Citroen e-C4 X Electric Review 2023

Introduction

Citroen’s all-electric e-C4 X is a larger version of the standard e-C4.

That is nothing new – as there have been numerous spin-offs of the C4 over the years.

It started as a family hatchback, with a larger version, the C4 Picasso, being a halfway house towards a people carrier, and the C4 Grand Picasso being even larger.

The e-C4 X, on the other hand, moves the C4 group of cars into the ever-growing crossover market. And not only that, it's tracking the trend of manufacturers who want to offer something more coupe-shaped, too.

Compared with the many variants of the C4 that have gone before, this new motor doesn't look like its predecessors.

Following several automakers’ footsteps, it's effectively taken a knife to the rear end and carved out a rakish tail.

That follows suit with the standard C4, which has a similar diagonally shaped posterior. But the e-C4 X is 240cm longer than the ordinary C4, with most of the additional length hanging out over the back.

At A Glance

One thing that hasn’t changed on the e-C4 X is the typically outrageous styling from the French manufacturer. 

Citroen's design taste has always been a divisive subject, and this new model is no different.

This battery-powered machine will potentially divide opinions more so than any other, in no small part because of the fiddly lighting arrangement at the front.

The day-running lights are thin diagonal slits, which marry up with more diagonal slits beneath it, creating two lightbars which join at one end, as if to give the car whiskers.

The main headlights sit lower than usual, attached to the bottom whisker, taking inspiration from the new signature front end of modern-day Kia models.

Its grille incorporates the Citroen double-arrow badge in the centre, with silver decals surrounding the fog lights, which sit low to the ground.

Around the sides, there’s some thick cladding, which is even wider underneath the doors, hinting at the e-C4 X’s more rugged, SUV-like characteristics. Meanwhile, some creases in the bodywork give it even more presence.

The back curves down thanks to the sloping roofline, and from the rear, it’s far more modest.

You would think the sloping roofline would lend itself to being a hatchback, but bizarrely, it's a saloon. And there are even subtle hints of a 15-year-old Renault Laguna about it as a result of its shallow tail.

The stern also has some large taillights featuring quiffs extending around the sides, which offer a helpful reminder of the ostentatiousness you’ll find at the front.

Citroen would rather have you believe it takes inspiration from its heritage, namely the CX, launched in 1974. And indeed, the e-C4 X does feature the swept fastback rear end of that classic model.

Either way, it’s certainly a vehicle you’ll be glancing at more than once when you see one.

Personality? Yes. Extravagant? You bet. Good looking? Well, that’s up for debate, but at least nobody can say it’s boring.

Key Features

The most significant key feature to talk about is how the Citroen e-C4 X is powered: it’s all-electric.

That might not be a massive surprise in itself these days, especially given the fact the ‘e’ in its name is something of a giveaway.

But the fundamental feature as far as Citroen is concerned is that there’s no version without the ‘e’ – there’s no standard C4 X. That means this is its first-ever exclusively all-electric car.

You get an electric motor with power of 136 PS, and, given electric vehicles (EVs) don't have a conventional transmission, you don't need to worry about changing gears either.

All models come with front-wheel drive.

Three trims are available, with the entry-level Sense getting 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a 5.5-inch digital instrument cluster, DAB radio, dual-zone air conditioning, adjustable lumbar support, grained leather steering wheel and LED front headlights and day-running lights.

The mid-range Shine gets a higher resolution touchscreen with SatNav. At the same time, you'll also get tinted rear windows, a deluxe leather steering wheel and a head-up display, electric folding door mirrors and an automatic high beam.

The flagship Shine Plus adds a rear central folding armrest, height adjustable and heated driver's seats, and a heated steering wheel, plus Alcantara upholstery.

We are testing the mid-spec Shine trim.

Range & Batteries

The e-C4 X comes with a 50kW battery.

That is good enough for 221 miles of range between charges (222 in the entry-level version) which is alright, although some EVs have batteries that are almost half as big again. Furthermore, some all-electric vehicles are getting beyond the 300-mile mark nowadays. Make sure your next EV lease goes the distance by checking out our guide on official vs real-world battery range.

Nevertheless, expect significantly less in the real world unless nearly all your mileage is spent feathering the throttle on long motorway runs.

Ambient temperature, weather conditions and, in particular, your driving style will heavily affect what you achieve in practice, as is the case in all electric cars.

Performance & Drive

With only one powertrain available in the e-C4 X, things are straightforward. And 0-62mph takes 10 seconds flat, the same as the smaller e-C4.

That is perfectly acceptable, although it's not whirlwind quick, and many of the Citroen’s foes are at least a second or two faster to get to 62mph off the line.

Nevertheless, it’s adequate for overtaking on motorways, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the French carmaker builds its products for comfort rather than performance.

And that's precisely how we'd describe the e-C4 X.

If you want a car that glides along the road and delivers you to your destination in a relaxing, uneventful way, this vehicle deserves your consideration.

It smooths out potholes, lumps and bumps with ease. Still, although the ride is mainly settled, you’ll get a bit of oscillation after going over larger imperfections in the road before the car eventually settles back down again.

The steering is light and doesn’t provide much feedback, but it makes it easy to use and adds to the calm, absorbing ride.

That sets the tone nicely, then, as driving enthusiasts will likely want to avoid the e-C4 X because building an automobile focused on comfort almost always ruins the handling.

Even though there’s plenty of grip, the soft suspension does little to prevent body roll in the corners. And, if you try and take one too quickly, you’ll get screeching understeer which will leave you struggling to keep it on the road.

For everyday driving, though, it's fine as long as you keep it well within its limits. But those who live in rural areas with twisty B-roads might want something more exciting.

Charging

The e-C4 X can charge at a rate of 100kW.

That is a reasonably good speed, but some EVs can charge up much more quickly nowadays, such as the MG4 EV's 135 kW. Still, the Kia Niro can only manage 77kW.

A 10-80% charge takes less than half an hour, while a 7 kW home wall box will take around eight hours, although an upgrade is available to increase this to 11 kW.

Want to know more about EV charging? We've got a guide to run you through the whole process of charging an electric car.

Running Costs & Emissions

Of course, the e-C4 X produces no carbon emissions, meaning the Government will give you a generous helping hand with no road tax to pay.

That is set to end in 2025, but you'll likely only be paying a little after that point.

It is a desirable proposition for company car users, though, as the e-C4 X is in the bottom band for Benefit In Kind tax, at 2%, but then so is every other electric car.

Regarding reliability, the e-C4 X is brand new, so we've no history to go on. Still, Citroen as a brand has been improving in recent years and sits pretty high up the dependability tables these days, although it's still well short of Kia's superb record.

It will need a first service after just 8,000 miles, but after that, maintenance needs to be carried out every two years or 16,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Interior & Technology

Inside, the build quality is impressive.

Citroens have never been cars for superior interior design, but that is slowly changing, and the e-C4 X is the best one to date.

It isn’t bathed in luxury, but it’s a reasonably attractive layout.

The steering wheel has a slightly squared-off shape, while the infotainment screen looks nice, housed in a piano black unit with a diagonal cut across one of its corners.

There is a smidgen of silver décor underneath it, which brightens up some of the air vents and at the bottom of the steering wheel.

Overall, the electric Citroen looks attractive, with plenty of soft-to-the-touch materials, although cheaper, more rigid plastics are never far away.

The 10-inch infotainment system is responsive and clear, but we found the system a bit finicky to use. The entry-level Sense trim gets a lower resolution, while our Shine trim test car gets navigation.

Although Citroen has removed many physical buttons, proper air-conditioning controls are thankfully retained, making it easier to adjust the temperature on the move.

It is easy to find a comfy driving position, too. You are raised slightly, but you may find that you're lower down than you expect, given the car has a higher stance than the standard C4. 

At least you can adjust the height of the seat in the top-of-the-range Shine Plus version, but not in our mid-range Shine-trimmed test car.

The seats are very absorbing. But although the adjustable lumbar support offers some additional support, there isn't a tremendous amount of bolstering from the sides of the seats. This is another indication that this isn’t a car adept at taking corners at speed.

Visibility is good, too, with the front pillars doing little to get in the way of your view. However, you may need to rely more on the rear-view camera, which comes as standard in the Shine and Shine Plus trims, to get a suitable view out of the back.

At least you get rear parking sensors on the entry-level Sense trim, while the other two grades get back and front sensors. But you can get a rear-view camera at entry level as an optional extra.

Practicality & Boot Space

Seeing as the e-C4 X is 240mm longer than the e-C4, we’d hoped this would mean more legroom, given this is one of the e-C4’s downfalls. But, unfortunately, it's not the case.

While the front is perfectly adequate, and there's plenty of space for taller drivers, the rear seats suffer from the same problems as in the smaller e-C4.

Firstly, if you’re in the back, the sloping roofline eats into the headroom, meaning taller passengers will struggle to fit. Secondly, the rear only features a little more legroom than in the back of its smaller sibling.

In reality, all the additional space has been spent on increasing the boot capacity, which is 510 litres, an increase of 130 litres over the standard e-C4.

This is bigger than nearly all of its peers, which manage around the 350 to 475-litre mark.

The boot’s capacity expands to 1,360 litres with the rear seats folded in a 60:40 divide. However, frustratingly, they don't fold flat, so you're left with quite a prominent ridge in the floor.

Earlier, we clarified that the e-C4 X is a saloon, likening the rear to a Renault Laguna. Unfortunately, that means the cargo opening is relatively shallow, so fitting taller items in might be a pain.

Nevertheless, it's very much on the large size, and it'll suffice for all but the biggest of shopping sprees at the supermarket.

The most expensive Shine Plus trim gets a 'ski hatch' opening so you can slide longer items through the middle seat without folding the rear bench down.

Safety

The e-C4 X hasn’t been tested by the boffins in white coats at Euro NCAP. But that’s because it’s structurally the same as the C4, so its rating is valid for the e-C4 X.

The C4 was awarded four out of five stars, and while that doesn't sound bad, the vast majority of cars are built such that they earn the top five-star grade nowadays.

It scored 80% for adult occupants, 83% for children and 63% for safety assists.

The whole e-C4 X range gets cruise control, automatic emergency braking, speed limit information, lane-keeping assist, driver attention alert with lane departure warning and forward collision warning.

That is all included as part of the Standard Safety Pack in the entry-level model. At the same time, the Shine and Shine Plus trims get the Safety Pack Plus, which adds radar-assisted automatic emergency braking and extended traffic sign recognition on top.

Separate from the safety pack, you also get blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control in our Shine-trimmed car. Meanwhile, the top-of-the-range Shine Plus gets more advanced adaptive cruise control as part of an exclusive system called Highway Driver Assist.

The Safety Pack Plus can be added to the entry-level Sense model as an optional extra, but it's costly.

Options

In terms of the body colour, you’ll face no charge if you want the car to be white, but dark grey, light grey, black, pearl white and premium metallic red all cost several hundred pounds extra.

Choosing the Shine Plus trim gets you Alcantara upholstery as standard, but if you don't mind paying a few hundred quid extra, you can get lots of black leather in the cabin instead.

A glass sunroof is also available along with a wireless phone charger and an upgraded Citroen Hi-Fi system, while a cradle to support a tablet is also offered.

And, of course, as we mentioned, some of the additional safety kit can be added if you don’t have the flagship model, but they’re relatively expensive.

Bear in mind that a lot of the optional extras aren’t available on the entry-level model, though.

Rival Cars

The e-C4 X's primary opponents include the Kia Niro EV and the Volkswagen ID.3.

The Nissan Leaf is also worth looking at.

You might be interested to know that Peugeot’s e-2008 (above) is built on the same platform as the Citroen, but the top-of-the-range e-C4 X is cheaper than the entry-level e-2008.

However, another car can almost pull off the same trick: you can get a top-of-the-range MG4 EV for a similar leasing price to the entry-level e-C4 X.

While you may not have considered an MG, the MG4 (below) has set a new benchmark, winning rave reviews for its styling, interior, performance and practicality. The MG4 EV has also been collecting industry awards as if they're going out of fashion. 

Verdict & Next Steps

The e-C4 X is a decent effort from Citroen, but it’s a car you’d choose with your head rather than your heart precisely because it meets your needs.

It is very comfortable and has a big boot, which are easily its two most significant selling points.

But it could be better to drive, its performance is average, there's still not a massive amount of room in the back seats despite the increase in size, and plenty of rivals can outstrip it for electric range and charging speeds.

It is superior to the standard e-C4, which is the same price, so we’d recommend leasing the e-C4 X over its smaller sibling, and its interior is the best one Citroen has ever produced.

If you do go for it, we’d recommend the Shine trim we tested, as you get a lot more than you do at entry-level, while Shine Plus only sprinkles a little more on top that you can manage without.

However, we can’t help but be tempted by the excellent MG4 EV unless you specifically need the superior boot space and comfort of the e-C4 X.

Where to next?

View our latest Citroen e-C4 X lease deals, from £435 per month**. 

Call us on Call 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details. 

Looking for a great deal? Check out our incredible range of car lease deals

New saloon? Read our latest Car Reviews and find the right model for you

Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive Leasing Guides

Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest Car Leasing News.

*Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top five leading independent car website reviews of the Citroen e-C4 X.

**Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 06/04/23.