DS 3 E-Tense vs Hyundai KONA Electric

The DS 3 E-Tense costs £1,995 more than the Hyundai KONA Electric. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Hyundai KONA Electric is not just cheaper - it also offers 71 miles more WLTP range, 116 litres more boot space and 45 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai KONA Electric comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai KONA Electric is £1,995 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £136 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Hyundai KONA Electric comes out roughly £2,075 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 207 miles for the DS 3 E-Tense and 266 miles for the Hyundai KONA Electric - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Hyundai KONA Electric goes roughly 59 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 30 minutes in the DS 3 E-Tense and 41 in the Hyundai KONA Electric, so the DS 3 E-Tense loses less time at each stop. So the Hyundai KONA Electric stops less often while the DS 3 E-Tense stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The two are within 23 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 598 mm of total clearance for the DS 3 E-Tense and about 575 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai KONA Electric.