Citroën C3 Aircross review - Reliability & safety
"There are some worries over Citroen’s owner satisfaction, but the C3 Aircross should prove very safe"
The Citroen C3 has now been on sale for a few years, but when it featured in our 2024 Driver Power ownership survey it came in an impressive 20th place out of the 50 models included overall, with a solid score for reliability. The car is also fitted with an impressive array of safety technology.
Citroen C3 Aircross reliability
The Citroen C3 Aircross put in a strong showing in our 2024 Driver Power survey, coming 20th for reliability and quality, an impressive 11th for its fuel economy and running costs and 10th for value. Its PureTech petrol and BlueHDi diesel engines are widely used in a variety of Peugeot, Citroen and DS models, with no major issues reported. Owners were less impressed with its infotainment, however, where it came 35th.
Safety
The Citroen C3 Aircross was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in late 2017, receiving a five-star result. That’s good news for consumers, even if its 85% score for adult occupant protection isn’t class-leading, being 10% lower than the SEAT Arona managed. Its 82% score for child occupant protection is 2% ahead of the SEAT though.
Along with the usual airbags to protect occupants in a collision, the C3 Aircross is fitted with driving aids to help prevent a crash. These include a colour head-up display that helps keep your eyes on the road more of the time, along with traffic-sign recognition. Lane-departure warning and blind-spot monitoring can help keep you out of harm’s way on the motorway and there’s also Active Safety Brake – Citroen’s name for autonomous emergency braking, designed to stop the car before a collision if it detects you're about to run into something. This is only standard on the Max trim level, though – it's optional at extra cost on other models.
