Citroen C3 Review (2016-present)

What is the Citroen C3?

The Citroen C3 was introduced in its current, third-generation form in 2016, and it received a mild facelift in 2020 to freshen up its appeal against some newer rivals. The C3 has always been one of the coolest looking superminis around, courtesy of its cute curves and smart detailing around the slim, chevron-badged grille and front and rear lights, allied to some now typical Citroen styling quirks, such as the body protecting ‘Airbumps’ along the sides.

The facelift built on its styling strength, those Airbumps now add an extra bit of additional visual flair with contrasting highlights, and the latest model also has larger rear bumpers and mildly revised front and rear lights. A smarter interior, more equipment, and new optional styling packs mean the C3 should be the go-to supermini if you’re after something a bit different from popular superminis such as the Ford Fiesta, the Vauxhall Corsa, the Renault Clio, the Peugeot 208, the Toyota Yaris, the Volkswagen Polo, the Seat Ibiza, the Hyundai i20 or the Kia Rio.

Even this heartland of volume sales has been impacted by a host of compact SUVs and crossovers, which are now the darling of the buying public. Citroen does have an answer for this, though, in the form of the C3 Aircross, which is a C3-sized, higher-riding compact SUV.

How practical is it?

It is possible to find more practical rivals than the C3, but it does a reasonable job all-round. There’s plenty of space for front-seat passengers but it’s let down a little in the back, which is a tad short on space. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t do anything especially well, where competitors such as the Honda Jazz offer very flexible cabins. The rear seats have a pair of ISOFIX mounts and the driving position is comfortable.

The Citroen’s strength here is its boot, which can accommodate 300 litres of luggage with the rear seats upright. That’s not quite class-leading, but it is substantial.

What's it like to drive?

For all the appeal of those compact SUVs, there’s life in the supermini yet, and the C3 underlines that. It’s fun, in character, if not necessarily to drive. Instead of being engaging or exciting like a Fiesta, the Citroen plays to the company’s strength of comfort.

The suspension is soft, which means there is a lot of roll in bends, but a fine ride even over the pock-marked surfaces that sometimes pass as roads in the UK.

The diesel engines are smooth and frugal, while the PureTech 83 petrol is ideal around town. There’s nothing remotely sporty in the C3 range, but if you want the quickest one, then go for the PureTech 110 petrol engine with the six-speed manual gearbox. It covers the 0-62mph sprint in 10.5 seconds. It won’t win a drag race with any number of GTI-style offerings from its supermini rivals, but it is the quickest of the C3s.

Technology, equipment and infotainment

There’s a decent amount of choice in the range, over and above the plentiful personalisation options, with four trim levels dubbed Sense, C-Series, Saint James and Shine Plus.

Every C3 includes a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, comprising a DAB digital radio, Bluetooth connectivity, automatic air-conditioning, cruise control with a speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring, LED headlights, and a lot more besides, so it’s hard to argue with the level of standard equipment.

Citroen C3 running costs

This is a crucial factor in the buying process for superminis, so it’s worth crunching the numbers. The truth is, all will be inexpensive to own and run, it being mere degrees of how much. Obviously that cheapest - though still decently specified - Feel model will see you putting down the smallest deposit, and making the smallest monthly payment if you decide to spread the costs, as most people will.

That Feel has got the lowest insurance grouping, too, at just 11E. The highest insurance group is for the Flair in BlueHDI 100 manual form, which due to lacking some of the active safety aids of the same engine, higher specification (and cost) Flair Plus, comes in at group 22C, compared with 19A for the Flair Plus.

Servicing should be inexpensive, and speak to your Citroen dealer if you want to pay monthly, which they can arrange for you. Likewise, first year road tax on all but two versions is £175, the other two hardly cripplingly more expensive at £215. Consumables, like brakes, tyres and suchlike won’t be expensive, either.

The most parsimonious is the most pricey to buy, and, really, you’ll need to be doing much bigger mileages in the BlueHDI 100 model to justify the additional outlay for its 67mpg potential. The base petrol will manage a realistic daily-driving 40-45mpg if you’re relatively sensible with it, too.

Those Airbumps on the C3’s flanks are more than mere styling details, too, with the big contoured rubber inserts actually helping prevent expensive damage to the bodywork through parking knocks and dings. Likewise, the C3’s chunky plastic, non-painted rear bumper over-riders and wheel-arch extensions mean the C3 should shrug off the sort of urban battle scars that would see you needing to visit a paintshop with the majority of its supermini rivals.

Citroen C3 reliability

It’s fair to say that Citroen has a pretty patchy reputation when it comes to reliability, but the C3 seems to have bucked that trend. Being a relatively simple car helps, of course, with the majority of C3s being base-level trim with simple, proven mechanicals and none of the more complicated equipment as standard. Reported issues tend to centre around electrical maladies rather than problems with engines or transmissions.

There have been a number of recalls for the C3, some minor, others a bit more concerning, like it lacking the correct ballast fitting and being potentially unstable, or having a steering column assembly fault. So, be sure to check any prospective used purchase has had any applicable remedial recall work done to it.

With any new Citroen C3 purchase you’ll get a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty, although it’s worth noting that if you’re a private buyer, you’ll get significantly longer standard warranty coverage from the likes of Kia and Hyundai for their Rio and i20 superminis, which can be passed on to future owners, too.