Dongfeng Box review: does this affordable electric car have what it takes?

The Dongfeng Box aims to be an affordable electric car capable of making an impact on the market. But does it have what it takes?

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Dongfeng, one of China’s largest car makers, has just arrived in Portugal with the Box, a small B-segment electric hatchback priced from €26,750.

Although it is roomy and generously equipped, the Dongfeng Box falls short in several fundamental areas: it has no FM/AM radio, charging speeds are slow, and the instrument display is almost impossible to read because the graphics are simply too small.

Will that be enough to determine this model’s prospects in the country? Or can the Dongfeng Box carve out a place for itself in a segment set to be flooded in 2025 by cars such as the Renault 5 E-Tech, Citroën ë-C3 and Hyundai Inster? The answer is in the video:

Smart #1-inspired looks

I cannot be the only one seeing it: from the front, the Dongfeng Box has more than a hint of the Smart #1, particularly in the light signature that runs across the car’s entire width.

However, it is impossible to discuss the Box’s styling without highlighting a criticism that applies to many of the models arriving from China: it has a generic appearance, with nothing that immediately tells you it is a new brand on the national market.

It is true that the flush door handles and frameless side windows are unusual, almost unprecedented features in this type of small hatchback, but overall the Box is too conventional.

Plenty of equipment

The interior makes a stronger impression, especially considering this is a B-segment offering.

The many surfaces trimmed in synthetic leather with contrast stitching are hard to miss, as are the hard, low-quality plastics found on the upper door sections and dashboard.

Another negative point is the electric-window switches on the doors, which work in the opposite direction to what we are used to. On this point, all I can ask is: what were Dongfeng’s engineers thinking?

There are further drawbacks to mention. There is only one USB-A port - which makes no sense in 2025 - and the infotainment system does not include any FM/AM radio receiver.

Yes, that is right: if you want to listen to the radio, you can only do so through your smartphone, which can fortunately be connected to the Box by cable using Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Dongfeng does, however, supply a dongle in Portugal - standard on every version of the model - which, once paired with the smartphone via Bluetooth, enables wireless Android Auto integration.

This small device, supplied free with every Box sold in the country, makes it easier to connect a smartphone to the infotainment system and can, for example, overcome the lack of FM/AM radio: radio can then be heard through apps installed on the smartphone.

Finally, it is impossible not to mention the instrument display, which is not properly legible while driving. This needs to be addressed.

Not everything is bad, though. There are positives. Alongside the extensive range of driver-assistance systems, the Box stands out with its 12.5-inch central dashboard screen and a driver’s seat featuring heating, cooling, electric adjustment and memory settings.

Satisfactory space in the Dongfeng Box

The Box is not the roomiest car in its segment, but it performs well enough. In the rear seats, for instance, there is plenty of legroom and headroom, although the seating position is awkward. The cabin floor is high and the seats sink considerably, leaving the thighs with very little support.

Practicality is also compromised by the one-piece rear bench. If you need to fold the rear seat to expand boot capacity, you lose every rear seating position. Rivals offer split-folding rear seats in a 40/60 configuration.

However, it may not be necessary to fold the seats very often: the Box has one of the segment’s largest boots, at 326 litres. That is 16 litres more than the Citroën ë-C3 and 50 litres more than the Renault 5 E-Tech.

Just one version

The Dongfeng Box arrives in Portugal with only one powertrain, centred on a small electric motor producing 70 kW (95 hp) and 160 Nm of torque.

As a result, do not expect thrilling performance: it completes the 0-100 km/h sprint in 12.5 seconds. That is more than enough for city driving, but one of the first things I noticed was that the Box begins to struggle slightly once it passes 60-70 km/h.

Away from urban streets, those figures feel limited, and on several occasions I found myself wanting more power and response, particularly during motorway journeys.

Steering needs work

The suspension is very soft and clearly tuned for comfort. Consequently, the body moves around quite noticeably, although stability is never a concern.

The steering, meanwhile, is vague, light and highly artificial. It also changes very little when moving between the available driving modes.

Do not expect any sporting ability from the Box, then. It is clearly most at home at the calmer, more relaxed pace of city driving.

What about energy consumption?

The Box makes up for this with the efficiency of its electric system and the modest consumption it delivers. I covered more than 500 kilometres and finished with an average of 14.6 kWh/100 km.

That is an interesting figure, particularly given that my daily route is genuinely mixed: roughly 50% motorway, with the other 50% split between dual carriageways, secondary roads and urban areas.

When driven exclusively in town, it can do even better: staying around 12.5 kWh/100 km is relatively easy.

Using the 14.6 kWh/100 km average as a reference, and taking into account the 42.3 kWh LFP battery, it is possible to extract around 290 kilometres from a charge. That is not far from the official 310 km combined WLTP figure. In town, however, using the 12.5 kWh/100 km I recorded, this rises to close to 340 km.

But, as mentioned above, one of the biggest disadvantages emerges when it is time to recharge. The Box is limited to 6.6 kW AC charging and 87.8 kW DC charging.

Does it make sense to buy?

Starting at €26,750, the Dongfeng Box is not among the market’s most affordable electric cars: there is the Dacia Spring, at under €20,000, and the Citroën ë-C3, at €23,300, although it will receive a version priced below €20,000. The Renault 5 E-Tech is also about to gain a version that will cost around €25,000.

In addition, this year will bring a flood of all-electric models priced around €25,000: the Hyundai Inster, CUPRA Raval, Skoda Epiq, Volkswagen ID.2, Fiat Grande Panda and Kia EV2. For that reason, the Dongfeng Box is unlikely to have an easy time in this market.

Once you start going through the Box’s standard-equipment list, it becomes clear that the €26,750 price tag - or €28,600 in the case of the tested version - is not unreasonable.

However, a potential buyer needs to value that equipment over, for example, more dynamic driving characteristics or less anonymous styling.

Furthermore, in the version I tested, which already exceeds the €28,000 mark, I find it difficult to justify details such as the absence of radio or the reversed operation of the electric-window switches.

Even so, the brand has already stated that the next update to the model in Portugal will include both radio and Android Auto as standard within the infotainment system, while the lack of a parcel shelf will also be resolved. The next update, or new Model Year, of the Dongfeng Box will arrive within a few months.

Verdict

Technical specifications