• Flexible and practical interior
• Reasonable boot capacity
• Good Euro NCAP safety score

How much space is there?

Loads. There’s no shortage of storage space on board, with deep and useful door pockets on each of the four doors, plus a boot that will swallow 358 litres of luggage.

The Cactus does lose points for only offering a one-piece rear-bench, without a split/fold facility, but that compromise does significantly reduce weight in the car. And it’s a comfortable place to sit, with plenty of leg, head and shoulder room – certainly there’s more than enough space for a young family inside.

We’ve always thought it was a shame that Citroen only offered its clever front seat bench is only offered on the automatic models. Manual cars have two distinct chairs – but there’s actually enough space to put the bench. Still, at the thought was there and the relatively flat floor in this scenario contributes to the feeling of roominess up front.

Safety

When Euro NCAP crash-tested the Citroen C4 Cactus in 2014, it scored four stars. That’s commendable, if not perfect. The testers marked it down on its safety technology, as it didn’t come with tech such as lane assist or autonomous emergency city braking.

There’s a total of six airbags fitted as standard, but it’s the passenger side front bag that is the most interesting. Following its quest to maximise the amount of space inside the car, Citroen’s engineers relocated the Cactus’ passenger airbag to the roof. That allowed the brand to make the dashboard thinner while increasing the size of its glovebox. It also gets a natty top-opening lid to make it easier to see and access anything stowed inside.

And it doesn’t matter what size the front passenger is, or how far forward they are sitting, as it’s comma-shaped design means it spreads into the void to work just as well as a conventional airbag. Clever stuff.

On the outside, while not a primary safety factor, the AirBumps will protect the bodywork of the car from any minor bumps and scrapes it’s likely to pick up in supermarket car parks or other urban environments.

Other technology highlights include also park assist, a reversing camera, a programmable speed limiter and lights that turn with the steering wheel at low speeds.

Watch the Citroen C4 Cactus Euro NCAP crash test