DS N°4 vs Tesla Model 3

The DS N°4 is £995 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 DS N°4 comes out roughly £955 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 232 miles for the DS N°4 and 229 miles for the Tesla Model 3 - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV.

The DS N°4 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 103 mm narrower than the Tesla Model 3. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 570 mm of total clearance for the DS N°4 and about 467 mm of total clearance for the Tesla Model 3. The DS N°4 also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the DS N°4 and 92% for the Tesla Model 3. That gives the Tesla Model 3 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Tesla Model 3's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the DS N°4's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.