DS 3 Crossback E-Tense vs Nissan Micra

The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense costs £10,495 more than the Nissan Micra. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Nissan Micra comes out ahead overall.

The Nissan Micra is £10,495 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Nissan Micra comes out roughly £10,535 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 166 miles for the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense and 137 miles for the Nissan Micra - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The DS 3 Crossback E-Tense goes roughly 29 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 30-30 minutes.

The two are within 10 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 620 mm of total clearance for the Nissan Micra and about 610 mm of total clearance for the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense. The Nissan Micra also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense and 90% for the Nissan Micra. That gives the Nissan Micra a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Nissan Micra's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.