Skip advert
Advertisement

DS 3 review - Does French hatch match a Mini for fun? - MPG and running costs

A car first, now a brand, the DS3 is Citroen’s spin-off that’s aiming at the premium players

Evo rating
Price
from £13,995
  • Entertaining drive, fine styling, interesting interior and plenty personalisation makes for a fun Mini rival
  • The Mini does everything a little bit better

The easiest on the wallet are inevitably the diesels, with both the BlueHDi 100 and BlueHDi 120 returning figures around 80mpg - 83.1mpg in the lesser model and 78.5 in the latter. Only in very exceptional circumstances will that be possible in the real world, but a realistic daily proposition in the late 50- to early 60mpg should be readily achievable. Those numbers also allow for negligible CO2 figures of 87g/km and 94g/km respectively. As a result, both dodge the annual penance of road tax and impact UK company car costs for the better, too.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The best petrol performer at the pumps is the PureTech 110, with 65.7mpg in manual form and a respectable 61.4mpg in EAT6 automatic spec. CO2 is 100g/km for the former and 105g/km or the latter. Unusually, in manual form the turbocharged model is more frugal than the non-turbo PureTech 82, which matches the auto 110 with 61.4mpg. In our experience with turbocharged engines - even small ones - the non-turbo car will probably drink less in the real world, but the tax difference may be the incentive you need to step up to the faster (and frankly more pleasant) 110. Or the PureTech 130, which achieves 62.8mpg combined.

If performance is your goal, you'll not suffer too much from opting for the THP or the Performance variants - the lower-power unit achieves 50.4mpg combined, while the range-topper actually goes a little better, at 52.3mpg and 125g/km of CO2. If you're not using the full 205bhp, that is...

Parent company Citroen is always offering discounts, and while DS is distinct these days there should be offers for fixed cost servicing, cheap financing deals and even free insurance. The DS 3 holds its value well too, so if you’re leasing it then costs should be very competitive. 

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best hybrid cars 2025 – the best of both worlds
Best hybrid cars
Best cars

Best hybrid cars 2025 – the best of both worlds

Fast and furious on the right roads, silent and sensible when you want them to be. From supersaloons to supercars, these are our favourite hybrid perf…
11 Nov 2024
Driving masterclass: how to be a safer and better driver
Driving masterclass
Features

Driving masterclass: how to be a safer and better driver

From mastering the everyday commute to unlocking the full potential of your performance car, our new series will help you become safer, more confident…
11 Nov 2024
Volkswagen Golf R v Golf GTI Clubsport – car pictures of the week
Volkswagen Golf GTI v Golf R
Features

Volkswagen Golf R v Golf GTI Clubsport – car pictures of the week

In the latest issue of evo, we test the Mk8.5 Golf R against the GTI Clubsport – these are our favourite shots
10 Nov 2024