DS 3 E-Tense Review

Range

The E-Tense has a respectable range of up to 250 miles according to the official figures. DS throws in a heat pump on all models apart from the entry-level Performance Line version which should help to extend the car’s range, especially in colder months. However, in the real world, we would expect 200 miles to be a reasonable expectation for day-to-day driving on a mixture of roads, and for that to fall below 200 when the temperatures drop in the winter.

Battery 

The DS3 used to share the same motor and battery with the Peugeot e-2008, Vauxhall Mokka Electric, Citroen e-C4 and numerous other vehicles from the brands owned by corporate mothership Stellantis. But the carmaker has slotted in its latest motor and battery tech which the new Jeep Avenger also gets, so that’s 153bhp and a 54kWh battery – some 20bhp and 4kWh larger than before. The 54kWh battery is very cleverly packed too, with the cells being split into two sections which sit under the front and rear seats to keep them out of the way and ensure the space for passengers and luggage isn’t affected by the electric powertrain.

Charging

The DS 3 doesn’t offer anything remarkable when it comes to charging, but that’s not a criticism. At home when using a conventional 7kW wallbox, a full refill should take around seven and a half hours, but while the battery is now larger its maximum charging speed hasn’t changed over the previous DS 3 Crossback so it’s limited to 100kW. That means when you plug into a rapid charger a 0-80% top-up it’ll still take 30 minutes, which is the norm in most of the DS 3’s rivals.