Citroën ë-C3 – electric from 20 grand!

Highlights Citroën ë-C3

• As an EV for €24,290, later 20 grand
• 200 or 320 kilometers range
• Also available on petrol and as a mild hybrid

The ‘ë’ in ‘Citroën ë-C3’ of course stands for ‘electric’, and that is how the car is presented. However, this is also ‘simply’ the successor to the current Citroën C3, and therefore the fourth generation of that model. That makes it very important, because the C3 still accounts for almost 30 percent of Citroën sales. It is clear after one look that this new C3 differs considerably from its predecessors. Its higher body, greater ground clearance and straight nose unmistakably give it an SUV-like look, although Citroën emphatically does not call it an SUV and this is therefore not the successor to the C3 Aircross. That car could receive a separate sequel later, but now we are looking at the ‘normal’ C3.

Range and price

The new Citroën C3 is available with a 100 hp petrol engine and as a mild hybrid, but during its introduction – and certainly in the Netherlands – all attention will of course be focused on the electric ë-C3. Not surprising, because this is certainly not just Citroën’s version of the Peugeot e-208 or Opel Corsa Electric. This car is a clear step below those models in every respect and has its own, as yet unique platform with a ditto drivetrain. According to Stellantis, the ‘Smart Car Platform’ is primarily intended for EVs and offers space for a rectangular-shaped, and therefore not very complex, 44 kWh battery. This is a so-called LFP battery, so fewer rare earth metals have been used and charging to 100 percent should be possible without excessive wear. If you actually do that, Citroën promises a range of 320 kilometers.

The price of all that beauty: €24,290. It is already clear that this Citroën occupies a unique place in the car world. Affordable Chinese such as the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin start around 30 grand and have a comparable range, while the only cheaper EV – the Dacia Spring – is much smaller and has a range of 230 kilometers. In addition, the Citroën ë-C3 has a three-phase charger and can be fully charged with a neat 100 kW at the fast charger. That is seriously smooth for this segment and means that it can also be used for an occasional longer trip. Still too expensive? Then there is also good news, because Citroën promises an electric entry-level version with 200 kilometers of range and a price of around €20,000. This seems to us to be a direct Spring competitor, although the Citroën is larger than the Dacia.

Power and comfort

The fact that this is not just an e-208 with a different design is also evident from the performance. Instead of 136 or 156 hp, the Citroën ë-C3’s electric motor delivers only 113 hp to the front wheels. It drags the car from 0 to 100 in about 11 seconds, which means it is at least not annoyingly slow. The ‘sufficient’ predicate also applies to the top speed, which is a modest 135 km/h. Citroën is of course not aiming for impressive performance at all with this car, but it is clearly aiming for comfort. The new C3 is the first C3 to receive Citroën’s Advanced Comfort dampers, as we already know from larger Citroëns. The Advanced Comfort seats will also be available in this compact car, which, according to Citroën, is exceptionally comfortable for this segment.

Space and interior

How much bigger? Well, with a length of 4.01 (Dacia: 3.74) meters and a width of 1.76 meters, the C3 is in those respects almost the same size as the current C3, and therefore a real B-segment car. It is 10 centimeters higher. In addition to the SUV appearance mentioned earlier, this results in a slightly straighter, higher seating position and slightly more luggage space. There is 310 liters behind the rear seat. Not huge, but 10 liters more than before. This also applies to the electric version. It is clearly visible from the inside that this is in fact a budget model. The dashboard is simple in design, but Citroën has succeeded in giving it a nice appearance through clever decoration. For example, there is a digital instrumentation that projects the information on a black bar at the very top of the dashboard. Above the steering wheel, which, according to the French, means that this screen is a cross between an instrument cluster and a head-up display. There is a central touchscreen, but only in the more expensive ‘Max’ version. The entry-level You – the version you get for over 24 grand – comes with a phone holder, which can be connected to the car via an app to operate all kinds of infotainment and navigation functions. Fortunately, the phone is not necessary for the climate control, because there are separate buttons for that. The ‘intermediate version’ mentioned in the video, the Plus, is not yet available. The Citroën ë-C3 is therefore available in two versions: You and Max.

This screen is a cross between an instrument cluster and a head-up display, says Citroën.

Design

Although the European ë-C3 is reminiscent of the ë-C3 presented for India in terms of range and positioning, it is really a different car. This is evident from the performance it delivers, but also from the completely different carriage. While the previously unveiled ë-C3 is clearly a Citroën of the current generation, the European version differs greatly in many respects from what we now see at Citroën. No headlights divided over two light layers here, but also much less rounded shapes than on a C4 or C5-X. Citroën has clearly been inspired by the Oli study model from 2022, and has transferred, among other things, the basic design of headlights and taillights, as well as the new logo. You can bet that we will also see these features on other Citroëns in the future. The rest of the C3 carriage is quite conservative in shape, without the crazy inventions that characterized the Oli. It is nice that there are four short decorative strips around the car. You will find these ‘color clips’ in the front bumper and in the rear window pillars and can easily replace them in a few seconds, so that it is possible to give a different color accent to your C3. Still nice. The rest of the carriage is standard in one color; only the more expensive Max version gets the contrasting roof seen in the photos and video. That roof can be white or black, the rest of the carriage can be made in white, black, blue, red or gray.

Not Chinese

In the video that accompanies this article, it is said that there is nothing Chinese about this new Citroën ë-C3. Strictly speaking, that is not entirely true, because the battery does indeed come from China for the time being. However, that will change when Citroën sources the battery from the European Automotive Cells Company. From that moment on, this electric C3 is indeed a purely European affair, because it was developed in France and built in Slovakia. We mention this emphatically, because all alternatives in this class – yes, including the Dacia – come from China.

Citroën ë-C3: without the infotainment screen.

Although the brand could not have known this in advance, this choice by Citroën could turn out to be very beneficial for the brand. The European Union has started an investigation into possible unfair competition by Chinese brands, which could easily lead to heavy import duties on Chinese cars. Moreover, in France, of all places, there is a plan in place to take into account the CO2 emissions produced during the production and transport of a car when granting subsidies. This C3 seems to be able to dance around all these new measures and is therefore likely to be eligible for EV subsidy in France.

This is of course also the case in the Netherlands. The new Citroën ë-C3 should appear at the dealer in the second quarter of 2024. We have just learned that the SEPP subsidy for new cars will still be €2,950 per car in 2024, so as a private individual you will soon be able to get into a Citroën ë-C3 with a 320 kilometer range for €21,340. The cheaper version with a 200 kilometer range will follow later, in 2025.