Used DS 5 review and buying guide (2012 to 2018): which one to buy and what to check

Which used DS 5 should you buy?

A DS 5 built from 2015 onwards is the one to buy, because that's when the ride and handling got better, and the ride is this car's biggest weakness. It doesn't have Citroen's Hydractive hydraulic suspension, so the early cars ride poorly over bumps, and they're worst of all on 19-inch wheels.

A 2012 to 2014 car is still worth a look if it's on smaller wheels, but take it down a rough, patched road before you talk money. If the ride's getting on your nerves on a short test drive, it'll do the same every day you own it, and no amount of style inside makes up for that.

Don't read the lack of known faults as a clean record. There aren't any logged for the DS 5 and there's no service schedule on record either, so its reliability just isn't well documented. That makes each car's own paperwork count for more than usual, especially on an automatic, where the few owners' reports there are keep pointing at the gearbox.

Which DS 5 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There's no DS 5 engine with a known fault logged against it, so none can be ruled out on the evidence, but that's down to how little has been recorded rather than proof they're tough. Where owners' reports do point is the gearbox, and both of the automatic types turn up in them.

On the conventional torque converter automatic, one owner's transmission failed at 40,000 miles and the repair cost them £3,500. That's a single car, not a pattern, but it's reason enough to check the changes are smooth from cold, that kickdown responds straight away and that the revs don't flare between gears.

The Hybrid4 pairs its hybrid drive with the EGS6 automated gearbox, and one 2013 car shows why it needs a careful look. A previous owner paid £2,000 for a new clutch, then an error warning appeared and the next owner paid £550 just to have the transmission stripped down, with three bearings still needing replacing.

What should you check when viewing a used DS 5?

The gearbox and the ride are the two things to test hardest on a DS 5. Drive it on the wheels it's wearing over broken tarmac and speed bumps, then pull away gently, accelerate hard and crawl in traffic so the automatic or Hybrid4 gearbox has to work through every gear. Any jerk, slip, hesitation or warning on the dash is a reason to leave it.

Ask for proof that the 2017 recall on the starter motor's supply lead has been carried out. The terminal on some cars wasn't positioned correctly, so the lead could rub against a neighbouring part and short circuit; the fix was to check it, move it where needed and replace anything that had been damaged.

On a Hybrid4, put your hand on the infotainment screen after a drive on a warm day. One owner found theirs got very hot to the touch in hot weather and was told it needed renewing. Check the reversing sensors are loud enough to hear too, since the same owner was told an update had turned their volume down.

Paperwork matters more than usual here. Ask for invoices for any gearbox or clutch work, and on a Hybrid4 that's had a new clutch, find out whether an error warning has come back since, because on the one car with that history it did.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used DS 5 cost to run?