DS DS 4 Review & Prices

The DS 4 brings a definite French chic to the world of the family hatchback; a croissant in a world of buttered toast. It’s certainly a looker, with sharp lines, crisp angles and intricate details aplenty set the DS 4 apart from its comparatively dull alternatives such as the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volkswagen Golf.

Narrow headlights in the top corners and tall, striking running lights either side of a hexagonal grille frame the DS 4’s front end, and it looks quite unlike anything else on the road. On the sides of the car a low roofline and lower body cladding give the DS 4 a dainty silhouette, especially with its big 19-inch wheels, while a rakish rear window and intricate taillights finish off what is a very handsome hatchback.

The interior is also striking to look at, but not quite as well resolved as the DS 4’s exterior. There are aluminium-look details and swoopy lines all over the interior, and the dashboard wraps around the front occupants. But while the design is easy on the eye and there are soft touch materials everywhere within reach, nothing quite makes sense in the DS 4’s cabin.

The infotainment screen in the middle of the dashboard feels as though it’s angled towards the passenger, and while the graphics are quite smart it’s frustratingly slow to use with no real shortcuts to help you navigate the myriad of menus.

There’s a secondary touchpad on the centre console which is supposed to act as a shortcut bar of sorts, but it requires a long (and shockingly firm) press and hold to operate - and it’s even slower to respond than the main screen.

Front occupants get a pair of comfortable seats but that’s where the DS 4’s ergonomic qualities end. The window controls are placed unnaturally high on the door cards, the handbrake switch lives next to the start button on the dashboard, there’s an errant home button next to the infotainment which looks lost and the mirror adjustment knob is obscured by the steering wheel. It’s all just a bit mental inside.

Rear seat space is poor too, with little in the way of legroom and headroom, though the rear bench itself is comfortable and the door cards still feature soft touch plastics. Boot space is quite good though, and at 430 litres it’s larger than both the BMW 1 Series and Volkswagen Golf. Plug-in hybrid models lose 40 litres of space to the battery packs, but 390 litres is still a decent size.

You have a choice of hybrids, one self charging and one plug-in (PHEV), or a single diesel engine to choose from. The plug-in hybrid is the most powerful and has a claimed 38 miles of electric range, but the self-charging hybrid offers fantastic fuel economy for a much lower price. It’s just a shame it’s so coarse when under load, and the electric motor has an intrusive whine - especially when regenerating charge.

Driving in town is a doddle in the automatic-only DS 4. The steering is fairly light and forward visibility is good, but rear visibility is very poor and the parking camera is irritatingly slow to kick in. It’s far too firm over broken roads though, and while bigger blows are fine you’ll feel every crack in the tarmac. Wind noise is quiet but rougher motorway sections are a pain with too much road noise. Don’t expect the DS 4 to feel like a hot hatch as it does have noticeable body lean when pitching into corners.

Check out our great DS 4 deals for a stylish car that’ll tickle your neighbours’ intrigue, or have a look at some fantastic DS 4 lease deals for a depreciation-free route to acquiring a new car. You can also browse used DS 4s from our trusted network of dealers, as well as other used DS models. When it’s time to make the switch, Carwow can help you sell your car too.

DS 4 prices vary massively from an entry level Pallas diesel model to a top-spec Etoile car equipped with a plug-in hybrid engine. Even a base-spec PHEV costs more than £40,000, though, and will have you paying the additional luxury car tax on top of the typical first year road tax.

Prices start at around the same as a BMW 1 Series, but more than an Audi A3, while the top-of-the-range DS 4 comes close to the price of a top spec BMW M135i or even a Volkswagen Golf R, if you want something really posh.

For comparable fuel economy, even the basic Volkswagen Golf GTE costs less than a basic DS4 PHEV, and the plug-in hybrid Golf is a superior car in most aspects.

The DS 4 is surefooted and easy to drive, but it’s neither quick nor hugely comfortable

In town

Light steering and an automatic gearbox for every engine option mean the DS 4 is easy to pilot around town. The A-pillars are a little thick which can be slightly annoying at junctions, but the bluff nose means the DS 4 is easy to place in traffic and it helps when parallel parking.

Rear visibility is poor as a result of the high, small rear window and thick C-pillars, but you do get rear parking sensors and a fairly clever rear camera as standard which can turn with your steering input and show you a projected top-down view. The sensors are a little oversensitive though, and the rear camera takes longer to turn on than you’d like, which is particularly frustrating in the dark or in traffic.

The suspension is a mixed bag, and while it absorbs larger blows well the DS 4 gets noticeably bothered by cracked roads and shallow potholes which send sharp vibrations into the cabin.

On the motorway

Wind noise is very well insulated and road noise is kept to a minimum in the DS 4 on most surfaces, and the self-charging hybrid fuel economy is particularly impressive. Unfortunately the DS 4’s in-town ride characteristics reveal themselves on motorways too, and while larger dips don’t faze the car at all, rougher sections of road do lead to more intrusive road noise than in a lot of alternatives.

The cruise control system is useful, and the optional adaptive system is well judged, taking the strain out of long distance drives.

On a twisty road

The DS 4’s emphasis on style and low-speed city driving is evident on a twisty road, where it’s grippy and predictable but has more body lean in fast corners than you’d like. Country lanes are best taken at a moderate pace rather than an all-out sprint, especially as the engines are rather noisy with much more than gentle throttle input.

Great front storage and a big boot, but rear passengers will feel claustrophobic

Front seat occupants have a spacious and cosseting cabin, managing to combine good storage space and comfortable seats with a more chunkier interior design than in a lot of the DS 4’s alternatives.

Large, padded door bins, and a large storage compartment are useful for odds and sods, while a deep centre console cubby with a retractable top houses two cupholders and a wireless charging pad. There’s even a handy slot behind the gear selector and touch pad to store your phone in if you don’t want to have it on the wireless pad, or if you want to charge it via cable instead.

Space in the back seats

Passengers in the back won’t be as comfortable as the front. While the rear bench is supportive and well cushioned, there’s little in the way of legroom - especially behind tall drivers - and the DS 4’s rakish roofline means that you’ll more than likely brush your head up against the ceiling.

The rear windows are quite small and there’s not much shoulder room, so the DS 4 isn’t ideal for long journeys, especially with three people in the back.

Boot space

At 430 litres the DS 4 sits right up there with some of the most spacious family hatchbacks for boot capacity. There’s more luggage space than the Audi A3 at 425 litres as well as the Volkswagen Golf with its 381-litre boot and the BMW 1 Series at 380 litres.

It’s a bit of an annoying shape though, with some angles and protrusions that can get in the way of wide objects and a load lip that can make loading and unloading heavy objects a pain.

A great looking cabin is let down by irritating infotainment in a classic case of style over substance

The DS 4 bucks the trend of uber-minimalism with what is definitely one of the best looking interiors of any family hatchback on sale.

The designers at DS have opted for a plush, tall dash which wraps around the front of the interior all the way onto the door cards. A mix of plush materials elevates the cabin, as does the subtle use of ambient lighting, and a smattering of aluminium-look switchgear adds an extra degree of poshness too.

Unfortunately, some of the quirkier design features make for an overcomplicated cabin. The central vents are moved by a combination of side-scrolling rollers and vertically-rocking tabs which are in different places on the dashboard.

The infotainment system is much the same, with an overcomplicated menu system that’s not only fussy to use but very lethargic; reacting slowly to your inputs and requiring far more attention to operate than it ought to.

The touchpad on the centre console feels utterly useless too. It’s great to look at and it’s fun to doodle on when you’re at a standstill, but it needs such a heavy press to work that it feels as though you’re going to poke your finger through it before it registers your touch.

You have a choice of a self charging hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a diesel engine when speccing a DS4.

The diesel BlueHDi 130 model seems like it would be the best choice if you’re covering lots and lots of motorway miles, but the 1.2-litre hybrid model is so economical on a long journey and uses less fuel around town. Both models offer a realistic combined 52mpg, but we found that the hybrid actually comes close to that in our testing. It might well be worth picking in the real world, especially as it’s hardly more expensive than the diesel is.

The plug-in hybrid version uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine paired up with an electric motor. You do get a claimed 38 miles of electric only range, but it costs significantly more to buy outright, and breaks the £40,000 additional new car tax threshold.

Speaking of which, the diesel model lands in the 33% benefit-in kind (BIK) tax for company car buyers, where the hybrid model falls in the 29% band. The PHEV option sits in the lowly 13% band thanks to its low emissions and good range.

The DS 4 scored a four-star safety rating when tested back in 2022, with no recent updates. Adult and child occupant tests garnered high scores for the 4, but it was the average pedestrian safety rating and lack of standard driver assist programs which let the DS 4 down.

It still comes equipped with a slew of airbags, speed warnings and an automatic emergency braking system though, as well as ISOFIX child seat mounting points - if only in the rear.

Euro NCAP has toughened its criteria since 2022, so it might be worth considering newer alternatives if vehicle safety is at the forefront of your mind.

There have been three recalls which have affected the DS 4, but the latest of these was in 2023 so all of the issues should have been addressed years ago.

DS didn’t feature in the 2024 Driver Power survey, but Citroen - to which DS is very closely related - scored a hugely impressive 5th place for owner satisfaction out of the 32 manufacturers.

In fact the Citroen C4, with which the DS 4 shares engines and various other oily bits beneath the surface, took second place in the ‘best car to own’ section of the 2023 survey. That should give you some confidence in purchasing a DS 4.

That being said, DS only offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty with the 4 - which is nothing special.