The C3 may well go up against the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa, but just by looking at it from the outside, you’d swear it was in the class above. It’s not a small car.
In reality, that’s only partially good news for practicality fans, as there’s plenty of space in the boot and for those sat up front, but a little more cosy for those in the rear. Back seat space isn’t quite so good if there are taller occupants in the front with their seats slid back, but it’s still comfortable enough for short journeys.
Up front the dash echoes that of the larger C4 Cactus with clever storage ideas and lots of little cubbies. Although Citroen was initially keen to point out the C3 features a 6.25-litre glovebox,we wouldn’t get too excited – right-hand drive versions won’t get this because the fuse box is in the way and can’t be moved. Instead, you’re left with something so narrow it can’t even accomodate the handbook.
It’s a good thing the door bins are a large enough size and the storage cubbies around the gearlever are a little more usable than those in the Cactus, although still not ideally placed. Place a drink in one of the cupholders ahead of the gearlever and it can get in the way of changing gear, while the storage areas are a little less accommodating for the ever-growing size of smartphones. We’d also like to see a front centre armrest on higher spec models, as found on many rivals, but it can be found on the C3’s accessories list.
The boot is a generous 300 litres, which is larger than the VW Polo and Peugeot 208 – although the Kia Rio runs it close, but it’s trounced by the enormous 391-litre boot on the Mk5 Renault Clio. The Citroen, like the Renault, also quite a high loading lip to heft heavy shopping bags over. There are no hooks on the side for hanging items, however.
Fold down the back seats and load space increases to 922 litres.
Will it fit in my garage?
The C3 might look a little more bulky on the outside, but parking sensors are standard on the top two models, while top-spec Flair Plus comes with a rear-view camera.
Otherwise the C3 is 3,996mm long, 1,490mm tall and 2,007mm wide (including mirrors).
Citroen has piled on the safety tech with the third-generation C3, with an impressive roaster of kit available, both as standard and from the options list.
What wasn’t available at the time, though, was autonomous emergency braking (AEB) which stopped it getting a top score when assessed by Euro NCAP. The organisation also cited the C3’s pedestrian safety as a limiting factor when it announced its four-star rating. There’s also no provision for active safety aids such as lane-keeping assist or adaptive cruise control, which is a little limiting for 2020.
This has been fitted to C3s since and it standard on Origins and Flair Plus models. What’s also been fitted for 2020 are standard LED headlights – a big plus, as the pre-facelift model’s halogen units were very weak at night.
Basic equipment
The basic equipment list includes equipment that is standard across all versions of the Citroën C3.
3x3 point rear seat belts
ABS
Body coloured bumpers
Cloth seat trim
Cruise control
Driver`s airbag
Height adjustable drivers seat
Isofix child seat anchor points
PAS
Remote locking
Side airbags
Steering wheel rake adjustment
Steering wheel reach adjustment
Equipment by trim level
To view equipment options for a specific trim level, please select from the following list:
Equipment included on some trim levels
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Space saver spare wheel
Steel wheels
Traction control
C-Series equipment
C-Series standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
C-Series optional equipment
None available
C-Series Edition equipment
C-Series Edition standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
C-Series Edition optional equipment
None available
Elle equipment
Elle standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Heated mirrors
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Space saver spare wheel
Traction control
Elle optional equipment
Alarm
Feel equipment
Feel standard equipment
Air conditioning
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Feel optional equipment
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Central locking
Heated mirrors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Space saver spare wheel
Steel wheels
Traction control
Feel Nav Edition equipment
Feel Nav Edition standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Heated mirrors
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Space saver spare wheel
Feel Nav Edition optional equipment
Front fog lights
Traction control
Flair equipment
Flair standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Electric mirrors
Heated mirrors
Parking sensors
Flair optional equipment
Audio remote
Central locking
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Space saver spare wheel
Traction control
Flair Nav Edition equipment
Flair Nav Edition standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Space saver spare wheel
Flair Nav Edition optional equipment
Traction control
Flair Plus equipment
Flair Plus standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Electric mirrors
Heated mirrors
Parking sensors
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Flair Plus optional equipment
Audio remote
Central locking
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Passenger`s airbag
Space saver spare wheel
Origins equipment
Origins standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alloy wheels
Audio remote
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Space saver spare wheel
Origins optional equipment
Alarm
Central locking
Steel wheels
Traction control
Saint James equipment
Saint James standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Saint James optional equipment
None available
Sense equipment
Sense standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Passenger`s airbag
Steel wheels
Sense optional equipment
None available
Shine equipment
Shine standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Shine optional equipment
None available
Shine Plus equipment
Shine Plus standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Alloy wheels
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Front fog lights
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Parking sensors
Passenger`s airbag
Rear electric windows
Sat Nav
Shine Plus optional equipment
Space saver spare wheel
Touch equipment
Touch standard equipment
Front electric windows
Passenger`s airbag
Steel wheels
Touch optional equipment
Air conditioning
Traction control
You equipment
You standard equipment
Air conditioning
Alarm
Central locking
Electric mirrors
Front electric windows
Heated mirrors
Metallic Paint
Passenger`s airbag
Steel wheels
You optional equipment
None available
Euro NCAP Rating – 4 stars
The Citroën C3 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2017 and was awarded a 4 star overall rating.
This overall rating is calculated from the following individual ratings:
Euro NCAP provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.
The safety ratings are determined from a series of vehicle tests, designed and carried out by Euro NCAP.
These tests represent, in a simplified way, important real life accident scenarios that could result in injured or killed car occupants or other road users.