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The Citroën ë-C3 is one of the UK’s most affordable new EVs, starting from under £22,000, with a range of up to 199 miles, a rapid charging rate of 100 kW, and a driving experience without the compromises that you might expect at this price.
We now have a wide range of electric cars on sale, but over recent years a key trend has been for large SUV body styles, with many of these chasing premium aspirations, often accompanied by prices of around £50,000 or more.
So it’s welcome news that the new Citroën ë-C3 B-segment hatchback is now available in the UK at the more affordable end of the price range – from under £22,000.
Just in case you’re wondering whether many people have bought a Citroën C3, more than 5.6 million have been sold since the launch of the first generation in 2002, and it’s the brand’s most popular model, representing 29% of Citroën’s European sales volume.
The new ë-C3 is the first vehicle from Stellantis to feature the new, cost-efficient BEV-focused ‘Smart Car’ platform using a 44kWh LFP (Lithium Ferro Phosphate) battery pack, mated to a 113 bhp (83KW) electric motor providing front-wheel drive.
The new ë-C3 has a higher driving position (100mm more than the B-hatch average), and higher ground clearance: 163mm compared to 135mm in the previous C3 model. While we’re on the subject of statistics, the ë-C3 measures 4,015mm in length, with a 310-litre boot, or 1,188 litres with the rear seats folded.
Space for rear seat passengers in this size of car isn’t expansive, but is better than many rivals in the ë-C3; Citroën says that knee room for rear seat passengers is at least 20mm more than the average in the class.
The ë-C3’s exterior features Citroën’s new design language, most notably the treatment of the front lights, and the brand’s new, larger logo.
Because the Citroën ë-C3 is one of the more affordable electric cars, you might be expecting some compromises in the driving department, but we can report that it was perfectly capable on the (relatively short) launch event route.
The big news about the ë-C3’s driving experience – as per other Citroën models – is comfort. The ride quality is comfortable thanks to ‘Citroën Advanced Comfort Suspension’ with ‘Progressive Hydraulic Cushions’ which aim to reduce the impact of potholes on the car’s occupants. The ë-C3 also features Advanced Comfort Seats.
The driving experience over poor road surfaces is also improved by the ë-C3’s relatively light weight of 1,416 kg. This means that it shouldn’t crash into potholes as severely as some heavier EVs. It also means that the ë-C3 has some agility – again, unlike many heavier electric SUVs. However the car’s somewhat leisurely 0-62 mph acceleration time of 10.4 seconds means that the agility isn’t accompanied by rapid performance. However we did test the ë-C3 on dual carriageways and despite the EV being primarily intended for more local driving patterns, it was perfectly capable at 70mph.
The interior features what initially looks to be the familiar Stellantis gear selector, with the normal positions for R, N, D, but it has buttons for P and ‘C’, the latter enabling ‘Cruise’ mode for more freewheeling – which is the opposite to the normal ‘B’ button for increased brake regeneration. There’s no option for choosing different drive modes.
A ‘floating’ 10-inch central touchscreen contains most of the car controls you’ll need, with a clear layout and permanent shortcut buttons on the right-hand side of the screen. There are separate, physical buttons underneath the touchscreen for climate controls, which are more user-friendly than having to delve into touchscreen sub-menus.
There’s also a ‘Citroën Head-Up Display’, which doesn’t project onto the windscreen, but instead information appears on the dashboard above the small steering wheel (which features reach and height adjustment, unlike some other cars in this class).
Citroën calls the cabin a ‘C-Zen Lounge’, which basically means that you don’t get lots of features and technology and that you don’t need, which we’re completely in favour of as it keeps the price down but also reduces the technology overwhelm that so many people tell us they experience with some of the latest cars.
One thing to be aware of is that you get satnav on the top of the range ‘MAX’ trim level as part of ‘My Citroën Drive’, but this is only an option on the entry-level ‘PLUS’ model, which comes as standard with ‘My Citroën Play Plus’, when wireless smartphone mirroring is the solution for navigation.
The Citroën ë-C3 MAX with its 44kWh battery pack has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 198 miles, or 199 miles for the entry-level ‘PLUS’ model (it’s a shame that Citroën couldn’t squeeze an extra mile out of it to give it a range of 200 miles). It wasn’t possible to test the real-world range on the launch event.
The ë-C3 energy consumption figure of 4.52 miles/kWh is impressive.
Some ‘budget’ EVs have very slow DC charging speeds; not so with the ë-C3, which shares its 100 kW rapid charging rate with other Stellantis models, and is capable of delivering a 20% to 80% charge in 26 minutes.
The ë-C3 has maximum AC charging power of 7.4 kW, which should provide a 0-100% charge in 4 hours 10 minutes using a 32 A wallbox.
A new e-ROUTES app allows owners to monitor their charging status and battery level in real-time and to use the navigation feature to plan journeys.
The Citroën ë-C3 is available in two trim levels, ‘PLUS’, priced at £21,990, and ‘MAX’, at £23,690. Our test car had the options of an 11 kW three-phase onboard charger (£360) and premium metallic paint body colour (Elixir Red) (£695); other colours are Polar White, Montecarlo Blue, Mercury Grey and Perla Nera Black.
Citroën is promising an even lower price for an ë-C3 with a 124-mile range in 2025.
The Citroën ë-C3 is a welcome addition to the choice of electric cars for consumers. It’s affordable, but it’s not positioned at the very lowest end which is a good thing, because it means that it’s not completely about cost-cutting. This results in the ë-C3 not having any obvious big compromises; it drives well, the 198 or 199-mile range is reasonably practical for owners who are mostly likely to be driving locally, and the 100 kW rapid charging is faster than some other rivals at this end of the market. The Citroën ë-C3 is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 8 out of 10.
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