Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron vs DS N°8

The Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron costs £19,510 more than the DS N°8. For that premium it adds 81 kW more power and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. The DS N°8 is not just cheaper - it also offers 51 miles more WLTP range. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the DS N°8 comes out ahead overall.

The DS N°8 is £19,510 cheaper to buy. The DS N°8 is cheaper to charge, roughly £144 a year versus £224 for the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the DS N°8 comes out roughly £19,910 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 242 miles for the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron and 285 miles for the DS N°8 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The DS N°8 goes roughly 43 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 27-31 minutes.

The DS N°8 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 30 mm narrower than the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 495 mm of total clearance for the DS N°8 and about 465 mm of total clearance for the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron and 84% for the DS N°8. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation.