Citroen C3 review - Reliability & safety

Citroen performs surprisingly well in the Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, with the brand coming in a respectable 11th place out of 32 manufacturers in the 2023 edition. Out of all its sister brands, Citroen may also prove to be one of the most reliable, with just 14% of Citroen owners reporting an issue with their car in the first year of ownership – Fiat was the only other of this group to have a lower figure, with just 12% of owners reporting an issue in the same time frame.

While the previous-generation Citroen C3 itself came in the middle of the table in 31st place out of the top 75 models according to owners, the Citroen C4 with which this latest model shares a lot of its tech and engines came in a remarkable first place.

How safe is the Citroen C3?

The latest Citroen C3 is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP, so it’s hard to say how it will fare in terms of safety. As standard, the C3 does get traffic-sign recognition, lane-keep assist with autonomous emergency braking tech, cruise control and a coffee-break and driver attention alert system, so it’s certainly not spartan in terms of safety kit.

What are the Citroen C3 service intervals?

Citroen usually recommends getting its cars serviced every 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first, but check with your dealer directly as this can vary depending on the type of engine or whether the car is electric or not. 

What is the warranty on the Citroen C3?

Citroen’s warranty is nothing to write home about. All Citroens come with a three-year or unlimited-mile warranty from the date of purchase, which is roughly on par with the industry standard, but it’s worth noting that more and more manufacturers are offering more generous warranties in recent times. As of May 2024, for example, Dacia offers a seven-year/75,000-mile warranty so long as you get your car serviced annually at an official dealer.