Is this No8 the car to revive DS? Jonathan Crouch drives it and decides.

DS turns a corner with this No8, a fashionable mid-sized EV uncompromised by the style that defines it. Previous DS models were primarily trendy trinkets; this one's got real substance, but the competition it faces is fierce.

Let's be honest, DS needs a fresh start. The Parisian Stellantis brand has struggled since separating from Citroen back in 2014 and its sales performance a decade on from that was particularly disappointing, 25% down on figures that weren't very high to start with. The fight back though, started in mid-2025 with the launch of this car, the DS No8, heralding a fresh approach to the way the French maker designs, engineers and markets its cars. With that fresh approach comes a new naming convention, copied from Gallic fashion house Chanel with its No5 and No19 perfumes. The 'Number' format (which DS has been dabbling with the idea of ever since it showed its very first concept car, the 'Numero Nine') has since continued with subsequent new DS models (the No4 and the No7). But none of them are quite as strikingly styled as this one, inspired by the marque's Aero Sport Lounge concept of 2020. The No8 is a luxury mid-sized EV aimed at the premium market. And it more ritzily re-packages the STLA platform and battery tech of two more mainstream Stellantis models, the Peugeot 3008 and the Vauxhall Grandland. DS calls this a 'coupe-SUV', but it's actually a crossover-style hatch similar to key rivals like the Polestar 4 and the Tesla Model Y. Let's take a closer look.

At first glance, there's not much very 'DS' about this No8 model's engineering, which as you would expect from a brand yet to prove itself, is borrowed wholesale from the Stellantis parts bin. That means the STLA platform first seen in the Peugeot 3008 and subsequently in the Vauxhall Grandland. Complete with a choice of 74kWh or 97.2kWh battery packs, the latter also offered as part of a dual motor powertrain. So far, so familiar. But where DS aims to set this No8 apart is, appropriately enough for a Parisian product, in the way it rides. Hence the fitment of bigger-battery models with the latest version of the company's Active Scan suspension system. We weren't especially impressed with this when we first tried it on earlier versions of the DS 7, the concept based around a windscreen-mounted camera that reads the road and pre-loads each damper to compensate for upcoming tarmac tears. DS though has worked on the set-up, which now better counteracts the effect of pitch and dive, drawing from a brace of accelerometers situated around the car feeding data to the dampers. The result ought to be almost air suspension-like, but still isn't quite that. Still the ride is certainly excellent, which along with the hushed refinement (helped by standard laminated glass) makes this car a great companion for longer trips. All that's welcome, but what the No8 really needs in this time of faltering EV sales and renewed interest in PHEVs is the combustion engine option its STLA platform could easily have accommodated. Something DS has hobbled sales significantly by not providing. Instead, the EV-only line-up kicks off with a 74kWh model powered by a 230hp motor on the front axle. 62mph takes 7.7s and range is quoted at between 281 and 364 miles. Ideally though, you'd stretch to a bigger-battery Long Range 97.2kWh No8. The rear-driven version we tried offers 245hp, 0-62mph in 7.8s and between 374 and 471 miles of range. The AWD Long Range flagship variant, which gains a rear axle motor, offers 350hp, makes 62mph in 5.4s and offers between 357 and 431 miles of range.

This is without doubt the most elegant design that DS has yet produced. Which is somewhat ironic as it's the first DS to be styled without elegance as the primary factor of design. As with the Aero Sport Lounge concept car that inspired the look of this No8 back in 2020, aerodynamics were the driving force behind this swept-back coupe-crossover shape and the result is a slippery Cd factor of 0.24. The dimensions - 4.82m long, 1.9m wide and 1.5m tall - are much as you'll find with the wannabe premium segment rivals DS wants to compete with - like the Tesla Model Y and the Polestar 4. The front end really makes a statement, with the latest-look DS blade daytime running lights. Avoid base trim and there's a 'Luminascreen' grille with light bars and an illuminated DS badge, while plusher versions have what the company claims is the only two-tone bonnet in mass production. Inside, it's even more avant-garde - and nothing like anything else in the segment. You'll immediately be struck by the strange DS wheel with its four angled spokes. And by the wide screen that stretches for 16-inches across the dashboard and deals with so many functions that there are hardly any buttons. The centre console has a two-tier design with a narrower top 'floating' section. And the front seats can feature an aluminium hole through which the car can deploy its optional 'neck scarf' - an extra vent that blows warm air down the driver's neck, an idea borrowed from cabriolets. As you'd hope, the finishing is beautifully done. Like lights that run down the edge of the speaker covers; and the futuristic brushed metal trim that features on the dashboard and door cards. The unusual range of upholstery figures finishes includes navy blue alcantara, white vegan leather and a 'Light Gold' option supposed to be reminiscent of luxury cars from the 1930s. It's lovely in the rear too, thanks to the optional full-length glass roof and the way your view forward is improved by the slimmed-down shoulder sections of the front seats. A six footer can sit behind an equally lanky driver, but won't have as much knee room as in some rivals. Out back, there's up to 620-litres of boot space from the single motor models (a figure that falls to 560-litres with the AWD Long range variant) in a cargo area measuring 1,165mm from the loading lip to the seat backs. DS provides a convenient 40:20:40 rear seat back-split. And when everything's flat, there's up to 1,553 litres of space available. Or up to 1,514-litres with the AWD Long range variant.

From launch and at the time of our test in Summer 2026, No 8 pricing was starting from just under £51,000 and there are three trim levels, 'Pallas', the 'Etoile' model and top 'Jules Verne' spec. Either way, you'll need just under £4,000 more to progress from the 74kWh version to the Long Range 97.2kWh battery pack we tried. You'll need to avoid base trim to get the chance to specify the twin motor AWD Long Range 350hp drivetrain that adds another £4,000 to the cost of a Long Range model. In terms of the segment value proposition, basically what you're getting here is something almost but not-quite the size of an executive-class EV (like, say, a BMW i5 or a Volvo ES90) but certainly larger and ritzier-looking than the mid-level Tesla Model Y-norm, for not much more money. We've seen other stylised premium products inserted into this niche - like the Polestar 4 or the Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron - but this DS beats both on value. Even base 'Pallas' trim gets you lots of kit. Including big 20-inch 'Lyrae' alloy wheels, laminated and acoustic glass, privacy glass at the rear, a power tailgate with hands-free access, keyless entry, an alarm, dark-tinted rear windows, power-folding mirrors and front, lateral and rear parking sensors along with a reversing camera. There's also regenerative braking that can be adjusted via paddles on the steering wheel, incorporating a 'ONE-PEDAL' mode'. And DS includes a heat pump to boost range during colder months. Inside, all No8s get a head-up display, multi-colour polyambient lighting, heated seats, a ventilated wireless smartphone charger, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, aluminium pedals and stainless steel door sill protectors. Connectivity's covered off by the 'DS Iris System' infotainment set-up, it's 16-inch HD Capacitive Touchscreen incorporating 3D connected navigation and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The quoted DC charging speed - 160kW - is way behind some rivals (a Tesla Model Y, for instance, will charge at up to 250kW). But DS still claims class-competitive charging capability, reckoning that its clever tech allows the French-made Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt batteries to draw close to at least 160kW consistently all the way from 20% to 55%. Some rivals claim to be able to charge faster in short peaks, but DS says the No8's charging curve is flatter than many of its competitors, in the early stages of charging (up to 55%) enabling the car to recover 124 miles of range for every 10 minutes of charge. The quoted DC charging speed allows the No8 to go from 20 to 80% battery capacity in either 26 or 27 minutes (depending on battery size), recovering 370 miles of range. The AC home charging figures aren't really anything special. Using a single-phase 7.4kW wallbox, the smaller 74kWh battery needs 7 hours 48 minutes to recharge from 20-80%. For the 97.2kWh model, it'd be 8 hours 48 minutes, a duration which can be reduced to 6 hours if your home or office can use a three-phase 11kW wallbox. The No8 is fitted with intelligent battery management, allowing the charge to be automatically stopped at 80% to extend the performance and durability of the cells. All the powertrains have been programmed to reduce power outputs when charge levels are low.

The No8 and the DS models that have and will follow it represent the last chance for this Parisian brand to prove it can be profitable to its Stellantis parent. The company must hit crucial profitability targets by 2031 to do that and a completely rejuvenated model range will be necessary to accomplish this. The No8 was the first piece of that puzzle and it's certainly a striking piece of design. Until the UK gets a wider DS dealer network though, it's difficult to see Britain contributing much to the sales figures needed here. And we think it was unwise for the marque to limit this car to EV-only drivetrains, given the current customer apathy in the electric market. But if it's a striking upper-mid-sized EV you want and you're after something very different that no one else in your street (or probably your town) will have, DS may just have your number here.