Citroën's affordable electric e-C3 will have to keep watch on rivals

Irish Times

8 hours ago

Citroën eC3
    
Year
:
2025
Fuel
:
Electric
Verdict
:
Well-priced, decent performance and range, and usefully practical. The e-C3 has some really sharp rivals, though.
Well, you asked for more affordable
electric cars
(or at least complained about the current fleet being too expensive) so here they come.
Citroën
's new e-C3 is now arriving in Ireland, quite some time after going on sale in the rest of Europe. Blame high demand in those other countries, apparently – Citroën Ireland's factory slots just kept getting pushed back.
It is here now, and it's coming in three forms. There's a basic 100hp 1.2-litre petrol model, which even has the rarity of being a six-speed manual gearbox; there's a 110hp hybrid; and there's this, the all-electric e-C3.
Prices start from €23,400 and, impressively, that's the same whether you want petrol or electric power. That doesn't make the Citroën e-C3 the cheapest EV on the market, not by a long shot when the likes of the
Hyundai Inster
are around, but it is certainly affordable, and doubly so when you consider the generous standard equipment of the basic Plus model (17-inch alloys, 10.25-inch touchscreen, cruise control, air conditioning and parking sensors among much else, including lots of standard safety kit).
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Citroën eC3: Prices start from €23,400
The electric pricing gets even better when you move up to the top-spec Max version (heated seats and steering wheel, wireless phone charging, automatic aircon, heated windscreen). Now, if you want a hybrid (the basic petrol model isn't available in this spec), that's going to be €29,000, but the electric Max model is just €25,650. That's a chunky €4,000 saving, which you could spend on getting a home charger installed, and maybe then a nice holiday.
It's not as if this is the bargain-bucket e-C3 either. That model will come next year, with a tiny 30kWh battery and a range of only 200km, but this version that we're testing has a 44kWh battery and a claimed range of 320km.
Realistic? Broadly. On mostly motorway miles we were getting a range of 220km-250km, and if you mixed in more town mileage or used some slower country roads, that would probably be more like 270km or 290km. Enough, in other words.
Citroën eC3: Hydraulic bump-stop suspension is meant to give a softer, comfier ride
The e-C3 will charge from a fast DC charging point at up to 100kW, allowing a 20-80 per cent charge in 26 minutes, but the more significant figure is what it would cost you to charge at home – 44kWh on a night rate of 15c per kWh is just €6.60 for a full battery. You would struggle to get 250km out of €6 worth of diesel.
In one sense it's a bit of a shame that the e-C3's battery is as small as it is, as the car has enough comfort to make a long journey painless.
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How much does an EV charger cost to install?
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]
Citroën is fitting the e-C3 as standard with its 'Advanced Comfort' seats, which have 10mm extra foam than before and are gloriously soft and comfy; and its matching hydraulic bump-stop suspension.
This is meant to give a softer, comfier ride over bumps and lumps, but it's only partially successful. Big bumps – speed ramps and the like – are ironed out nicely, but the shorter, sharper ripples that you get on Irish country roads are more easily felt. There's a good bit of tyre and wind noise at a motorway cruise, but nothing excessive.
Is the e-C3 fun to drive? A bit, but mostly only because it's a relatively compact car and the combo of small size (it's only 1.76m wide and a fraction over 4m long) always helps.
The steering – accessed by a slightly odd-looking flattened oblong wheel – is too light to be fun, but the e-C3 darts happily about the place, and feels nimble right until the point where the weight of the battery shoves it into bland understeer.
Citroën eC3: The cabin is better than you might expect for the price
The cabin is better than you might think for a car that's built down to a price. The slim digital instrument display, set high up by the base of the windscreen so you don't need an expensive projected head-up display, works well and is refreshingly simple.
The 10.25-inch touchscreen is also simple, and easy enough to use, primarily because there are also physical buttons for the air conditioning, which really makes life a lot easier.
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We decided to drive the new EV across the country. It wasn't long before things became tense
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]
The seats we've already mentioned (glorious) but overall cabin fit and finish is good. There's cheap plastic aplenty, but the fabric covering on the dash's centre section looks and feels a bit more upmarket, so you won't feel short-changed by the interior design.
Space is adequate for a car this size. Up front, there's plenty of legroom and headroom, and good storage space too, but in the back, space for knees is tight if there are tall people in the front.
Citroën eC3: The 312-litre boot is fine
Four full-sized adults will fit, but they may not be able to lounge about the place. The 312-litre boot is fine, but nothing special and there's no 'frunk' storage area in the nose, so you'll have to save space back there for charging cables.
As an affordable car proposition, the e-C3 seems rather good. It's a little ordinary to look at, but pleasantly chunky, and it's useful enough inside to serve as sole transport. The range isn't spectacular, but it should be enough for most people, most of the time.
However, there are two problems for the e-C3. One is the Hyundai Inster, which is currently running away with the Irish EV market and is fractionally cheaper for a comparable range (albeit the Inster is strictly a four seater – the e-C3 has a third rear seat belt if you have skinny friends and family).
Citroën eC3: As an affordable car proposition, the e-C3 seems rather good
The other is the incoming Fiat Grande Panda, which takes the exact same mechanical package as the Citroën and clothes it in body possessed of more visual funkiness, and which comes with a vacuum-cleaner style charging plug that retracts back behind a flap in the bonnet. A third problem, if one is needed, is the base version of the super-stylish and fun-to-drive Renault 5, which has comparable range and is only slightly more expensive.
Taken in isolation, then, the e-C3 is pleasantly sensible, compact, affordable and efficient. But it'll need eyes in the back of its metaphorical head with competition such as that.
Lowdown: Citroën e-C3 Max
Power
83kW e-motor developing 113hp and 124Nm of torque, powering the front wheels via a single-speed automatic transmission.
CO2 emissions (annual motor tax)
0g/km (€120).
Electric consumption
17.6 kWh/100km (WLTP).
Electric range
320km (WLTP)
0-100km/h
10.4 seconds.
Price
€25,650 as tested, C3 starts from €23,400.