Citroen ë-C3 (2025) Review

Introduction

We feel a bit sorry for Citroen – it's a brand whose name does little to excite.

But that’s unfair. After all, Citroen designs anything but boring cars - look at the quirkiness of its products over the years. The C3 and the C4 Cactus are just two examples. They look, frankly, like they’ve been thought up by the Nutty Professor - in fact, they look like they’ve got part of a sofa's seatback attached to their sides.

Even today, the French manufacturer is responsible for the Ami, an electric quadricycle - essentially a four-wheeled moped with an enclosed interior and steering wheel. If you consider that to be a ‘car’, it’s the cheapest one you can have in the UK.

Nobody would ever compare Citroens with Lamborghinis – and rightly so – but the Italian manufacturer is the only one we can think of that can match Citroen's insanity regarding design.

Unlike any supercar manufacturer, Citroen also does well by offering great value for money. And that’s certainly true of its newest offering, the e-C3.

It is an electric version of the recently launched C3, which has been redesigned with SUV-inspired styling - and it's priced keenly, especially for an electric car.

These days, Citroen is owned by Stellantis, which also owns other brands including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, Peugeot, and Vauxhall.

So, how does the e-C3 compare with rivals such as the BYD Dolphin, MG 4 EV, and Hyundai Inster? Let’s take a look.

At A Glance

The e-C3 might not be the most radical design Citroen has ever produced, but its trademark personality is still clear to see.

The front has stiletto-shaped headlights, which curve around pleasantly. A thin grille strip runs between them, with two reasonably large air intakes out to the sides and a couple of other openings, including a large lower grille, sitting above a strip of silver bodywork at the bottom.

The car has a boxy shape, but its rounded edges and smooth contours give it a cute, family-friendly appearance. Even the indentations on the doors are modestly smooth, lacking any sign of aggressive sharpness.

At the back, the taillights, all housed in one unit on each side, are connected by a bar that covers the width of the tailgate and features Citroen's badge in the middle. At the bottom, some thick black and silver cladding cuts into the bodywork, allowing room for the number plate.

While it’s not the most stunningly attractive car in the world, it's certainly not characterless.

Key Features

Two trim levels are offered on the e-C3.

The entry-level Plus gets 17-inch diamond-cut alloys, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and DAB radio, automatic LED headlights and taillights, rain-sensing wipers, and heated power-folding door mirrors.

You also get a synthetic leather steering wheel, air conditioning, rear parking sensors, and electrically operated front windows.

The upper Max trim adds satellite navigation, rear privacy glass, electric rear windows, front fog lights, a wireless charger, automatic air conditioning, a rear parking camera, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, and cabin pre-heating. You also get leather effect seats.

Power comes in the form of an electric motor producing 113PS, driving the front wheels – that’s the only option available.

Range & Batteries

The e-C3 comes with a 43.7kWh battery – and that’s good for a claimed range of 199 miles.

Well, it's 198 miles in the Max version if we're being pedantic. There is little need to be, though, because real-world figures won’t be as good, especially in colder weather… and that’s something we’re used to in the UK.

We were on course to achieve around 165 miles on our e-C3 test drive in Max trim, which is pretty good as a proportion of the claimed range.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the Max version, but despite the extra features it brings, the e-C3 won’t be a go-to choice for those who want performance.

Getting from nought to 62mph takes 10.4 seconds, which isn’t bad for such a car, but some competitors are significantly quicker.

That said, the e-C3 feels pacier than its figures suggest, and it seems to accelerate briskly, even if it lacks that immediate ‘shove-off-the-line’ dollop of poke you get in many electric cars.

The power delivery is smooth and consistent, and it’s still more than adept at getting up to motorway speeds and zipping around town centre ring roads.

Its real tour de force, though, is ride comfort - always a strong point of Citroen and a key component of its philosophy. It features its trademark Advanced Comfort suspension, resulting in a cushioned, absorbent ride.

As a result, it makes light work of undulating road surfaces, and most potholes are reduced to a mere lump and bump rather than feeling like you're crashing your way through them. It is lovely and particularly welcome if you’ve got a bad back.

Of course, though, the soft suspension setup comes at the cost of the car’s handling, which can easily feel wallowy. There is plenty of body lean around quicker corners, not helped by a higher centre of gravity compared with the old C3, as it’s now 10cm taller.

Granted, nobody is leasing a car like this for its ability to slide around twisty B-road bends, and in all honesty, the tyres grip the road well, and the steering feels precise, albeit very light.

Although it’s not lots of fun, it’s still quite engaging to drive. However, there are certainly better equivalent cars out there if the overall driving experience is important to you.

One thing that is quite basic is the regenerative braking, which features just one mode and cannot be adjusted. It is predictable and accurate, but you can’t do one-pedal driving.

The e-C3’s brake pedal doesn’t feel that sharp when you stamp on it, either, although that doesn’t mean you’ll sweat bringing it to a halt when required.

Charging

The e-C3 can charge at a maximum rate of 100kW, which isn’t especially quick, although it’s enough to beat quite a few foes.

As a result, a 20-80% top-up takes 26-minutes. Fully charging the e-C3 from 0-100% takes around seven hours using a 7kW home wall box.

Running Costs & Emissions

The Citroen e-C3 will be as cheap to run as it is to lease, especially if you can charge it up at home, despite recent rises in energy bills.

Although road tax will be required under the new 2025 system (electric cars were free before), it will still only cost £10 for the first year, but this will rise to £195 a year thereafter, subject to annual increases.

It likely won't be a common choice as a company car, but like all-electric vehicles, it'll be in the bottom band for Benefit In Kind tax, too.

If you were to ask people to estimate Citroen’s reliability, they likely wouldn’t place it very high. But Citroen is one of Europe's leading brands for dependability nowadays – it's done well in recent customer surveys.

The e-C3 is too new to know how it will fare, but Citroen’s recent record gives us cautious optimism.

Interior & Technology

The e-C3's cabin is nicely designed and well laid out but lacks luxury.

Citroen has done a good job with the materials. Although they’re on the cheap side, they’ve been nicely arranged to produce a likeable design that looks far removed from the blandness of most low-cost interiors we've encountered.

The seats, which are faux leather in our Max test car, feature a squared pattern, although you'll only get cloth material in the Plus trim. The lower part of the dashboard's textile has a carpeted pattern.

The colours also impress, with a selection of shades between black and light grey, which helps brighten things up and adds a pleasant variety to your driving environment.

So, although there’s plenty of plastic and not much in the way of premium materials on offer, it still looks eye-catching and attractive.

There is a vertical stick-out air vent on each side of the dashboard, with two horizontal ones in the middle, sitting between the air conditioning controls and the infotainment screen.

The interestingly oblong-shaped steering wheel is flat-bottomed and flat-topped, with a large protruding airbag box in the middle and plenty of function buttons.

As has been common on Citroens for a long time, the speedometer is integrated into the upper section of the dashboard. However, unlike in old Citroens, it's now positioned in front of the driver rather than in the middle.

It is technically a wide and not very tall digital driver's display. However, Citroen refers to it as a 'head-up display' in its marketing, but it doesn't project anything onto the windscreen.

Thankfully, the physical controls for the climate control are a welcome change from some rivals, who intomb their settings into the infotainment touchscreen.

Speaking of which, the screen in the e-C3 sits on top of the lower section of the two-tiered dashboard.

Admittedly, the infotainment system itself disappoints. Although the screen has a simple menu layout and is easy to use, it comes across as a little too basic, not helped by an all-dark layout that looks a tad dated.

There is a huge border around the outside of the unit, too, so the screen space isn’t maximised, and the display isn’t as bright as rival systems. It works as intended, though, and at least you can pair your smartphone with it and use Apple CarPlay/Android Auto if you prefer.

One thing we’re even less keen on are the bizarre motivational labels on the doors. They say “hello” and declare that you should “have fun”, “be cool”, "enjoy", and "say yes".

That might work in some countries, but for a British customer base, it's too patronisingly cringe-worthy for us to appreciate. At least it's a harmless feature that doesn’t impact usability or practicality.

Admittedly, this plays into Citroen's hope to convey a playful personality with the e-C3, so maybe we're just too old and boring for its target market.

Practicality & Boot Space

It is easy to get comfortable in the e-C3, mainly because the seats are absorbing for such a cheap car.

They are made with foam that uses techniques found in mattresses, and you can tell. The foam is multi-layered and uses materials that contour to the shape of your body to reduce pressure points and improve comfort.

Admittedly, finding a decent driving position must be done manually, but we hardly expected electric adjustment at this price point - it's not available at all on the e-C3.

Those who rely on adjustable lumbar support will be left disappointed, though, as it doesn’t exist. The comfy seats may mitigate this for some, so if this is a must-have feature, then it’s worth sitting in one for yourself to try it out.

Although the e-C3 is a small car, it has various SUV characteristics, so its driving position is slightly higher than some of its rivals'. That means forward visibility is reasonably good, aided by thin windscreen pillars.

Rearward visibility isn't as good. The pillars are twice as thick, the roof spoiler slightly impedes your view, and the rear side window frames taper upwards towards the back of the car. But at least rear parking sensors are included as standard. Our Max-trimmed test model includes a rear-view camera, which is not available on the Plus base model.

Despite the e-C3’s relatively small size, its SUV credentials - as we’ve already alluded to - are never far away. The roof is quite high up, providing lots of headroom for even the tallest of drivers.

There is a charitable amount of legroom in the front of the e-C3, too, so you shouldn’t feel cramped on longer journeys. Meanwhile, the cabin feels surprisingly wide, avoiding a competition for elbows between driver and front seat passenger.

The rear is arguably even more impressive. It makes the most of the car's boxy shape and provides more legroom than we’d expected, although admittedly, the same can be said for several competitors.

Citroen also says it's optimised the battery's positioning by positioning it underneath the rear seat rather than the car's floor. This allows the floor to be lower and, as a result, improves under-thigh support.

Unfortunately, one trade-off is the boot. At 310 litres, it's 35 litres less than you’ll get in a BYD Dolphin. You have to make do with a large boot lip, making it more challenging to lift heavy or bulky items out. The floor isn't adjustable, nor is there any underfloor storage. Some rivals can do better on all counts.

The rear seats fold in a 60:40 configuration, which, while not as versatile as the convenient 40:20:40 split in some cars, is typical for this class. Unfortunately, if you do fold them down, they won’t be completely flat, as it leaves a ridge at the base of the rear seats.

Safety

Citroen is yet to get the e-C3 examined by crash-testing specialists Euro NCAP.

The old C3 scored a four-star rating, but that was eight years ago, so it’s fairly meaningless today, given that Euro NCAP updates its testing criteria every couple of years.

The last Citroen to be tested was the C5 X in 2022, which scored 82% for adults, 87% for children and 66% for safety assists.

The latter category on the e-C3 includes automatic emergency braking, hill start assist, cruise control and speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring system, and driver attention alert.

You also get a safety pack included as standard, which features a video-based active safety brake, an active lane departure warning system, and speed limit recognition and recommendation. Max versions get a rear parking camera and sensors.

Options

There isn’t an options list on the e-C3, as such.

The default body colour is a light grey-blue, known as Monte Carlo Blue, with a white roof.

Alternatively, if you're willing to pay extra, Polar White, Elixir Red, Mercury Grey, and Bright Blue are also available. All shades are paired with a black roof. Then there’s Perla Nera Black, which comes with a white roof.

If you wish, you can forego the dual colours and have the roof coloured the same as the main body, which is a free option.

A three-phase onboard charger can also be added, increasing the home charging speed to 11kW. However, many homes can’t support this, so check before you lease.

A puncture repair kit also costs extra.

Rival Cars

There aren’t many low-cost electric cars, but the numbers are growing gradually.

There is the Dacia Spring and the BYD Dolphin, while the MG4 EV will also hope to be in contention.

The Hyundai Inster and the Ora 03 are also worth considering.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the e-C3 meets Citroen’s goal of offering a car that’s great value for money.

While the Dacia Spring might be cheaper, it feels like it. It is very much a no-frills car, whereas the e-C3 has a lot more standard equipment.

The e-C3 is practical for a small car, although the small boot, loading lip, and ridge created by folding the rear seats knock a few points off. The lack of range and middling charging speeds don’t help, either. However, it’s superbly comfortable.

We recommend the Max trim we tested. It has several useful features that will make it easier to live with in the winter months. That said, the base model, Plus, arguably offers even better value for money – and there’s nothing wrong with it, as it still comes fairly well loaded.

Overall, the Citroen e-C3 is a very good car for those who want something cheap that doesn’t cut many corners.

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Citroen e-C3.

**Correct as of 14/04/2025. Based on 9 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 9 monthly payments, or £2,155.23 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.