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

3.5 out of 5

Safety

Surprisingly the C3 was awarded only four stars out of five by Euro NCAP for crash protection and many other small cars, such as the Hyundai i20 and Ford Fiesta, have received five stars. The main reason it misses out on the top score is that stability control isn't standard on the range and is only available on certain models. Under Euro NCAP's stricter rating (introduced in 2009) this means it can't be awarded the maximum rating. The safety organisation also highlighted poor protection from the seat and head restraint against whiplash injuries.

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  • Adult Occupant Rating

    4 out of 5
3 out of 5

Reliability

It's fair to say that Citroen doesn't have the greatest of reputations when it comes to reliability with electrical problems a particular issue. The previous C3 suffered a series of recalls for issues such as suspension springs that could fail, problems with braking and a potential parking brake failure. The firm says that it is working to eliminate these kinds of problems, but it has claimed this in the past. Only time - and miles - will tell whether the C3 is better built than before.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.