• No hybrids, but petrol and diesel engines are fairly frugal
• Cheap servicing and reasonable insurance
• Plenty of dealers dotted around

What are the running costs?

No C3 Aircross breaks the bank, though the trusted recipe of light weights and efficient engines doesn’t quite compete with rivals that offer some level of electrification to boost economy, such as the mild hybrid Ford Puma.

Economy is nonetheless more than acceptable from all engines, and the C3 Aircross is very rare among small SUVs for still being available with a diesel engine, which offers economy to rival even the best hybrids.

The entry-level PureTech 110 engine responds well to gentle driving, and returns around 50mpg as compensation. The six-speed gearbox helps here, as the previously available five-speed manual had the engine revving very high on the motorway.

The PureTech 130 is significantly thirstier, not helped by its old-fashioned automatic gearbox. Expect high-30s mpg, up to the low 40s if you really baby it.

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The real economy champion is the diesel, capable of 70mpg if driven carefully and easily capable of over 60mpg the rest of the time. This bests even the Toyota Yaris Cross for economy, though diesel fuel is more expensive and the engine won’t be too efficient if you only use it for short runs. The diesel also uses Adblue – tank capacity is 17 litres and all models have a 45 litre fuel tank.

Servicing and warranty

Citroen offers a servicing package that you pay for up front for up to three years or 35,000 miles. This is available for the first year from when the car is registered.

Warranty cover is fairly unimpressive, especially when you compare it to the likes of the Kia Stonic with its seven years of cover. By contrast, Citroen only warrants the C3 Aircross for three years or 60,000 miles, though the first two years are unlimited mileage if you’re the type to do mega distances in your compact SUV.

Reliability

There have been six recalls on the Citroen C3 Aircross since 2017, although these relate to the pre-facelift model. As the oily bits are largely unchanged, you’d hope that everything would be sorted by now.

Otherwise, all of the C3 Aircross’ mechanicals are well-proven across a smorgasbord of products from Citroen, Peugeot and Vauxhall. The interior is powered largely by touchscreen, so software bugs are an issue – these have been noted on owners’ forums and seem to be a bit of a fact of life with the C3 Aircross.