Citroën DS4 hatchback (2011-2018) - Reliability & safety
The DS 4 was awarded five stars when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP
DS 4 reliability
One of the reasons the Volkswagen Golf is so popular with UK buyers is its excellent reputation for reliability and it's hard to see the DS 4 beating it in this respect. Back when it was known as the Citroen DS 4, this car scored a 123rd-place finish (out of 200 models) in our 2015 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, which doesn’t provide a huge amount of reassurance. Although the DS 4 didn’t feature in our 2016 poll, the mechanically similar Citroen C4 came a disappointing 139th out of 150 cars. In comparison, the current Golf was came 27th overall in our 2016 survey, although its 105th place finish for reliability fails to inspire.
Safety
The DS 4 received a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, with an excellent 90% adult occupant protection rating, as well as a 97% score for safety assistance technology. All DS 4s come as standard with six airbags, as well as mandatory kit like electronic stability control and ISOFIX child-seat mounts. Citroen also provides an emergency assistance system to connect you to the emergency services, should the worst happen. The higher-specification DS 4 Prestige has a reversing camera and LED headlights, as well as a blind-spot monitoring system, while these are options on the Elegance model.
Whichever model you choose, the DS 4 misses out on some of the hi-tech safety equipment available on the Volkswagen Golf. That car’s active cruise control (which can automatically match the speed of the car in front) not only takes the strain out of a long journey, but is also safer than the regular cruise-control fitted to the DS 4. Automatic emergency braking is another omission.
