Citroen C3 Aircross Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the Citroen C3 Aircross?

The Citroen C3 Aircross is one of the cheapest seven-seat cars you can buy. It is designed to offer lots of comfort and practicality within the modest footprint of a small SUV.

The C3 Aircross first appeared in 2017 and became an instant hit, thanks to its strong value and practical interior. However, while Citroen’s small SUV fulfilled its budget-friendly brief, some people were critical of its refinement and average driving dynamics.

The second-generation C3 Aircross looks to address these concerns with an all-new mechanical platform that is designed to improve comfort and road handling. You also get more choice, with five- or seven-seats, along with the option of petrol, hybrid or pure electric power.

The Citroen C3 Aircross is one of the most versatile cars in its class, but it competes with some of the best small SUVs that include the Nissan Juke, Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq. It also rivals the Dacia Jogger, which is the UK’s cheapest seven-seater.

Can the Citroen C3 Aircross compete with the best in class? Read our in-depth review to find out.

Verdict: is the Citroen C3 Aircross a good car?

The Citroen C3 Aircross is a small SUV that we rate very highly. It’s spacious, affordable and offered with a good choice of powertrains. Both the petrol and electric versions are excellent all-rounders.

As a seven-seater, the C3 Aircross can’t quite match the Dacia Jogger, but we think the five-seat version is one of the best in the small SUV class. Admittedly, it’s not the most dynamic of cars to drive, but the C3 Aircross is very comfortable and the ride quality is among the best at this price point.

Pricing, specs & rivals

At the time of writing, prices for the Citroen C3 Aircross start at £22,495 for the 1.2-litre turbo petrol and rise to £23,615 for the pure electric model (badged e-C3 Aircross), which includes the Electric Car Grant deduction.

The 1.2 petrol hybrid is the most expensive powertrain in the range, starting at £26,250.

The model line-up is simple, with only two trim levels to choose from. The entry-level Collection spec has pretty much everything you will need from your small SUV, with 17in alloy wheels, roof rails, automatic LED headlights and a 10.2in touchscreen.

You also get ambient interior lighting, privacy glass for the rear windows and cruise control. Hybrid and electric versions come with a central storage box with an armrest between the front seats.

Max trim adds £1,200 to the price and includes diamond-cut, bi-tone 17in alloy wheels, LED rear lights and indicators. You also get front fog lights, built-in navigation, a wireless charging pad for your phone, parking sensors and a blind spot monitoring system.

The C3 Aircross offers excellent value when compared to the Skoda Kamiq 1.0 petrol, which starts at over £25,000. You’ll need at least £24,000 to get behind the wheel of a new 1.0 petrol Nissan Juke. Only the seven-seat petrol Dacia Jogger is cheaper to buy new (£18,995).

The electric e-C3 Aircross is slightly more expensive than the Renault 4 (£23,445), but cheaper than the Hyundai Inster (£23,755) and the Ford Puma Gen-E (£25,245).

Rivals

The Citroen C3 Aircross rivals the best small SUVs on sale that include the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Dacia Jogger, Vauxhall Mokka and Renault Captur.

The electric e-C3 Aircross competes with the Ford Puma Gen-E, Renault 4, Hyundai Inster and Vauxhall Frontera Electric.

Citroen C3 Aircross: Interior comfort, quality & technology

The interior of the Citroen C3 Aircross is functional and easy to use. The quality of the materials reflects the price point, which means you get lots of hard, grey plastics that are similar to those found in the Dacia Jogger and Hyundai Inster. If you want soft-touch materials and a plusher design, the Skoda Kamiq may be a better choice.

That said, the C3 Aircross dashboard is partially fabric-wrapped which brightens the interior. You also get tags dotted around the cabin with ‘have fun’, ‘be cool’ and other motivational messages written on them, which you’ll either love or hate.

Unlike the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq, which put most of the controls in the touchscreen, the C3 Aircross has lots of physical buttons.

The driving position is excellent, with the huge windscreen, thin pillars and elevated seating position providing a good view of the road. The small steering wheel takes a little time to get used to, but the digital display above the wheel is easy to read when on the move.

The C3 Aircross features Citroen’s Advanced Comfort seats, which include an extra 15mm of foam compared with the C3. They feature redesigned lateral support that provides excellent comfort over long trips. Things become less comfy for adults in the third row on the seven-seat version, but young children shouldn’t have any issues with headroom or legroom.

If you want heated front seats, you’ll need to pay extra for the Winter Pack. This adds a heated steering wheel and heated windscreen, too. Max trim also includes a wireless charging pad with a cooling fan for your mobile phone.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Touchscreen infotainment is included on all versions of the Citroen C3 Aircross, but you’ll need to choose the range-topping Max trim to get built-in navigation. However, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted as standard on all trim levels, which let you mirror your phone’s display on the car’s screen.

The 10.2in display is functional, with lots of large icons that are easy to prod with a finger when driving along, but it feels dated compared to the Google-based system used by Renault. The infotainment in the Skoda Kamiq is also superior, with a higher definition display and faster screen changes.

You get a simple but easy-to-read driver’s display built into the top of the dashboard, which shows the vehicle’s speed, fuel/charge level and other useful information. It’s not as swish as those found in the Skoda, Ford or Renault, but its basic layout will suit those who don’t want to be overloaded with information from their driver’s display.

The six-speaker audio system is fine for everyday radio listening, but it can sound a little tinny when dealing with a thumping music track.

Charging mobile devices is easy, however, with a single USB-C charging socket built into the dashboard. You get another two USB-Cs across the second row of seats, while the seven-seater gets an additional USB-C socket in the rear.

How practical is the Citroen C3 Aircross?

The Citroen C3 Aircross is one of the largest cars in its class. Measuring 4,395mm long and 2,020mm wide (including door mirrors), it dwarfs its rivals in stature. It is 252mm longer than the Renault 4 and 185mm bigger than the Nissan Juke.

Citroen puts the boxy dimensions to good use, with the C3 Aircross offering loads of storage and passenger space. The front seats have lots of headroom and legroom. The wide body of the car provides plenty of shoulder and elbow room, too.

The second row of seats is equally as impressive as the front, with generous levels of leg and knee room. Those in the back can slide their feet under the front seats, which means tall passengers can stretch out and relax.

The seven-seat version loses some legroom across the second row to accommodate the extra row of seats. Adults will find legroom limited in the third row and will not want to travel for longer than 15 or 30 minutes, but young children will have no trouble, which makes the C3 Aircross a versatile car for the school run.

You get two ISOFIX mounting points on the outer rear seats (second row). The wide and tall rear door openings make it easy to get a child in/out. However, there is no ISOFIX points for the front passenger seat or third row on the seven-seat model.

Storage and boot space

The petrol, hybrid and electric versions of the Citroen C3 Aircross all get 460 litres of boot space, which is generous when compared to the Skoda Kamiq (400), Nissan Juke (422) and Renault 4 (420). It’s also better than the Ford Puma, which has 456 litres.

We should point out that these figures are for the five-seat version of the C3 Aircross. If you choose the seven-seat car, boot space drops to just 40 litres or 330 litres with the third row folded into the floor.

The five-seater boot will comfortably accommodate three or four small suitcases. You can get a folded child’s buggy in there, along with some large backpacks, which makes the C3 Aircross a very family-friendly car. The 60/40 rear split allows you to carry people and bulky items at the same time.

There is lots of storage in the cabin, with large door bins and deep cupholders. There is useful cubby storage between the front seats, which can also be hidden from view by the armrest.

Performance & drive: What is the Citroen C3 Aircross like on the road?

The Citroen C3 Aircross is easy to drive and very comfortable, thanks to its soft ride quality. The 1.2 turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine is fine, with a decent balance between performance and fuel economy. The electric e-C3 Aircross is also impressive.

The 1.2 petrol engine produces a modest 100hp, but it zips through the gears with maximum torque (200Nm) delivered at 1,750rpm. The manual gearbox is slick, and you can hum along from 0-62mph in 12.5 seconds.

If you want more power, the 1.2 petrol is available as a 48V hybrid with 145hp. The electric motor provides smooth power delivery and it’ll also run in all-electric mode at low speeds. However, while the 0-62mph dash takes 9.1 seconds, the automatic gearbox is sluggish and the hybrid system can be a little rough when switching from electric to petrol power. As a result, the Hybrid 145 is less rewarding to drive than the 1.2 petrol version.

We really like the 113hp electric e-C3 Aircross; it’s super smooth to drive around town and performance is like the 1.2 petrol model. It’s also better to drive than the hybrid, thanks to its single-speed automatic transmission.

Power, 0-62mph times 

• Citroen C3 Aircross 1.2 Turbo: 100hp / 12.5 seconds
• Citroen C3 Aircross Hybrid: 145hp / 9.1 seconds
• Citroen e-C3 Aircross Electric Standard Range: 113hp / 11.7 seconds
• Citroen e-C3 Aircross Electric Extended Range: 113hp / 13.0 seconds

Ride and handling

The C3 Aircross is a small SUV that provides a silky-smooth ride. This is achieved by Citroen’s ‘Advanced Comfort Suspension’ that uses hydraulic stops to absorb and dissipate the energy created by rough road surfaces and potholes.

In practice, this means you get a soft ride quality, with road lumps ironed out as Citroen’s sophisticated suspension does its thing. On the downside, it does produce some body roll which means the C3 Aircross has a tendency to pitch from side-to-side when navigating a tight turn or roundabout.

The steering suits the driving dynamics of the C3 Aircross, because it’s light and effortless. This is fine in town, making parking a breeze, but we’d prefer more feedback at higher speeds. If you want a small SUV with sharper driving dynamics, we’d recommend the Ford Puma and Nissan Juke.

Noise and refinement

The Citroen C3 Aircross is at its best when being driven around town, with its light steering and soft pedal responses making it a good match for busy urban streets and car parks. The interior is well isolated from the outside world below 40mph, which means things are generally quiet.

We were less impressed on the motorway, with quite a lot of wind noise generated by the car’s boxy shape. Both the 1.2 petrol engine and electric motor (in the e-C3 Aircross) can sound quite strained at 70mph.

Euro NCAP: is the Citroen C3 Aircross a safe car?

The Citroen C3 Aircross hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, which means it doesn’t have a safety crash test score.

Standard safety equipment includes autonomous emergency braking, active lane departure warning and speed limit recognition. You also get rear parking sensors, reversing camera while Max trim includes front and lateral parking sensors, along with a blind spot monitoring system.

Running costs and fuel economy

The Hybrid 145hp version of the Citroen C3 Aircross is the most expensive to buy but the best for fuel economy, returning up to 57.4mpg according to the official figures. The hybrid system cuts the engine power whenever possible and runs on electric power to save fuel.

The 1.2 petrol engine is the cheapest version to buy. It is less efficient than the hybrid. Officially, it’ll return up to 50.2mpg.

Electric range and charging

The e-C3 Aircross is offered with a 44kWh battery (Standard Range) or a 54kWh battery (Extended Range). Officially, based on the WLTP figures, the Standard Range gives you up to 190 miles on a full charge, while the Extended Range will give you 249 miles.

That’s competitive against the Renault 4 (249 miles), Ford Puma Gen-E (233 miles) and the Hyundai Inster (229 miles). The Vauxhall Frontera Electric uses the same electric motor and battery as the e-C3 Aircross but claims to return up to 253 miles.

Range on a charge (WLTP figures)

• Citroen e-C3 Aircross 44kWh Standard Range: 190 miles
• Citroen e-C3 Aircross 54kWh Extended Range: 249 miles

The 100kW maximum DC charging speed is on par with rivals from Ford and Renault, which means a rapid charge from 20-80% takes 26 minutes for the 44kWh battery and 28 minutes for the 54kWh version.

Charging from 20-80% from a home 7kW wallbox takes 4 hours 10 minutes for the 44kWh model and around 5 hours for the larger 54kWh battery.

A 7.4kW on board charger is fitted as standard, while an 11kW three-phase charger is available as an optional extra. There is no heat pump available and there is no vehicle-to-Load (V2L) tech, either.

Charging speeds 

(Figures from EV Database) 

• 7kW charging: 7hrs (Standard Range) / 8hrs 30 mins (Extended Range)  

• 11kW charging: 4hrs 45 mins / 5hrs  45 mins

• 50kW rapid charger (10-80% charge): 48 mins / 59 mins 

• 100kW rapid charger (10-80% charge): 26 mins / 28 mins

How much does the Citroen C3 Aircross cost to insure?

The Citroen C3 Aircross starts in group 16 for the entry-level 1.2 petrol in Collection trim and rises to group 23 for the petrol hybrid. Max trim doesn’t affect the insurance grouping for the petrol model, but it does push the hybrid into group 24.

The electric e-C3 Aircross starts in group 14 for Extended Range in Collection spec and rises to group 15 in Max trim. The Standard Range is only available in Max trim and sits in group 16.