DS No 4 E-Tense review

What do the DS No 4 E-Tense and the world’s first wristwatch have in common? It would probably help if we explain that the world’s first wristwatch was called the Breguet No. 2639, and it was a luxury timepiece commissioned for the Queen of Naples, no less. 

Now, the DS No 4 E-Tense wasn’t commissioned by the Queen of Naples, but it is a luxury product – according to DS. And since DS rebranded it (the model used to be known as the DS 4), it uses a similar naming policy. 

What sort of luxury product is it, exactly? A small electric car, which puts it in competition with the closely-related Peugeot e-308, or the Cupra Born. Price wise, it overlaps with the bigger Tesla Model 3, too. 

And by the way, the DS No 4 also comes as a regular petrol or plug-in hybrid, 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 battery and electric motor configuration: a 58.3kWh (usable capacity) battery and a 211bhp electric motor driving solely the front wheels. It’s the same setup you’ll find in the new Peugeot e-408. 

The No 4 E-Tense has a 0-62mph time of 7.1sec, so it’s pretty quick,  feeling more than strong enough around town or on country roads and motorways. However, there are many EVs 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 concerned with comfort than sportiness, so let’s address the ride first. Is it comfortable? Well, generally speaking, yes. The No 4 E-Tense’s relatively soft suspension cushions you over general bumps well – speed bumps and scruffy surfaces – but there are two noteworthy caveats.

It’s tripped up by sharper imperfections, like ridges and deep potholes, and being at the softer end of the spectrum, the ride can feel a little floaty at times down undulating country roads. The Cupra Born has a firmer suspension setup, so you notice a few more of the road’s imperfections but it’s better tied down at speed. 

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 the handling is safe and secure – but it’s no fun. The steering is accurate enough but not very communicative or confidence-inspiring, and 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?

Driving smoothly is well within the No 4 E-Tense’s comfort zone. We mentioned that it’s not as explosive as some rivals off the line, but that means it’s easy to feed the power in smoothly. And speaking of smooth, for an electric car, the brakes are reasonably progressive but it would be better if the pedal action was firmer.  

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 wind or road noise – especially for a car that comes as standard with relatively big 19in wheels.

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

The No 4 E-Tense has an official range of up to 279 miles. Expect around 230 miles in the real world – that’s what we experienced during our test drive on a warm summer’s day. It’s worth noting that Pallas+ and Étoile trims come with a heat pump to help retain range on colder days. 

It’s a shame there’s just the one battery option. Some buyers could manage with less range and have a smaller, cheaper and lighter battery option, while others would appreciate a longer range. The Born gives you the choice of two battery sizes, for instance. The smaller has a 260-mile official range and the larger gives you up to 360 miles.

The No 4 E-Tense’s maximum rate of 120kW can deliver a 10-80% charge in around 37 minutes. That’s quite poor. Even the slowest-charging versions of the Born and Model 3 can charge up at around 170kW, meaning they can complete a 10-80% charge in as little as 24 minutes. 

“The No 4 E-Tense has no interest in being fun to drive and is much more concerned with comfort, something I thought it did well but not without fault.” – 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?

Yes. You can see that in the exterior styling, and also the interior. The overall design is certainly plush-looking. It’s very 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 in terms of material finish it’s not quite what it seems. 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 can make you feel cocooned behind the wheel, though. 

Forward visibility leaves nothing to to be desired, and you sit slightly higher up than you do in a Cupra Born or e-308. 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 No 4 has really easy to use physical menu shortcut switches. That’s something you’ll really appreciate if you’re coming from the smaller DS 3 with its fiddly touch-sensitive buttons. They’re used to bring up certain functions like the climate controls on the 10in infotainment touchscreen. It could be made even better, though, with dedicated physical climate controls (separate from the screen) as you get in many Renaults, like the Megane and the R5. 

What’s also slightly annoying is that the screen can be a little sluggish to respond to your inputs, and some of the icons are small and fiddly to press while driving. On the plus side, the infotainment screen quality is crisp, the graphics look good, and the menus are logical and easy to navigate. 

The standard 10.25in driver’s display is also high definition, but it’s a shame it’s not as configurable as the display in the Born. If you choose range-topping Étoile trim, you’ll also have a head-up display.  

“A couple of physical, easy-to-reach heated seat buttons, please. I got frustrated with the amount of steps to get to the heated seats menu" – 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? Well, that’s going to be a good or bad thing – probably bad if you prefer a more open interior, like the Tesla Model 3’s. But the No 4 is also tight in other ways – head room, for instance, is adequate rather than generous, but leg room is fine.

The rear is even tighter, especially if you’re sat behind someone tall in the front. Six-footers will be lucky to have even a fingernail of leg and head room spare. And you better hope your middle-seat passenger is as skinny as actor Christian Bale was in The Machinist, otherwise they’ll be cramped as well. 

It’s worth mentioning that our test car was fitted with the optional sunroof – cars without that will have a little bit more head room at their disposal. To be fair, the No 4’s rear is roomier than the Renault 5’s, but if you need something to carry four adults, the Cupra Born is a better option. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

The DS No 4 E-Tense’s boot is rated at 390 litres – not massive, then, but roomy enough to fit a small fold-up buggy. That’s actually quite a bit smaller than the boot in the petrol version of DS No 4 (430 litres). Still, that’s competitive against the Born (385 litres) and the e-308 hatchback (361 litres) – the e-308 SW estate car naturally has a lot more 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 underfloor storage, though. That’d come in handy for stowing the charge cables – particularly with no front boot, something you get with some rivals. 

On the other hand, there is a ski hatch between the rear seats, meaning you can pass through longer items like, for instance…er…skis. The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, which is fairly typical for the class. We say fairly because the e-308 has a more practical 40/20/40 split. 

“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 list starts off pricier than the rival Cupra Born and Peugeot e-308. We’d stick with entry-level Pallas trim to keep that gap to a minimum. 

Pallas comes with two-zone automatic air conditioning, automatic windscreen wipers, automatic headlights, acoustic laminated side windows and a rear armrest. 

On top of that list, Pallas+ gets keyless entry and a ChatGPT-enhanced voice assistant. It’s worth considering for the heat pump, and because it gives you more optional extras, like the Comfort Pack (which gives you heated seats). At this point you're near-enough in Tesla Model 3 price territory. 

Range-topping Étoile is too pricey to recommend, but it adds a head-up display and a different style of 19in alloy wheel. 

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The DS No 4 E-Tense was too new to feature in any What Car? Reliability Survey, but even the pre-facelift DS 4 was absent from our 2024 survey. Unfortunately, the brand of DS was absent as well. 

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, but the combustion-engined version has in 2022 – back when it was known as the DS 4. It scored four stars for safety when it was tested by Euro NCAP, but gets five stars in Étoile trim, which includes extra safety equipment, like blind-spot monitoring. 

The 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 want a plush interior with a Paris-inspired design 

- You prefer comfort to sportiness

- You like nippy but progressive acceleration 

Don’t buy it if…

- You want a roomy interior

- You want a really long range

- You want a class-leading driving experience

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