Citroën C3 (10 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
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

4 out of 5

Running costs

Thanks to efficient engines the C3 is cheap to run, in particular the diesels which all qualify for cheap road tax. Insurance groups are low while Citroen servicing rates and parts are reasonably priced. Unfortunately the dealers don't have the best reputation for customer care and often fare poorly in owners satisfaction surveys.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£1,203 - £1,461 *

Diesel

£772 - £1,002 *

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

Two years or 20,000 miles except the 1.6 HDi which is two years or 12,500 miles.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles.

Road tax (12 months)

£0.00 - £170.00

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
    87
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
    153
  • H
  • 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

Every engine in the C3 range has low emissions and all the HDi units emit less than 120g/km of CO2, making them cheap to tax. However, special mention goes to the Airdream+ model, Citroen's equivalent to the likes of Bluemotion and Econetic. Using the 1.6 HDi engine with 90bhp it emits just 99g/km of CO2 and so qualifies for free road tax.

Find the exact engine and CO2