Citroen e-C3 Review 2024

The demise of the Ford Fiesta has left a huge hole in the small hatchback market. That leaves a sizeable — but shrinking — list of rivals jostling for position in an effort to take over the top spot. Tested here in electric form, find out in out Citroen e-C3 review whether it has what it takes to claim the Ford Fiesta’s crown.

Such good value is the Citroen e-C3, starting at £21,990, that only the smaller Dacia Spring undercuts it. Indeed, all other battery-powered rivals, from the Peugeot e-208 to Vauxhall Corsa Electric cost more — even the BYD Dolphin suddenly seem somewhat pricey. 

Factor in petrol-hybrid alternatives such as the MG 3, Renault Clio and Suzuki Swift and the Citroen still feels sensibly priced. For those not interested in going electric, the petrol-engined Citroen C3 will arrive later for £17,790.

Happily, the Citroen e-C3 proves to be more than just an un-pricey face. It’s almost identical in footprint size to its predecessor, but stands a good four inches taller. If the previous Citroen C3 was a KitKat, the Citroen e-C3 has become a KitKat Chunky, its raised stance creating a strong whiff of baby SUV. 

We fondly remember Citroens of yore for their idiosyncratic designs, with many models displaying a unique approach to exterior couture. The Citroen e-C3’s attempts are, perhaps, less successful, with a distinctly appliqué feeling to the hither and thither elements of added quirk, such as the three piece daytime running lights and matching, customisable colour clips on the front bumper extremities and rear roof pillars.

On board, the cabin finish is neat and considerably visually enhanced by two-tone upholstery, but too swathed in hard plastics to ever be considered remotely posh. A lightly padded full-width strip of fabric softens the dashboard considerably, while a scant sprinkling of glossy, piano black trim at the bottom of the centre console is about the only vaguely premium finish on offer.

Interior quirk is most strongly demonstrated not by the red flashes of fabric on each door pulls bearing encouraging messages such as ‘Be Happy’ and ‘Have Fun’, but by Citroen’s take on the Peugeot i-Cockpit dashboard layout, with the instruments viewed over the wheel rather than through it.

The front seats are exceptionally comfortable and a fine driving position is easy to come by, with generally good all-round visibility. We were a little disappointed by life in the rear seats, in comparison — adults will find their knees and feet craving more space. 

The good-sized boot has a 310-litre capacity accessed over an absurdly high lip which requires a sound Clean and Jerk technique to clear it with a heavy suitcase.

There’s a choice of two Citroen e-C3 trims in familiar Plus and Max guises. In truth, the Plus specification includes a pretty comprehensive range of standard equipment, so unless you need such niceties as heated front seats, steering wheel and windscreen, electric rear windows, a rear parking camera, LED rear lights, automatic air conditioning and rear privacy windows, we’d save the £1700 involved.

Modesty is key with the Citroen e-C3, which combines a 44kWh battery pack with a 113PS electric motor driving the front wheels. This will hush the car from 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds and on to a maximum speed of just 82mph. WLTP combined cycle range is quoted as 199 miles for the Plus, 198 miles for the Max. A 20-80% recharge with a 100kW DC connection should take just 26 minutes.

The first thing you notice when driving is how good the ride quality is. The second thing you notice is that the steering offers about the same level of feedback and feel as opening a submarine hatch. Despite the Citroen e-C3 being remarkably lightweight at only 1416kg, here’s not much fun to be found behind the wheel.

It’s not what might be deemed in any way rapid, but that’s probably a good thing: push too hard through corners and all aspirations of grip quite quickly give way to a determination to head straight on. There’s no drama and all is entirely predictable, but, frankly, it’s not remotely entertaining. 

Not a problem, for the Citroen e-C3 has set out its stall with the emphasis on comfort. The only proviso we would offer is that we’ve been driving the cars on Austrian road surfaces as smooth as a freshly buttered bannister and it may be that they won’t find life quite so easy on the UK’s bombed-out boulevards. We’ll keep you posted.

So, in a market where prices are becoming ever more absurd, it’s refreshing to find a car that manages to undercut almost every rival, while still offering buyers respectable quality, practicality and, of course, just a whiff of quirkiness.

The new Citroen e-C3 shares the same footprint as its predecessor, but is 10cm taller. The wheelbase length remains the same, but a tad too much space has been awarded to those up front, leaving rear accommodation a trifle cramped even for sub-six footers.

Up front, the strongly horizontal-themed dashboard is punctuated only by a central 10.25-inch touchscreen which is very much plonked on the surface of, rather than integrated within, the structure.

Citroen’s take on Peugeot’s i-Cockpit dashboard arrangement starts with the same, almost oblong, wheel that looks small but is actually just as wide as a regular one. As with Peugeot’s set-up, the squashed helm allows you to peer over the top of the rim at the driver’s instrument panel. 

Citroen calls this a head-up display but it isn’t, it’s just a simple, slimline display. But it is set high enough that you can see it without driving round with the wheel in your lap.

The front seats are instantly comfortable despite the absence of lumbar adjustment and, with reach and rake adjustment of the low-slung steering wheel available, the driving position is ergonomically sound. The seatback adjustment system is, however, a right pain with a hard-to-reach little stub of plastic you must push backwards to release the lock.

The presence of proper switchgear both for control of the air-conditioning and on the steering wheel will be a big plus for those who wish to avoid inadvertently giving the police car ahead a punt up the rear whilst they attempt to screen-jab the temperature down a degree or two on a bumpy road.

All-round visibility is good, the near-horizontal bonnet making it easy to locate the front corners of the car and place it where you want it on the road, but we did find the chunky windscreen pillars quite obstructive at some junctions. 

For more help when parking, the Plus trim level comes with rear parking sensors, whilst Max trim adds a rear-view camera.

The 60:40 split/folding back seats are comfy enough, but even a sub-six foot tall passenger sitting behind someone of similar height will find both knee- and foot-room tight. There’s plenty of room for children, though, and the tall, boxy glasshouse affords them a good view out.

With the battery mounted under the rear seat of the Citroen e-C3, it has the same 310-litre luggage capacity as its petrol-powered twin. It’s a good sized volume that isn’t exactly crammed with practical features — its walls are punctuated by just the one anti-slop take-away curry hook.

Additionally the drop from the boot lip to the loadspace floor is positively vertiginous. Here’s a volume crying out for a variable height loadspace floor to reduce the lip differential when loading.

Despite the swathes of scratchy plastic in evidence, we can’t fault the build quality in the Citroen e-C3. Two-tone upholstery adds a massive visual lift the cabin ambience and the limited though judicious use of gently squidgy fabrics on the dashboard and doors ensure that there’s more pleasing tactility on offer than a first glance would suggest.

The air-conditioning and steering wheel mounted switchgear, though hardly stylish, gives no cause for complaint and, as we’ve said before, it’s something of a joy to see so much of it surviving in an age so dominated by inferior, slower and more distracting touch-screen technology, something Citroen is thankfully abandoning.

There is just one howler we should highlight, because it’s been blighting Citroens for some time now and keeps creeping through the vetting process unscathed: namely, the difference in presentation of the driver’s instrument binnacle and the centre touchscreen. 

Where the centre screen’s crisp, clear and rather good looking, the driver’s instrument panel looks to have been designed back in the day when G-Plan furniture was all the rage. It desperately needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

All versions of the Citroen e-C3 come with a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system which incorporates DAB radio, navigation, Bluetooth, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and natural voice recognition. 

Max trim level versions also benefit from enhanced connectivity through Citroen Connect Plus services, which lobs in such goodies as real-time traffic updates and speed camera locations. 

The screen graphics are crisp and clear and it reacts promptly to the prod. A row of good sized menu tabs also help with use on the move. What’s even more helpful, though, is the removal of the air-conditioning controls to a separate panel with physical buttons below — amazing how this one simple act cuts down on screen stabbing time on the move.

In entry-level Plus trim, the Citroen e-C3 can be yours for £21,990, rising to £23,690 for the posher Max version. To put that in context, a Vauxhall Corsa Electric or Peugeot E-208 from the same Stellantis automotive group will set you back from £26,895 and a whopping £33,250, respectively.

Looking further afield, the BYD Dolphin no longer looks a bargain at all at £30,195, while the petrol-electric hybrid MG 3 is a reasonable £18,495, but isn’t as cost-effective to run as the Citroen. 

In fact the only manufacturer out there which can better Citroen e-C3 pricing is Dacia, asking £14,995 for its electric Spring, but it’s quite a bit smaller in terms of size and battery capacity.

The Citroen e-C3’s 44kWh battery pack delivers a quoted WLTP combined cycle range of 199 miles on the Plus model, 198 miles with the Max version. However, the lack of a heat pump (not even available as an option) will see that total range drop when the weather turns chilly, making this a second car or predominantly urban option for many.

Standard AC charging from 20% to 80% capacity takes a little over four hours using a 7.4kW home wallbox charger, or two hours and 50 minutes with the optional 11kW on-board charger. 100kW DC rapid charging capabilities allow charging from 20% to 80% in as little as 26 minutes.

Citroen gives you a fairly standard three year/unlimited mileage warranty. It will be interesting to see, given the notably low asking price of the Citroen e-C3, whether dealerships will be as readily prepared to further discount it on the forecourt as they have in the past.

With all Citroen e-C3 models equipped with what its maker calls Advanced Comfort front seats and suspension, the company’s intent is clear from the outset. And it has largely been successful with both seats and springs ganging-up to provide a nicely cushioned ride throughout the speed range. 

We must, however, keep our powder dry when it comes to adjudicating on road surfaces less mirror-smooth than those of the launch venue in Austria. Britain’s blighted highways and byways could highlight traits hitherto unnoticed.

When we did find the occasional divot to run down, the suspension was not much happier than that of any other small hatchback, the effect of these sharp inputs being exacerbated by a lack of sound insulating materials, most notably around the wheel arches.

At cruising speeds the Citroen e-C3 settles nicely into its stride, but it’s impossible not to notice that, largely smooth albeit, the ride isn’t particularly quiet. Wind noise builds quite markedly from about 45mph upwards and the roar as turbulence is generated around those gargantuan windscreen pillars is pronounced at motorway speeds.

The upshot of majoring in ride quality is that the Citroen C3 has little to offer in the way of driver involvement. It doesn’t roll into bends dramatically but the steering is hemlock-numb. Grip levels are satisfactory in the dry but, when pushed on a wet road, the car demonstrated all the reluctance to change direction in haste as a puppy on a polished parquet floor.

Combining a 44kWh battery pack with a 113PS and 125Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, the Citroen e-C3 will gently zip from 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds and on to a limited maximum speed of just 82mph. 

As in most electric cars, the intensity of brake energy regeneration is switchable, here via switch marked C for Comfort rather than B for Braking. This would suggest that the car’s default condition is one of more aggressive regeneration that will allow for one pedal driving and bring the car to a complete standstill without troubling the brakes. 

Actually not so, and the system is nicely gauged to slow the car when you lift off, much more in the manner of conventional engine braking, down to the sort of creep offered by any automatic gearbox. 

Although the Citroen e-C3 sets off the line fairly smartly, ensuring you can hold your own in the urban environment, it feels disinclined to push on much thereafter. How many electric cars are there out there which require over ten seconds to reach 62mph?

The Citroen e-C3 has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP and it will be interesting to see how a car built to such a tight budget fares. 

Citroen has fitted the car with a good deal of active safety kit, including active safety braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist with emergency stop function, coffee break alert with driver attention alert, traffic sign recognition, intelligent beam assist, cruise control and parking sensors with a reversing camera.

The Citroen e-C3 is available in two guises, Plus and Max. Truth is, though, you’ll get pretty much all you want in the way of goodies from the Plus trim level, so our advice is to save yourself £1700 and do just that. 

Citroen e-C3 Plus standard features include 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights and wipers, Advanced Comfort suspension and front seats, electrically folding, heated and adjustable door mirrors, rear parking sensors, cruise control, air conditioning, two-tone paint with contrasting roof, decorative roof rails, front and rear skid plates, the 10.25-inch colour touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, a leather-effect steering wheel and a 60:40 split/folding rear seat.

Move up to the Citroen e-C3 Max if you are tempted by the LED rear lights, rear privacy glass, plusher seat upholstery, automatic air conditioning, 3D-view navigation, wireless smartphone charging, a reversing camera, an automatically dimming rear-view mirror and electric rear windows.