Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
As a cash purchase, the entry-level DS 4 comes in cheaper than the entry-level BMW 1 Series but more expensive than both the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class; both of which come with built-in sat nav as standard, unlike the DS 4.
For company car drivers with a keen eye on low Benefit-in-Kind tax payments, the E-Tense 225 plug-in hybrid holds particular appeal due to its low official CO2 emissions. In fact, it sits in a lower tax band than any 1 Series, occupying the same band as the A3 Sportback TFSI e plug-in hybrid.
The trim levels you can add on top of the ‘style treatments’ quickly grow expensive, but we’d advise stepping beyond Bastille+ trim and opting for Trocadero. That gives you the built-in sat-nav, the head-up display and handy additional touchscreen we mentioned earlier, as well as, front parking sensors, a reversing camera and more besides.
Both the DS 4 and DS as a brand were too new to feature in the 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, but Citroën, DS's parent company, placed a decent 11th out of the 30 included manufacturers. To give you peace of mind, every DS 4 comes with a three year warranty, matching rivals like the 1 Series and A-Class. The plug-in hybrid also comes with an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty on its electric battery.
In terms of safety, the DS 4 is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, but all versions come with plenty of safety equipment. That includes automatic emergency braking, with all trim levels, as well as a driver attention alert, lane-keeping assistance and hill-start assist. Higher trim levels get an upgraded automatic emergency braking system and rear cross-traffic alert.
