Citroën ë-C5 Aircross review

It might be the last member of Citroën’s model range to go electric, but the new Citroën ë-C5 Aircross is a perfect example of better late than never. You see, while it shares a lot with the closely-related Peugeot e-3008 and Vauxhall Grandland Electric, the extra time has allowed Citroën to learn exactly what works and what doesn’t. 

What’s more, it comes at the same time as the new mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) C5 Aircross, which gets totally new styling inside and out, and aims to fix practicality issues with a longer wheelbase and even more interior space. 

It all sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? It won’t be easy, though, because not only does the ë-C5 Aircross need to prove itself against its family members, it also needs to take on some of the best electric cars including the Kia EV6 and Skoda Enyaq. Does it have what it takes? Read on to find out…

How fast is it and which motor is best?

You have two different versions to choose from, starting with the 207bhp Comfort Range version. We haven’t got behind the wheel of this entry-level version yet but, on paper, it’ll sprint from 0-62mph in 8.9sec, which is around the same as the entry-level Vauxhall Grandland Electric and slightly slower than the Kia EV6 Air. 

Upgrading to the Extended Range version increases the power to 227bhp and decreases the 0-62mph sprint slightly. There’s enough power for gentle everyday driving and you’ll get up to motorway speeds easily, but put your foot down in any mode other than Sport and acceleration feels far from brisk. 

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

Handling has never been a particularly strong area for the petrol-powered C5 Aircross, and the story is the same here. You see, the suspension remains really soft and is set up for comfort, making for lots of lean through fast corners. 

Meanwhile, the steering is light and there’s little weight build up as you turn the steering wheel. That’s perfect for driving around town, making it really easy to manoeuvre, but on a fast road it means that you don’t really know what the front wheels are doing or how much grip you have left. 

Stick to normal driving, though, and the softly sprung ë-C5 Aircross is a comfortable thing, gliding over potholes and expansion joints with little disturbance. Over undulating roads, body control is better than other versions of the C5 Aircross, but there’s still some sway from side-to-side. 

By comparison, firmer rivals, including the Kia EV6, will thud a little more over imperfections, but their better body control means that you move around less in your seat and will have more fun on winding roads. 

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

Like the closely-related Grandland Electric, refinement in the ë-C5 Aircross is very good, with almost no road and wind noise. You also won’t notice any noise from its electric motor, even when you’re driving slowly around town. 

Better still, you have three levels of brake regenerative braking, all of which have been calibrated in such a way that it’s easy to slow down smoothly. When you do have to use the actual brake pedal, it’s far more feelsome than the Skoda Enyaq’s, and coming to a stop couldn’t be easier. 

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?
Opt for the entry-level Comfort Range and you get a 73kWh (usable capacity) battery, which officially gives you a range of 320 miles between charges – around 50 miles further than both the Kia EV6 Air and Skoda Enyaq.

As you might expect, given its name, the Extended Range increases the range to 422 miles, thanks to a 97kWh (usable capacity) battery. That’s really impressive and further than any of its rivals – even the Tesla Model Y falls short. 

The Extended Range’s larger battery means that it’ll take longer to charge from 0-100% on a 7kW home charger, taking 8hr 55mins compared with 6hr 45mins. However, while both have a 160kW maximum charging rate, the different chemical make-up of the larger battery means that it actually charges from 10-80% three minutes faster, taking 27 minutes. Just bear in mind that rivals including the EV6 will charge even faster. 

“While putting your foot down in the Extended Range gives you enough power to get up to speed easily, I thought it felt slower than even the 0-62mph sprint of the Comfort Range. That made overtaking a little more challenging than in rivals.” – Dan Jones, Senior reviewer

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

Citroën wanted the interior of the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross to look like your living room, taking inspiration from a sofa with a soundbar floating above it. You can see that in the finished design, with a high dashboard and really squishy, soft-touch sofa material underneath. 

Outside of those few soft touch areas, though, the rest of the interior is filled with hard and scratchy plastics – indeed, the top of the dashboard and doors are really hard to the touch. 

Sure, everything feels sturdy and well-built, but most of the materials leave something to be desired and don’t match what you’ll find in the Kia EV6 or Skoda Enyaq. 

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

We’re pretty sure that most people will find the ë-C5 Aircross’ driving position comfortable. You sit fairly high above the road, and its pedals, steering wheel and seat are all perfectly aligned. 

You have a good amount of steering wheel and seat adjustment too, letting you hone the position to your liking, but it’s a bit of a shame that entry-level You! trim misses out on adjustable lumbar support. Both of the other trims get it, though, while top-spec Max adds an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat. 

The high dashboard means that shorter drivers might have some issues when it comes to looking over the bonnet of the ë-C5 Aircross. Even so, seeing out at junctions is easy, thanks to thin front pillars, while the view over your shoulder is helped by large rear windows and large cutouts in the rear pillars. 

To make parking easier, all trim levels come with rear parking sensors, with Plus adding front parking sensors and a rear-view camera and Max upgrading that to a 360-degree camera. 

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Every ë-C5 Aircross comes with a new 13in infotainment touchscreen that sits in a portrait orientation and connects the dashboard to a floating centre console. Outside of some physical buttons on the steering wheel and a couple underneath the screen, for things like windscreen demist, you control everything through the touchscreen.

To help make air conditioning changes easier, at least you get permanent controls to change temperature and fan speed on the bottom quarter of the screen, and they’re so large that they’re easy to hit on the move. In fact, almost everything on the screen is quite large and easy to hit. Better still, the menus are simple and the system responds nice and quickly when you’re tapping around. 

"There’s a decent list of standard features within the system, including wireless Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto smartphone mirroring and built-in sat nav.
“One of the few physical buttons is a car icon which, when held down, switches off lane-assist, driver monitoring and speed sign recognition. I found that really quick and handy when jumping in and out of the car." – Dan Jones, Senior reviewer

How much space does it have for people?

Even if you’re broad and over six-feet tall, you’ll have plenty of space in the front of the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross. There’s plenty of space for items too, with large door bins, a generous cubby and two cupholders beneath the floating centre console and a deep compartment within the central armrest. The latter is even chilled.

You get the same amount of rear space in the ë-C5 Aircross as you do in the regular C5 Aircross, and we’ve complained in the past that it wasn’t very large. That isn’t the case anymore, though. The ë-C5 Aircross offers six-foot rear passengers plenty of head room – even with the opening panoramic sunroof – and leg room that rivals the Kia EV6. 

You’ll be able to fit three adults in the rear fairly comfortably, thanks to the shoulder room on offer. The middle seat isn’t raised, so its occupant will have lots of head room, and there’s only a small central tunnel to straddle, making for plenty of foot space. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

You shouldn’t struggle to fit plenty in the boot, with the ë-C5 Aircross’ capacity of 585 litres matching the Skoda Enyaq but giving you more space than the Kia EV6, Peugeot e-3008 and Vauxhall Grandland Electric.

For a better real world reference, the Enyaq managed to swallow nine carry-on sized suitcases, so you can expect something similar from the ë-C5 Aircross. That’ll give you loads of room for a couple of buggies or all of your family’s holiday luggage. 

You don’t get under-bonnet storage with any version of the ë-C5 Aircross, like you do in the EV6, but an adjustable boot floor gives you lots of space underneath for the charging cables, when it’s in its highest position. 

You get 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats as standard, which make it possible to load long items through from the boot without sacrificing one of the outer rear seats, and reclining seat backs, if you go for Plus trim or above. 

“I always find it a real missed opportunity when EVs miss out on a frunk, but at least the ë-C5 Aircross’ massive boot and adjustable height floor makes up for that.” – Dan Jones, Senior reviewer

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

Prices for the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross are yet to be confirmed, but the entry-level Comfort Range You! will cost you less than all of its rivals, including the Kia EV6, Peugeot e-3008, Skoda Enyaq and Vauxhall Grandland Electric. 

It’s not like it’s under equipped in that trim, either, getting 19in alloys, automatic LED headlights, electrically heated wing mirrors, a 10in digital driver’s display, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control and keyless start as standard. It’s the one we’d go for. 

Stepping up to mid-spec Plus trim will still only cost you the same as an entry-level e-3008 or Grandland Electric, so we could see why you’d be tempted. It adds a couple of extras to the equipment list, including keyless entry and the additional parking aids that we already mentioned. 

Top-spec Max will cost you around the same as the EV6 Air and adds all the bells and whistles. Indeed, its standard kit includes Matrix LED headlights, a head-up display, a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, heated front seats and a heat pump, for more efficient heating in the winter. 

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

We don’t have reliability data for the ë-C5 Aircross, because it’s too new, but Citroën as a brand claimed 7th place out of 31 manufacturers in the 2024 What Car? Reliability survey. That’s above Kia, Skoda, Peugeot and Vauxhall. 

A three-year/60,000-mile warranty comes as standard with the ë-C5 Aircross, but that can be extended to eight-years/100,000-miles, providing you service your car at a Citroën-approved centre. 

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The ë-C5 Aircross was awarded four stars out five by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. In particular, it scored well when it came to protecting adults in the front and children in the rear – mainly losing points when it came to internal safety aids like rear-seat occupant detection. 

No matter which trim you go for, you get a good amount of standard safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), driver attention monitoring, lane departure warning and speed sign monitoring. 

Upgrading to Max trim adds even more equipment, including lane-position assist, blind spot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert and semi-automatic lane changing assist. 

Every ë-C5 Aircross comes with an anti-theft alarm with perimetric and volumetric protection and tilt sensor. 

“Considering the Comfort Range’s price tag, I find the amount of standard equipment really impressive. Providing the Extended Range is priced just as well, it could be a really tempting purchase.” – Dan Jones, Senior reviewer

Buy it if...

-You want a comfortable electric family SUV 

-A long electric range is important to you

-You need a big boot

Don’t buy it if…

-You’re after a car with a really plush interior  

-Super fast charging times are important to you  

-You want keen handling and fast straight-line acceleration  

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