Citroën C3 (02-10) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 08 January 2010
The C3 is Citroen's alternative to small hatchbacks like the Peugeot 207 and Vauxhall Corsa but compared to newer alternatives it's starting to show it's age - particularly inside where the low rent interior and cheap plastics let it down badly. It's comfortable and easy to drive, especially in town, but it's far from enjoyable and lacks the refinement and polish of competitors. That said it does represent good value for money as a used buy. The diesel engines are particularly good too and return excellent economy making the Citroen cheap to run. Just don't expect many thrills along the way. Despite a new (and far superior) C3 model being introduced in 2010, this version is still on sale, badged as the C3 First.
2.5 out of 5

Other Citroën reviews

4 out of 5

Running costs

Citroën dealers tend to offer value-for-money servicing and thanks to 20,000-mile intervals you shouldn't have to pay too many visits. All the engines are economical (especially the diesels) and insurance and tax are both reasonable while depreciation shouldn't be too much of a concern due to the fact you'll get a hefty discount when buying new.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£990 - £1,574 *

Diesel

£943 - £1,034 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

Petrol 20,000 miles, diesel 12,500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£20.00 - £195.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

4.5 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
    106
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
    172
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The C3 is very eco-friendly and with an average of 134g/km CO2 across the model line-up, its emissions are comparably low for a supermini. Eco-conscious buyers should go for the 1.4 HDi which emits 115g/km of CO2 and can average 64mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2