfortable and has plenty of adjustment – as does the steering wheel. And there’s more good news: the No 4 E-Tense does without the Peugeot e-308’s controversial tiny steering wheel and raised driver’s display, which many people find odd. The No 4 E-Tense’s wrap-around design and high centre console do make you feel cocooned behind the wheel, though. 

Forward visibility is good and you sit slightly higher up than you do in the e-308 or Astra Electric. Rear visibility is slightly compromised by chunky rear pillars and a slim rear window, but we never found ourselves having too much trouble changing lanes on the motorway or reverse parking. Even if you do find it tricky, there are standard-fit front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera on hand to help out.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

The standard 10.25in driver’s display is bright and has sharp looking graphics. It has a few layouts to choose from but it’s not as configurable as the display in the Renault Megane. If you choose mid-level Performance Line trim, you’ll also have a head-up display. 

The 10in infotainment touchscreen is smaller than the 12.9in screen you get in the Cupra Born, so some of the icons are smaller and trickier to aim for while driving. The graphics are sharp enough, but the screen can be a little sluggish to respond to your inputs and the menus could be easier to navigate around.

The No 4 does at least have easy-to-use physical menu shortcut switches dotted around the touchscreen, which are used to bring up certain functions like the climate controls, or to take you directly to the vehicle settings menu.

It could be made even better, with dedicated physical climate controls (separate from the screen) as you get in many Renaults, like the Megane and the R5. 

“I would like a couple of physical, easy-to-reach heated seat buttons. I got frustrated with the number of steps to get to the menu they’re hidden in." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much space does it have for people?

Remember how we said the DS No 4 E-Tense made you feel cocooned up front? That could be a good or bad thing – probably the latter if you prefer a more open interior, like in the Cupra Born, Tesla Model 3 or VW ID 3. Elsewhere, head room is adequate rather than generous, but there’s plenty of leg room for a six footer.

Rear seat space is even tighter. Anyone near six feet tall will feel the back of their head brushing on the ceiling, while leg room is tight if you’re sitting behind a six-footer in front. You’d better hope your middle-seat passenger is as skinny as actor Christian Bale was in The Machinist too, otherwise they’ll be cramped as well. It’s similar to the Astra Electric, e-308 and Megane, but the Born and ID 3 are far more generous.

It’s worth mentioning that head room is worse with the optional sunroof, since this lowers the ceiling and eats into head room a fair bit. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

The DS No 4 E-Tense’s 390-litre boot is a bit smaller than the one in the petrol DS No 4 (430 litres) and Megane (440 litres), but an improvement on the Born (385 litres) and e-308 (361 litres). It’s certainly roomy enough to fit a small fold-up buggy, although the Peugeot e-308 SW estate car is a more practical option if you need extra space. 

It’s also worth noting that some electric SUVs trounce the No 4 E-Tense in this area. The Skoda Elroq has 470 litres of space, while the Renault Scenic  has a whopping 545 litres. 

Other things to note about the No 4 E-Tense’s boot is its useful shape and fairly low load lip. It’s a shame there’s no adjustable boot floor and the underfloor storage area isn’t big enough to store the charge cables. You also don’t get a front boot either.

On the other hand, there is a ski hatch between the rear seats, meaning you can pass through long, narrow items and still have two rear outer occupants sitting either side. The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, which is fairly typical for the class – the e-308 does have a more practical 40/20/40 split however. 

“Considering it’s noticeably longer than the Cupra Born, I was surprised to find it’s more cramped in the back." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The DS No 4 E-Tense’s high list price makes it significantly more expensive than most rivals, including the Cupra Born, Peugeot e-308, Renault Megane and VW ID 3. You can also have the Tesla Model 3 for less. 

The DS No 4 E-Tense is harder to recommend as a result, but if you’re set on buying one, we’d stick with entry-level Pallas+ trim to keep that gap to a minimum. That version comes with two-zone automatic air conditioning, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic headlights, keyless entry and heated front seats. 

DS Performance Line adds minor sportier styling changes, a rear armrest and rear privacy glass. Range-topping Étoile is too pricey to recommend and only gains matrix LED headlamps and floor mats. 

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The DS No 4 E-Tense is too new to feature in any What Car? Reliability Survey, but even the pre-facelift DS 4 was absent from our 2024 survey. As a brand, DS was absent as well, but the closely related Citroen brand did finish in 10th place. 

Mind you, if something were to go wrong, every DS is covered by a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s the same as Peugeot, but Cupra covers its cars for five years or 90,000 miles. 

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The E-Tense hasn’t been crash tested by Euro NCAP yet, but the combustion-engined version did in 2022 – back when it was known as the DS 4. It scored four stars for safety, but higher spec versions were awarded five stars for including extra safety equipment, such as blind-spot monitoring and rear-cross traffic alert. These are standard on DS Performance Line and above.

The Peugeot 308 also holds a four-star rating, while the Cupra Born has a five-star one. For security, every DS No 4 E-Tense gets an alarm as standard. 

“I think it’s a shame that entry-level Pallas locks you out of certain optional extras like the Comfort Pack." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You appreciate an upmarket interior

- You prefer comfort to sportiness

- You like nippy but progressive acceleration 

Don’t buy it if…

- You want a roomy interior

- You need a really long range

- You’re after a class-leading driving experience

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