Citroën C3 hatchback (2009-2016) - MPG, running costs & CO2

The Citroen C3’s running costs are low across the range. You get a choice of ultra-economical diesel engines and competitive petrol engines. The C3 should perform well come resale time, with a particularly strong demand for the most economical versions. But it’s unlikely to hold its value as well as the sportier Citroen DS3 or the more desirable Volkswagen Polo, which offers both an upmarket image and excellent build quality.

Citroen C3 MPG and CO2

Every diesel version of the Citroen C3 is extremely economical, returning more than 80mpg. CO2 emissions are so low that neither of the two diesels is liable for road tax.

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The cleanest model is the BluHDi 100 S&S (stop and start) manual, returning 83.1mpg and emitting 87g/km of CO2.

If you’d rather have a petrol, there’s a 1.0-litre PureTech 68, a 1.2-litre PureTech 82 and a 1.2-litre PureTech 110. All return more than 60mpg and are either free or cost £20 to tax, making them very cheap to run.

Insurance group

The C3 should be cheap to insure, with versions ranging from groups 8-19, yet both the Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia have versions in lower groups.

Warranty

The Citroen comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. This is on par with some rivals, but pales in comparison to the Hyundai i20 (which boasts a five-year/unlimited-mileage warranty) and the Renault Clio (which enjoys four years or 100,000 miles of cover).

Servicing

A servicing package offered by Citroen allows you to pay in advance for the first three years or 36,000 miles of maintenance. The service intervals for the C3 depend on the engine – petrol models and the 2.0-litre diesel require servicing every 20,000 miles or one year, whichever comes sooner. The 1.6-litre diesel require a service every 12,500 miles or one year – again whichever comes sooner.