Révolution électrique

£35,990

FOR Stylishly odd design, high quality cabin

AGAINST Range is sub-optimal, cramped rear

As ludicrous as Tesla’s Ludicrous mode is, going hell for leather in an EV seems counter-intuitive. With the explosive drama of internal combustion removed from the equation, isn’t zero emissions life better lived at a more decorous pace?

On which basis, the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense is a credible 21st century inheritor of its Fifties (Citroen-badged) namesake. That lush, plush futurist classic will never be topped, but the electric DS 3 is… pleasingly outré. Rather than sportiness, DS has lasered in on luxury as its brand essence.

It also helps distinguish it from the cars with which it shares its drivetrain: the more proletarian Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e. The 50kWh battery is good for a claimed 200-mile range, and powers a single electric motor on the front axle that produces 134bhp. Performance? Some. But a 93mph top speed and 0–62mph time of approximately nine seconds is further proof that DS is looking elsewhere for its priorities.

So we will, too. This is very much a statement car. Visually, only a few discreet badges give a clue to its method of propulsion, but the regular DS 3 Crossback is a slightly barmy looking thing as it is. Design is clearly a subjective area, but this is one of those contemporary cars – like the Toyota Prius – whose entire raison d’être is differentiation. Me, I kinda like it.

The top La Première version gets contrasting Nappa leather on the dash and doors, but even the lesser versions feel sumptuous in a way that well regarded Hyundai and Kia rivals simply don’t. All the touchpoints are high quality, although the doorbins lack any sort of lining and there’s nothing like percussive house keys to ruin your EV zen. Then there’s the diamond-shaped touch-sensitive switchgear, which should have stayed in the design studio. Props for giving it a go, guys, but it just doesn’t work.

DS’s engineers reworked the rear suspension to help ameliorate the effect of the E-Tense’s extra 300kg in weight. And while it doesn’t serve up the same sort of jollies as the Mini Electric, this is a very amiable car on the move. Clever use of acoustic materials heightens the sense of calm, tyre noise is well suppressed, and only big expansion joints really upset it. It grips well, too. Eco mode restricts power to 80bhp, and you can boost brake regeneration by moving the gear selector into the B position. The effect isn’t strong enough to make this a one-pedal car.

Find a 100kW rapid charger and it’ll replenish the battery to 80 per cent in 30 minutes; a 7kW domestic wallbox will fully charge it in 7.5 hours, with the now customary app available to optimise the process. The E-Tense’s 200-mile WLTP range is less than the Renault Zoe, Kia e-Niro or Hyundai Kona manage, but it’s way more than the Honda e or Mini. The line-up starts with the £30,490 Performance Line (with government grant), though you need the posh one for the full DS sensory experience. And that’s this car’s whole reason for being. Jason Barlow