Citroen e-C3 review

Well, it’s certainly quite unlike anything else out there. It’s all a bit quirky and clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously. Which is no bad thing in an otherwise very samey sector.

Peugeot has already tried reinventing the wheel, and now it seems Citroen is having a go at the entire dashboard. It gets a similarly compact steering wheel, and there’s no traditional instrument cluster either. Instead, you get a head-up display that reflects information onto a glossy black strip underneath the windscreen, which you view over the top of the steering wheel as you would in the Peugeot. It’s not as awkward as it is in the Peugeot though, and we didn’t have any issues with the steering wheel blocking the dials.

You also get a fabric-wrapped dashboard for a supposed cosier feel – makes a nice change from gloss black – and armchair like seats up front. Lovely.

WHAT’S THE REST OF THE TECH LIKE?

In Europe, entry-level C3s get a built-in smartphone holder that allows you to ‘dock’ your device to keep costs down. But Citroen thought better of that in the UK.

Instead, both trim levels get a 10.25-inch touchscreen. It all works fine, with shortcut buttons displayed down the left hand side and volume controls up the right, but it’s not the most eye catching display going. Fortunately wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard, so it’s not too much of an issue.

The best news of all however is that Citroen has kept the climate controls separate, with a dedicated panel underneath. Finally, a carmaker using some common sense. 

IS IT ROOMY?

Well, the raised height means you now sit 76mm higher up than in the previous generation C3, and there’s more legroom, headroom and elbow room too. You can comfortably fit two in the back, though three abreast is one for shorter trips only.

All models get 60/40 rear folding seats, and there’s no shortage of storage, while bootspace measures 310 litres – up 10 litres on the previous generation – exactly the same as you find in the regular version. It’s noticeably deep too, though this does result in a high load lip. No room under the floor for any dirty charging cables, either. 

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the labels on the doors (see picture 19) which say ‘have fun’, ‘be happy’, ‘feel good’, ‘be cool’, yeah, us too. A bit too much like having ‘live, laugh, love’ in your house for our liking. Anyone seen the scissors?