All-new Citroen C3 is here! Bargain French supermini gets hybrid tech

• Priced from £17,790
• Suspension designed for comfort
• More affordable than electric e-C3

You’re looking at the all-new Citroen C3, the petrol-powered alternative to the electric e-C3 revealed last October. It’s been comprehensively redesigned for this fourth generation, with a shrunken-SUV design, but retaining the same focus on affordability and comfort.

Order books for the C3 are already open in Europe, but customers in the UK will have to wait until September to bag one – a few months after the electric e-C3 becomes available in July. When it does find its way to our shores, the new C3 will have some stiff rivalry to contend with – the Dacia Sandero and recently-unveiled MG3 sit in the same sub-£20k price bracket that the C3 occupies.

What’s new for the 2024 Citroen C3?

First things first, this is an all-new generation of Citroen C3, sitting on a new platform called ‘Smart Car’. Designed to accommodate electric, hybrid and petrol powertrains, it's the same structure that underpins the new Vauxhall Frontera. This lends the new C3 a boxier, upright look with a clear SUV influence – although, at just 4,010mm long, it’s only grown 19mm from the outgoing car.

More noticeable is the near-100mm height gain over the old C3, which is largely down to the increased ground clearance. Citroen claims that this was designed to make getting in and out of the C3 easier, as well as to improve ride quality over speed bumps and potholes. Ride quality has long been Citroen’s forte, and it's doubled down for the new C3 by fitting a set of clever hydraulic bump stops into its suspension to take the edge off rough roads.

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Inside, you’ll find a pair of ‘Advanced Comfort’ seats, packed with more foam than before to further improve comfort. The rest of the cabin is entirely new, with a new 10-inch infotainment touchscreen sitting centrally in a redesigned dashboard. A head-up display projects driving information onto the base of the windscreen, completely replacing the analogue gauges of the outgoing C3. The interior is rounded off by a fresh material palette and a new steering wheel.

Externally, the C3 wears a whole new outfit, swapping curves and rounded edges for boxier proportions. Inspired by the Citroen Oli concept of 2022, the C3 features LED headlights as standard, along with Citroen’s new oval badge. Black wheel arch extensions, a two-tone roof and six colours are also available.

The C3 will only be offered in Plus trim at first, so it doesn’t look like buyers can pick the Max trim offered for the e-C3. Plus still gets the new 10-inch central screen with wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and ‘natural voice recognition, along with safety kit like autonomous emergency braking, cruise control and Citroen’s Active Lane Departure Warning System.

What engines are available in the Citroen C3?

The C3 range begins with the 99bhp, 1.2-litre petrol variant, which drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

New for this generation of C3 is an electrified variant. Called the Hybrid 100, this model uses the same 1.2-litre petrol engine alongside a 28bhp electric motor. It’s a mild hybrid system, with the e-motor built directly into the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Despite its small 48V battery, Citroen claims that drivers will be able to complete up to 50% of their city driving in pure-electric mode.

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How much does the Citroen C3 cost?

Citroen has announced that the C3 will start from £17,790 with a PureTech petrol engine, but it hasn’t yet said how much extra the mild hybrid version will cost when it arrives later in 2024. If it follows the same pattern as the Peugeot 208, it’s likely to add around £1,800 to its price, so should still come in under £20,000. The Citroen e-C3 starts from £21,990.

Read all about the new electric Citroen e-C3 or its twin, the new Vauxhall Frontera…