Overview

The Citroen C3 is one of the cheapest cars you can buy new in the UK. Yet it tends to be somewhat overlooked by buyers – somewhat unfairly, we might add, as it’s a supermini with a lot going for it. Its siblings from Stellantis, namely the Peugeot 208 and Vauxhall Corsa, get more attention, with more sophisticated style and value respectively. Those two cars are also based on more modern platforms, with more up-to-date engines.

However, if you’re in the market for a comfortable, practical, and eye-catching supermini, there’s plenty to recommend the C3. A mild facelift in 2020 improved comfort as well as styling, and in 2022, a new entry-level model called the C3 You made it even more affordable.

Outside, the C3 is a chunky-looking little thing, with eyebrow-like LED daytime-running lights like the rest of the Citroen range, low-set headlights, instantly recognisable cladding down the side of the car and plenty of personalisation options in the form of different body, roof and mirror colours. It certainly grabs your attention, and that’s an important thing for buyers of these cars – they’re largely used around town, and customers like the idea of standing out from the hordes of Fiestas, Corsas and Clios you see on the roads.

To counter rising costs, and the end of C1 production making this Citroen’s smallest and most affordable car, the cut-price C3 You joined the range in 2022. It has no cladding or personalisation options, reflecting the reduced price and spec.

Inside, the C3’s interior layout is reminiscent of the C4 Cactus, with a simplified dash design that on most models relies on a touch screen for many functions, including climate control.

All engines in the C3 are tried and tested, and pretty cheap to run. A choice of two petrols and one diesel, plus an automatic gearbox available on the Puretech 110 petrol, covers most uses.

There’s nothing new or ground-breaking about the C3’s 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system these days, though it most feature Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The C3 You downgrades the infotainment for a 5.0-inch monochrome touchscreen and DAB radio, and features manual air conditioning with physical controls.

The headline-grabbing feature is an integrated dashcam on top-of-the-range Flair Plus models – Citroen calls it ConnectedCam – which allows drivers to either capture moments they want to save for social media, or potentially in the event of an accident to capture evidence. Overall though, the C3’s tech can feel a little dated, despite improvements during production.

To find out how the Citroen C3 compares to rivals, keep reading over the next few pages. We’ll cover off interior quality and equipment, practicality, what it’s like to drive, what it’ll cost you and which version we’d recommend.