Used DS cars for sale

DS isn’t one of the biggest selling brands in the UK, so it’s hard to conclusively say whether its cars will be reliable. However, it’s part of the Citroen group and the wider Stellantis empire of car brands, so its powertrains and technology have been used extensively in other models. As ever, if you’d like total reassurance, you can take out a Motorpoint Extended Warranty.

Yes, there’s a fully electric DS 3, which shares its electrical gubbins with the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Mokka-e. Models produced before October 2022 have a 50kWh battery and a maximum 212-mile range, plus a 134bhp electric motor. Models produced later than this get a more powerful motor and a 250-mile range, courtesy of a slightly larger battery. Any electric DS 3 can recharge to 80% at a public fast charger in under half an hour.

DS’ E-Tense badging is used on its electrified cars – both fully electric cars like the DS 3 E-Tense and plug-in hybrids like the DS 7 E-Tense (you’ll still need to put petrol in the plug-in hybrids). DS offers E-Tense versions of each model it sells, and the brand is planning to go electric-only in the next couple of years.

The automatic gearbox DS uses on its petrol and hybrid models is called EAT8. It has eight speeds for quiet motorway progress, and stands for Efficient Automatic Transmission. Like most electric cars, the DS 3 E-Tense has a single-speed automatic transmission.

In DS-speak (and Peugeot and Citroen), PureTech is the name for its petrol engines. Most will be a 128bhp 1.2-litre engine, while the DS 7 also features a 1.6-litre version with more power.

Diesel engines are called BlueHDi, with the ‘Blue’ signifying that the engine needs AdBlue top-ups to reduce emissions. This will usually be handled by the brand’s service department, but high-mileage drivers might have to top up in-between services. AdBlue is available from most petrol stations and auto parts stores.

DS is all about French luxury, and that’s reflected in its trim level names. Prestige is a mid-spec trim level with two-tone alloy wheels, cruise control and parking sensors, while Ultra Prestige adds extra equipment like sat nav and a reversing camera. Some of DS’ other trim levels include Performance Line (like BMW’s M Sport spec), plus high-end Rivoli and Opera.

DS Iris is the name for the brand’s infotainment setup, with an info screen directly in front of the driver and a touchscreen on the top of the dashboard. It offers personalisation features and voice recognition, plus the usual connectivity features we’ve become used to.

The suite of driver assistance systems fitted to DS models is wrapped up in one umbrella term. On the motorway, it can keep you in your lane and at a set distance from the car in front, but don’t think it’s anywhere near self-driving.

A rare feature in mainstream cars, certain DS cars can be had with an infrared camera that scans 100 metres up the road. This can ‘see’ poorly lit pedestrians and animals in pitch darkness, and will display a warning on the digital dials.