DS 3 E-Tense vs Hyundai KONA Electric (2018-2023)

The DS 3 E-Tense costs £7,500 more than the Hyundai KONA Electric. For that premium it adds 58 miles more WLTP range, 56 kW faster peak rapid charging and a 0.9s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai KONA Electric comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai KONA Electric is £7,500 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £144 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 £7,540 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 158 miles for the Hyundai KONA Electric - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The DS 3 E-Tense goes roughly 49 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 30 minutes in the DS 3 E-Tense and 48 in the Hyundai KONA Electric, so the DS 3 E-Tense loses less time at each stop. That makes the DS 3 E-Tense the stronger long-distance car.

The two are within 2 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 600 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai KONA Electric and about 598 mm of total clearance for the DS 3 E-Tense.