DS N°8 vs Lexus RZ

The Lexus RZ costs £3,205 more than the DS N°8. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the DS N°8 comes out ahead overall.

The DS N°8 is £3,205 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°8 comes out roughly £3,245 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 285 miles for the DS N°8 and 294 miles for the Lexus RZ - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 27-30 minutes.

The two are within 10 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 505 mm of total clearance for the Lexus RZ and about 495 mm of total clearance for the DS N°8.