Citroen e-C4 review

• Overview
• What is it?
• GOTCHA. SO HOW FAR CAN IT GO ON A CHARGE? 
• DOES CITROEN DO A NORMAL C4? 
• WHAT ARE ITS COMPETITORS? 
• HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO SPEND? 
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• Volkswagen ID.3
• Nissan Leaf
• Hyundai Kona Electric
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• SO IT’S COMFORTABLE?
• HOW’S THE RANGE?
• CAN I GET ONE WITH A NORMAL ENGINE? 
• Road Test: Citroen C4 1.6HDi 16V VTR Plus 5dr EGS
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• IS THE INFOTAINMENT EASY TO USE? 
• IS IT PRACTICAL? 
• Buying
• What should I be paying?
• WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN KIT?
• WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

Overview

What is it?

Just as Citroen disguises its MPVs as SUVs so they sell better (not unsuccessfully – see the C3 and C5 Aircross), it’s just begun to do the same with its hatchbacks. The e-C4 is ostensibly a five-door family hatch in the same mould as a Ford Focus or Volkswagen Golf, but it’s higher riding and has plenty of black plastic cladding around the bumpers and wheel arches to make it look all crossover-y.

Predictably the ‘e’ in e-C4 stands for electric. It sits on the same platform and uses the same drivetrain as the Peugeot e-208 and e-2008, Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Mokka Electric, and DS3 e-Tense.

There’s now also an e-C4 X, which Citroen is pitching as a ‘fastback’ – read saloon – meaning while the front and side profile are largely identical to the e-C4, it gets an elongated rear end (4.6m plays 4.36m). It’s otherwise like for like – powertrains, trims, even price – as you can see for yourself (the red one) in the gallery above. For the full lowdown there, click these blue words.

GOTCHA. SO HOW FAR CAN IT GO ON A CHARGE? 

While launch models were solely available with a 50kWh battery mated to a 136bhp e-motor for up to 221 miles of range, a mid-2023 update adds a 54kWh battery and 154bhp e-motor pairing for up to 260 miles of range.

We’ve only tested the former to date, but drive smoothly and thoughtfully in Normal mode and you’ll get upwards of 4mi/kWh, which is very good. Nonetheless don’t expect to travel further than 200 miles in this version without switching the aircon off and driving everywhere at 10 per cent under the posted speed limit. We managed 170 miles or so between charges in mixed conditions. You’ll get less in winter, and more if you mostly drive in town. More on the Driving tab.

A 0 to 80 per cent charge takes half an hour (if you can find a 100kW rapid charger). A full charge takes around seven and a half hours on a domestic 7kW wallbox.

DOES CITROEN DO A NORMAL C4? 

Yup. If you’re not quite ready to go electric, Citroen will do you a normal C4 (and e-C4 X) sans the e and with a conventional petrol or diesel combustion engine. Whichever powertrain you go for, the C4 looks and drives much the same.

WHAT ARE ITS COMPETITORS? 

On the one hand you’ve got EV hatches like the Volkswagen ID.3 and Nissan Leaf, and on the other small crossovers like the related Peugeot e-2008/Vauxhall Mokka Electric and Hyundai Kona Electric/Kia Niro EV. In size terms, though the hatchbacks are obviously hatchbacks and the crossovers are obviously crossovers, get your tape measure out and you’ll find they’re all almost exactly the same size. And the e-C4 is right in the mix.

HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO SPEND? 

You can get a normal Citroen C4 with a three-cylinder petrol engine for not much more than £21k. The cheapest e-C4, however, costs just £31,995, or £37,195 if you want the bigger battery/e-motor, which only comes in top spec trim. We do approve, however, that the e-C4 X is identically priced.

Our choice from the range

Citroen

100kW Sense Plus 50kWh 5dr Auto

£33,340

The e-C4 is easy to drive, comfortable and reasonably practical too. But don’t be fooled into thinking the fastback guise is in anyway sporty. It isn’t. Though Citroen has at least introduced a bigger battery and more powerful electric motor combo to add a bit more zip.

That said, the price-to-range ratio isn’t necessarily on its side, especially when you consider how much value is packed into the MG 4 right now. You’ve got to really want that comfy ride to make this your pick of the litter.

Volkswagen ID.3

£29,565 – £40,495

Nissan Leaf

£28,440 – £39,340

Hyundai Kona Electric

£17,240 – £40,895

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

We’ve only driven the smaller batteried/lesser powered variant to date, so that’s the one we’ll focus on here. On start up it predictably defaults to Normal driving mode, and there’s little incentive to try Eco or Sport. You might knock it into the latter occasionally – this is the only mode that gets the full 136/154bhp – for slip roads and pulling onto busy roundabouts, but Normal is fine most of the time. Acceleration tails off notably after 60mph or so, but the e-C4 has enough grunt to see off most challenges, even if it isn’t as fast as many of its competitors.

The powertrain is smoothly calibrated, making the e-C4 easy and predictable to drive. Of course there’s regenerative braking: even in ‘B’ mode it’s still gentle, and the actual brake pedal is progressive enough for smooth stops.

It’s not a sporty car, this, but you can drive it smoothly and briskly down a B-road provided you’re smooth with your inputs. The steering is a bit too light and lacking in feedback, but it’s direct and helps the car track straight and true on the motorway. You don’t have to keep making little corrections and the e-C4 doesn’t rock from side-to-side.

SO IT’S COMFORTABLE?

Hugely. Properly soft and squidgy, like a good French car ought to be. The e-C4 takes the sting out of potholes, speedbumps and surface changes and generally just floats along in a brilliantly relaxed fashion. It’s a cruiser that encourages and rewards you for leaving a few minutes earlier than you might normally, taking a deep breath and just going with the flow. The front seats help (they’re flat, wide and well padded. Not much lateral support, but who cares), as does the general lack of wind and road noise.

HOW’S THE RANGE?

The e-C4 is pretty efficient. We averaged over 4mi/kWh in our time with the car, which is more than we’ve seen from a Nissan Leaf or VW ID.3. But even so, it’s still not quite efficient enough to comfortably travel for more than 200 miles on a single charge. Versus the e-C4’s claimed 221-mile range, with a light foot and without using Sport mode, you’ll probably see around 170 miles in mixed driving. More if you live in a town or city and rarely leave it, less if it’s cold or you spend ages sat at 70mph on the motorway.

The range readout isn’t particularly confidence inspiring: it has a tendency to jump around, gaining or losing a few miles at a time depending on how you’re driving at that exact moment rather than looking at your journey/driving style as a whole. In a Hyundai Kona Electric, for example, you can be confident whatever it says on the dash is how far you can travel before plugging-in. With the e-C4 and many other EVs, it feels less certain.

CAN I GET ONE WITH A NORMAL ENGINE? 

Yup – if you like the look and feel of the e-C4 but don’t fancy going all-electric just yet, Citroen also sells the regular C4 (and now the C4 X, which it didn’t at launch) with the choice of two conventional three-cylinder petrols and a four-cylinder diesel engine. Click on these blue words to read the review.

Road Test: Citroen C4 1.6HDi 16V VTR Plus 5dr EGS

£16,838

Previous: Overview

Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Not a bad cabin, this. It’s attractively styled, feels solidly constructed and the front seats are very comfortable indeed. You get a 5.5-inch digital instrument cluster (nice and clear though feels a little basic) and 10-inch touchscreen (though because the climate control temps are always displayed down the side, the useable area is actually a bit less) as standard, while underneath you’ve got a set of dedicated buttons and knobs for the air conditioning and heated seats. Under that there’s a couple of USB ports, the wireless phone charger (if specified) and good storage.

IS THE INFOTAINMENT EASY TO USE? 

Mixed bag here: it’s far better than something like an ID.3’s, but the OS itself still leaves a little to be desired, and takes some getting used to. Still, it’s all helped immensely by having proper steering wheel buttons and those dedicated controls for the air conditioning just underneath.

The screen is nice and high in the driver’s eye line, but, again, it’s a bit of a stretch to prod and swipe your way through menus. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, should you wish to use that interface instead, which if you’re anything like us, you immediately will.

IS IT PRACTICAL? 

The e-C4 gets the same 380-litre boot as found in the regular C4, which is just five litres less than a Volkswagen ID.3, and 1,250 litres with the seats folded down. So, about on par with its main rivals in its sector, but less than the e-C4 X’s 510 litres. There’s also storage underneath for your charge cables, though it’s a single-piece floor, so you have to empty the boot to get to them. No ‘frunk’ here.

The sloping roofline means the e-C4 doesn’t score too highly when it comes to headroom, while the seats are reclined 27 degrees further backwards in the X to maximise room (not that you’d notice), but there’s just about enough for taller adults. We found legroom to be adequate enough too.

There are also two gloveboxes – a drawer for your owners’ manual and then a more conventional one underneath. Though like in a lot of French cars, it’s mostly occupied by the fuse box. Top spec models also get stuff like a ski hatch for easy access to the rear and for loading longer objects, plus a retractable iPad mount on the dashboard for the front seat passenger. Niche.

Previous: Driving

Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

Citroen has recently revised its e-C4 trim, in line with updating the available powertrains. The cheapest e-C4 is ‘Sense’ at £31,995, the ‘C-Series Edition’ is £34,495, and the top spec ‘e-Series’ £36,295, or £37,195 if you want the bigger battery/e-motor, which is only available in this trim level.

On a four-year PCP allowing for 10,000 miles a year and a £5k deposit, you’ll be paying around £500 per month for your e-C4 Sense. Add £50/month for C-Series Edition, and around £35/month for the top spec e-Series, or £55/month if you want the bigger battery/e-motor.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE IN KIT?

Base-spec Sense models come with 18-inch alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers, tinted windows, LED headlights, auto headlights and wipers, keyless entry and start, rear parking sensors, cruise control, and Citroen’s advanced comfort suspension. Inside you get a 5.5-inch digital instrument display and 10-inch central touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And there’s a whole suite of safety systems too, including active safety brake, speed limit information, forward collision warning and Citroën’s emergency assistance system. What more could you need?

Well, C-Series Edition models up the style with an anodised bronze colour pack and bespoke C-Series badging. Inside, the 10-inch touchscreen features My Citroën Drive Plus, which gets you connected navigation and a three-year subscription to real-time traffic and speed camera alerts, and heated driver and front passenger seats. And there’s yet more safety features including video and radar-assisted active safety brake, which can detect cyclists and pedestrians.

Top spec e-Series models get a black roof, 18-inch black aeroblade alloy wheels, and a dark chrome colour pack. Because stealth, presumably. Inside, there’s an upgraded hi-fi, wireless charging, and an Alcantara finish to the seats.

WHAT’S THE BEST SPEC?

The Citroen e-C4 isn’t a sporty car, and nor is it designed to be so, instead putting comfort first and foremost. Which means the smaller battery/electric motor pairing is just fine, particularly considering the uplift in price.

Base-spec Sense trim is really all we reckon you’d need too, given the already impressive equipment list as standard. All in that’s £31,995, or £500/month on lease.

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Interior

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Specs & Prices

Keyword: Citroen e-C4 review