Citroën ë-C3 Aircross review

Introduction

If you love to complain about how expensive everything is these days, you might expect the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross to give you another reason to grumble.

After all, it's an electric SUV – an often heavy purchase, both in terms of cost and literal weight. However, the ë-C3 Aircross happens to be neither of those things. It costs less than a VW Golf and weighs about 1.5 tonnes – a far cry from the near-two-tonne Audi Q4 e-tron. In fact, it’s lighter than a new BMW 3 Series.

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Extended Range 54kWh COLLECTION SUV 5dr Electric Auto (7.4kW Charger) (113 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	60
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£347.59
Initial payment	£4,171.08

Step-by-step

Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.

• Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
• Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

What you get

When you lease with Autotrader you get all of this:

• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Road tax and roadside assistance included
• No admin fees
• Free returns within 30 days*

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£4,171 initial payment, 60 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

• Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
• No balloon payments
• Road tax included

Does that make it a master of range and efficiency among its peers, or does it suggest cheap, flimsy materials and a lack of equipment?

Well, in this review we’ll dive into those elements and tell you how well the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross compares with the closely related Vauxhall Frontera Electric, as well as the Hyundai Inster and Renault 4.

Or if you’re hesitant to go electric or you want the option of seven seats, check out our petrol Citroën C3 Aircross review.

Overview

If you’re in the market for a comfortable and relatively spacious electric SUV with a sub-£25k list price, the new Citroën ë-C3 Aircross is almost a no brainer. We’d go for the Extended Range version, because it doesn’t cost too much more but has a more competitive range.

Pros

• Low price
• Comfy and easy to drive
• Good interior and boot space

Cons

• Underwhelming range
• Sub-par performance and handling
• No seven-seat option (as there is with the petrol C3 Aircross)

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

How fast is it and which motor is best?

The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross is more sedate than it is fast, especially if you opt for the Extended Range version – its heavier battery makes it slower. In short, accelerating to motorway speeds takes some patience.

The Standard Range has a bit more pep, as its quicker 0-62mph time suggests. Mind you, it’s still no rocket ship. The Renault 4 is considerably quicker.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

If you’re looking for agility, you won’t find much in the ë-C3 Aircross. Tight corners reveal a safe amount of grip but a lot of body lean, plus the steering is more numb than it is super precise or natural feeling. The R4 is much sharper and more confidence-inspiring on a twisty road.

On the plus side, the ë-C3 and R4 are similar in terms of comfort, which is to say both are good. And really, what do you care about more in a family-focused electric SUV, sports-car handling or smooth ride comfort? We suspect the latter.

There’s plenty of cushioning taking the sting out of sharp abrasions – more than there is in the Vauxhall Frontera Electric. What’s more, the body mostly stays upright over patchy surfaces, subjecting you to very little side-to-side sway by SUV standards.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The ë-C3 Aircross does a decent job of isolating you from road noise, but there’s a fair amount of wind noise at speed and considerably more motor whine than you’ll hear in rivals, including the R4.

The brake pedal is a bit spongy next to the Hyundai Inster and R4’s, so it’s not quite as easy to stop smoothly.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The ë-C3 Aircross’s range and charging speeds are competitive with rivals’. For context, the R4 has a 245-mile official range and the Inster 203 to 229 miles, depending on your chosen version.

The Frontera Electric delivers near-identical range compared with the ë-C3 Aircross. It’s no surprise, given the pair share batteries and electric motors.

Like the ë-C3 Aircross, its rivals are all able to top up their batteries (10-80%) in around half an hour. Plug the ë-C3 in at home on a 7kW charger, meanwhile, and the Standard and Extended Range take around four hours and five hours respectively.

“The handling may be quite relaxed, but I liked that it felt no heavier than a lot of petrol-powered SUVs. I didn’t have to wrestle with the heft of it.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross and Vauxhall Frontera Electric may share some components inside, but their designs are different and discernable. Vauxhall has gone for a modern, classy, grown-up look, while Citroën has opted for a funkier one, complete with words of encouragement on each door. Perhaps the only EV that out-funks the ë-C3 is the Fiat Grande Panda Electric.

Aside from some soft-touch material on the door and central armrest, and fabric on the dashboard, the ë-C3 Aircross is full of hard grey plastics. Sure, those soft-touch materials help elevate the ë-C3 Aircross above the Frontera, but the Renault 4 is a clear, further step up in material quality – the R4 feels that bit better screwed together, too.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The seats in the ë-C3 Aircross are soft and comfy, while the driving position is suitably lofty – as you’d hope from an electric SUV – giving you a good view out front.

Rearward visibility is a bit more compromised: the shallow rear screen and tiny quarterlight windows don’t offer the best view of what’s behind. Still, parking is a doddle thanks to standard-fit rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Going for top-spec Max trim also adds front and side parking sensors.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

While the buttons and switches in the ë-C3 Aircross feel fairly cheap, at least they’re logically laid out and easy to use. For example, rather than having the air-con controls on the infotainment screen – like in the MG4 – you get a panel with physical controls, making it much easier to set the temperature and power.

The digital driver’s display above the steering wheel is pretty basic and not as modern looking as the equivalents in the Grande Panda or Frontera Electric.

Likewise, the 10.25in infotainment touchscreen is bested by higher quality set-ups found in the Hyundai Inster and R4. On the plus side, it’s easy enough to use and responds fairly quickly to your inputs.

“The ë-C3’s driver display isn't very configurable or super flashy, but it clearly displays key information below your eyeline, and I didn’t find it impeded my desired driving position.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

How much space does it have for people?

There’s lots of space in the front of the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross, and a six-footer can sit behind another with a little room to spare. You can fit three adults in the back, but it’s only really comfy for brief trips or if they're slender.

Unlike the petrol Citroën C3 Aircross, the electric version is not available as a seven-seater. That's a shame because it would make the ë-C3 Aircross the cheapest electric SUV with seven seats by quite a margin. It would be helpful to have sliding or reclining rear seats as well, like in the Hyundai Inster.

How much room does it have for luggage?

There’s a decent amount of interior storage, with a pretty large glovebox and quite big door bins. Storage in the back is more limited, with no fold-down centre armrest, let alone one with a cubby in it.

You have the same amount of boot space that the five-seat C3 Aircross offers. At an impressive 460 litres, it gives you much more storage room than in the Inster. The Fiat Grande Panda Electric and Jeep Avenger Electric have smaller boots, too.

“For the money and among its electric SUV peers, I was quite astonished by how much space you get with the ë-C3 Aircross.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The Citroën ë-C3 Aircross is very well priced, undercutting the Jeep Avenger Electric and costing around the same as the Fiat Grande Panda Electric, Hyundai Inster and Vauxhall Frontera Electric.

There are two trims available – entry-level Plus and top-spec Max – and our pick is Plus, which comes with a good amount of kit. That includes 17in alloy wheels, cruise control, automatic headlights, electrically folding door mirrors, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors.

Max adds some luxuries such as heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a wireless phone-charger, so if you want those and have the budget, it's worth considering.

Is it reliable and how long is the warranty?

The ë-C3 Aircross has not appeared in our What Car? Reliability Survey yet, but in the 2025 survey, Citroën came tenth out of 30 brands, beating Skoda and Ford but not Suzuki and Toyota. That's still quite a confidence-inspiring result, though.

Citroën offers a generous warranty, too, giving you eight-years/100,000-miles of cover, providing that you service the car at an approved garage every year. That’s longer than Hyundai’s five-year warranty (although it offers unlimited mileage), but not quite as good as Toyota’s 10-year service-activated warranty.

How safe is it and is it easy to steal?

The ë-C3 Aircross has not yet been tested for safety by Euro NCAP. Standard safety kit includes lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and a driver drowsiness alert. Max trim adds blind-spot monitoring.

Every ë-C3 Aircross comes with an alarm as standard.

“We'll have to wait to see how reliable the ë-C3 proves to be but I’m glad to see Citroën towards the top of the brand reliability table. It instills some confidence.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You want a practical electric SUV for a reasonable price

- You often carry lots of luggage

- You’re looking for an electric car with a smooth ride

Don’t buy it if…

- You prefer cars with a plush interior

- You want an electric car that’s quick off the mark

- You need an SUV with seven seats

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