Citroën C3 (10 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on 17 November 2009

Last Updated: 14 March 2011

Chic, sophisticated and refined. These are the qualities Citroen has aimed to instil in the C3 - a car designed to rival the likes of the Ford Fiesta. While it retains the similar rounded shape of the original C3, this model is far superior in every department with a giant leap forward in quality and refinement. Quiet on the move, it has a big car feel on the motorway, but is easy to drive in town, while a range of impressively economical engines make it cheap to run. There's even a low-emissions Airdream+ version that qualifies for free road tax. The interior is stylish and well thought out, plus there's plenty of passenger space. But while it's certainly an improvement, it is still lacking in some areas - a poor gearbox and artificial steering let it down while the interior quality isn't up to the class best.

3.5 out of 5

Other Citroën reviews

3.5 out of 5

Summary

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£11,390 - £17,090

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£5,798 - £11,865

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Refined and quiet, forgiving ride, low running costs, economical engines, neatly styled interior

Steering lacks feel, other small cars are more enjoyable to drive, poor manual gearbox

Driving & Performance

Performance

3.5 out of 5
"There's a good choice of engines in the C3 range with the emphasis on economy and affordable running..."
Handling

3.5 out of 5
"The C3 is designed to be comfortable and easy to drive, a feat which it achieves supremely well. The..."

Comfort

Comfort

4 out of 5
"Thanks to a very aerodynamic shape, the C3 is impressively quiet, even at higher speeds. Add this to..."
Practicality

4 out of 5
"With 300 litres of luggage space, the C3 has one of the largest boots in the small car class and can..."
Equipment

4 out of 5
"There are three main trim levels - VT, VTR+ and Exclusive along with the low emission Airdream+..."
Behind the wheel

3.5 out of 5
"This is an area Citroen has clearly focussed on, in order to give the C3 a more upmarket and higher..."

Costs

Running costs

4 out of 5
"Thanks to efficient engines the C3 is cheap to run, in particular the diesels which all qualify for..."
Green credentials

4.5 out of 5
"Every engine in the C3 range has low emissions and all the HDi units emit less than 120g/km of CO2,..."

Safety & Reliability

Safety

3.5 out of 5
"Surprisingly the C3 was awarded only four stars out of five by Euro NCAP for crash protection and..."
Reliability

3 out of 5
"It's fair to say that Citroen doesn't have the greatest of reputations when it comes to reliability..."

Buying & Selling

Buying new

3.5 out of 5
"Citroen dealers are renowned for having generous offers running and although the firm wants to make..."
Buying used

3.5 out of 5
"There will be no shortage of C3s on the second hand market but the most common will be the 1.4i and..."
Selling

3 out of 5
"The C3s chic looks will give it plenty of appeal and - unlike the previous model - this version..."