• Flexible rear seats on Shine Plus models  
• Decent boot for the class  
• Tiny rear floor hump makes it decent for three abreast

How much space is there?

Even tall individuals should find the front seats slide far enough back to accommodate long legs, and shorter drivers won’t struggle to push the clutch down with them moved forward. Despite the seats being mounted high, head room is decent unless you’ve selected the optional panoramic roof. Although it makes the interior feel airy, taller folk will find their head close to the roof lining.

That’s even more apparent in the back as the rear bench is mounted a little higher than the front seats. Avoid the panoramic roof and head room is fine, while leg room is good, if not quite as impressive as the Skoda Kamiq. At least the C3 Aircross has an almost flat rear floor that makes seating three abreast a relatively comfy affair.

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Boot space and storage

Up front you’ll find door pockets big enough for a selection of pocket detritus and a sizable cubby in front of the gearlever that’s perfect for a phone and wallet. Behind the gearlever are a couple of generous cupholders and another useful storage area. The rear door pockets aren’t quite as capacious, though.

All trims have a 410-litre boot that’s pretty good for the size of the car. It’s bigger than a larger Volkswagen Golf’s, although both the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq have even more cargo space. You can fold the rear seats down in all models to boost carrying capacity to 1,289 litres, while top-spec Shine Plus models get a sliding rear bench.  

This lets you move the rear seats forward in a 60/40 split to give you a bit more boot space at the expense of rear leg room. It also adds a handy load through feature that lets you stick long items through a flap in the middle of the rear seats. Both Shine and Shine Plus models also get a two level boot floor that can be raised or lowered to either prioritise boot space or level out the load area, reducing the loading lip and removing the step up to the folded rear seats.

Is it easy to park?

A high driving position gives you a lofty view out and makes it easier to judge the extremities of the car. Although the windows are big, the stickers on the rear three-quarter windows on Shine and Shine Plus models do limit your over-the-shoulder visibility.

At least all models get rear parking sensors with a rear camera optional on Shine and standard on Shine Plus trim. If you want front sensors, they’re standard on Shine Plus models but disappointingly not even an option on lesser models. If you want a self-parking system, it’s an option on Shine Plus only.

Safety

• AEB standard on Shine trim and up
• Five star Euro NCAP rating under old guidelines
• Rivals have more advanced safety kit available

Back when it was originally launched in 2017, the C3 Aircross scored the top five star Euro NCAP crash test rating. However, it’s worth pointing out that the test has become more stringent since then.  

Safety equipment available includes:

• Automatic emergency braking – This system is able to slam on the brakes if the car detects an imminent collision, lessening the chances or severity of an accident. Unfortunately, while this crucial safety feature is standard on many rivals, it’s not fitted to entry-level C-Series cars.
• Lane departure warning – If you stray over a white line without indicating, a warning light and noise is triggered to alert you of this. It won’t steer the car back, though.
• Speed limit recognition – A camera reads speed limit signs then displays the limit on the driver’s display and head-up display where fitted.
  Intelligent beam headlights – Not only do you get automatic LED headlights – and auto wipers for that matter – you also get automatic main beam that prevents you from unintentionally dazzling other drivers.
• Blind spot monitoring – Optional on Shine Plus, a light illuminates in the corner of the door mirror if there’s a vehicle in your blind spot. Especially handy when changing lanes on the motorway.
• Head up display – This projects your speed and other important information onto a small glass panel in your line of sight on top of the dashboard.  

The two rear outer seats get Isofix child seat mounting points, but that’s your lot.

Watch: Euro NCAP crash test video