New Citroën C3 Aircross review

Some cars have a tough time following up their predecessors. Others – such as the new Citroën C3 Aircross we're reviewing here – well, not so much.

The previous-generation C3 Aircross had a low price and decent practicality, but its poor driving experience and reliability rating meant we gave it a pretty woeful two-star What Car? rating. So, you could say, the only way is up.

Certainly on paper things look positive, with the new C3 Aircross building on the last car’s strengths and seemingly addressing our complaints. It shares parts with the latest Citroën C3 so it should be better to drive, and Citroën’s brand reliability has improved too.

Better still, it's available as a seven-seater. There's also an all-electric version, which you can read about in our Citroën ë-C3 Aircross review.

Read on as we tell you how the Citroën C3 Aircross stacks up against rival small SUVs ranging from the Dacia Duster and Renault Captur to the new Vauxhall Frontera (which is mechanically related to the C3).

Just like the regular C3, the entry-level Citroën C3 Aircross comes with a 99bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox. Despite the modest power output, it’s the one that we’d go for, because it’s still more than punchy enough for everyday driving and gets up to motorway speeds easily. Better still, the manual gearbox is easy to use, with a smooth and precise shift action. 

The other option is the mild-hybrid version, the Hybrid 136. It uses the same 1.2-litre petrol but ups power to 134bhp with the help of a small electric motor. Unlike the (manual-only) Turbo 100, it's solely available with an automatic gearbox.

While the Audi Q2 and Seat Ateca are available with more powerful engines, the Hybrid 136 delivers acceptable performance around town and on motorways. We do wish it was smoother, though. It can feel a little rough at low revs and when switching from electric to petrol power.

Citroën prides itself on offering all of its cars with the most comfortable ride possible and, in the past, that has meant its cars had super soft suspension. That isn’t the case with the C3 Aircross, though, because it’s firmer than you might expect. 

As a result, it feels a little unsettled at slow speeds and there’s more of a thud as you drive over imperfections than there is in the softer Dacia Duster. It’s not so bad that we’d call the C3 Aircross uncomfortable, though, and actually comes with the advantage of increased body control. 

Indeed, where the previous version (and many other Citroën models) have felt wallowy when driving along undulating roads, the C3 Aircross feels better tied down and moves you around in your seat far less. That also helps when it comes to handling, the C3 Aircross resisting lean fairly well through fast corners. 

You still wouldn’t call it sporty, though, and that’s largely because of the light steering that lacks feel. Sure, it’s ideally weighted for negotiating towns and parking lots at slow speeds, but on a country road it leaves you slightly in the dark when it comes to what the front wheels are doing. 

Despite only being a mild hybrid, you can drive the Hybrid for short periods on electricity alone at low speeds or when cruising on the motorway. You’d expect that to make it silent but that isn’t the case, with the C3 Aircross’s motor creating a fair amount of whine as you drive along. 

Once the engine kicks in, it buzzes away quietly in the background, only ever becoming intrusive when you’re pushing it hard – the same can be said for the non-hybrid version, too. Wind noise, meanwhile, is perfectly acceptable but road noise becomes more noticeable as you get up to motorway speeds. 

“While the Hybrid’s auto gearbox might be pretty smooth, I really liked the feel of the manual gearbox and the fact it cuts out any hesitation that the auto might suffer when you need a burst of power” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The Citroën C3 Aircross has some fabric on the dashboard, and soft-touch material on the door and central armrests. Apart from that, hard grey plastics are the name of the game.

It’s acceptable (for the price point) but you’ll find a plusher interior in the Renault Captur and the Fiat Grande Panda is more colourful (and also slightly plusher). 

While the buttons and switches in the C3 Aircross feel fairly cheap, at least they’re logically laid out and easy to use. For example, the air-conditioning has its own panel with physical controls, rather than piling them into the infotainment touchscreen like in the Ford Puma. 

The seats are soft and comfy, while the driving position is suitably lofty – as you’d hope from an SUV – granting you a good view out front. Rearward visibility is good too, thanks to the car’s boxy shape and relatively slim pillars.

That shape also makes the C3 Aircross really easy to park, something that’s helped further by the standard-fit rear parking sensors and rear-view camera. Going for top-spec Max trim also adds front and side parking sensors. 

Interestingly, the C3 Aircross doesn’t have a digital driver’s display behind the steering wheel, instead the traditional screen has been replaced with a head-up display that’s projected onto the top of the dashboard. It’s pretty basic compared with the displays in the Grande Panda and Vauxhall Frontera, but shows you all of the basics that you need, including your speed, fuel level and efficiency. 

The 10.25in infotainment touchscreen is easy enough to use and responds fairly quickly to your inputs, but its graphics aren’t the sharpest and look a little dated. The Google-based system in the Captur is a clear step ahead in almost every way.

There aren’t many bells and whistles included with the infotainment system but it has the basics covered, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring and built-in sat-nav if you go for top-spec Max. 

“The interior of the C3 Aircross isn’t flashy or eccentric but I think it’s a smart design. Function outweighs form.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Up front in the Citroën C3 Aircross, there’s plenty of space to make use of, with a pair of six-footers having plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. Front storage is decent, with good-sized door bins and a pretty large glovebox. It’s a shame that the cubby within the central armrest is pretty small, though. 

In the rear, there’s more than enough head room and lots of knee room – especially in the five-seater version, which has slightly more rear space compared with the seven-seater. Whichever version you go for, there’s loads of space underneath the front seats for your feet, too. 

It’s possible to sit three abreast in the back, but you will be a bit squished. It’s only really suitable for short journeys or if your passengers are particularly slim.

Like the Vauxhall Frontera, the C3 Aircross is available as a seven-seater as an optional extra. As SUVs go, it’s something only these two models offer at this price point and means that you might not have to up your budget to the likes of the Peugeot 5008 or Skoda Kodiaq. 

Two average-sized adults can just about fit in the Aircross's rear-most two seats, but they won’t be hugely comfortable, with their knees up high and their feet tucked under the middle row of seats. They’ll be fine for occasional short journeys, but those planning to use all seven seats often will be better off with the Dacia Jogger. 

Thanks to the rear doors opening really wide and the rear seats flipping entirely forwards, access into the third row is surprisingly easy. It’d be even better if the middle-row seats could also slide back and forth, though, like in the Renault Captur. 

With the C3 Aircross's third row of seats in place, you’ll have next-to-no boot space, so it’s not the best car for a big family holiday. Again, the Jogger is better at balancing being a seven-seater and having boot space. 

With the third-row seats folded flat, the boot is still not that impressive, with 330 litres of storage. That's way down on the Seat Arona (400 litres) and the hybrid Dacia Duster (430 litres).

Fortunately, the five-seat C3 Aircross has a much more generous boot, at 460 litres. 

“Seven-seat SUVs are often expensive so for the temptingly priced C3 Aircross to have that option is a big selling point in my opinion.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The Citroën C3 Aircross is very well priced, undercutting the Renault Captur and Vauxhall Frontera. The Dacia Duster costs around the same as the C3 Aircross, while the Dacia Jogger is ever so slightly cheaper.

The entry-level petrol officially averages 47mpg and the Hybrid 53.3mpg. The Toyota Yaris Cross will exceed 60mpg, but that's a smaller, regular hybrid car and one of the most efficient models we’ve ever tested.

The C3 Aircross is available in a choice of two trims, Plus and Max. We’d stick to entry-level Plus, seeing as it comes with a good amount of kit. It gets 17in alloy wheels, cruise control, automatic headlights, electrically folding door mirrors and the other bits that we’ve already mentioned. 

Top-spec Max trim adds some luxuries, including heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a heated front windscreen and a wireless phone-charger. It’s worth a look if you have the budget, but it’s not a must-have trim in our opinion.

The model is too new to feature in any of our reliability surveys. However, Citroën as a brand did appear in our 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey. It placed 10th out of 30 manufacturers – a confidence-inspiring result. It ranked above Skoda and Ford but was beaten by Suzuki and Toyota.

Even better, Citroen offers a fairly generous eight-year/100,000-mile service-activated warranty. That’s longer than the five-year warranty offered by Hyundai (that brand gives you unlimited mileage, though) but shorter than the 10-year service-activated warranty offered by Toyota.

The new C3 Aircross has yet to be tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP. However, it does get a good amount of safety kit, including lane-departure warning, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and a driver drowsiness alert. If you want blind-spot monitoring, you’ll have to go for Max trim.

“If you want a comfy, practical SUV for a sensible price, I’d have no trouble recommending the C3 Aircross.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You want a practical seven-seat SUV on a budget

- You prefer a car with a comfortable ride

- You’d like a decent list of standard features

Don’t buy it if…

- You prioritise performance over comfort

- You’d like a smooth hybrid option

- You want a plush and vibrant interior

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