Citroën has made a cheaper ë-C3 for urbanites – and we’ve driven it

• The compact ë-C3 Urban Range is an affordable electric hatchback offering Citroën’s signature blend of comfort and character
• It’s easy to drive, has an airy and spacious interior and all the tech you need • Good for just over 100 miles of range on a mixture of road types – although your battery will last up to 186 miles if you stick within city limits • Available to order now • Eligible for the £1,500 Electric Car Grant (ECG) The Citroën ë-C3 marked the beginning of a new wave of more affordable electric cars and many rivals like the Renault 5, Hyundai Inster, BYD Dolphin Surf and the closely related Fiat Grande Panda were quick to follow in its footsteps. Now, Citroën is giving us an even more value-focused Urban Range version of its plucky electric hatchback with a smaller battery helping to keep costs down. So, what’s the catch? Well, inevitably range takes a hit – although officially it can still manage up to 186 miles of city driving – but the rest of the car remains unchanged. As such, the ë-C3 Urban Range provide a comfortable and easy-going package which makes it a perfect choice for city-based drivers or anyone looking to add a second car to their household. This is, however, a rather niche audience and given the Standard Range model offers the flexibility of up to 200 miles of range for a relatively small extra cost, for many the upgrade will be well worth it. Read our full review of the ë-C3 here.

We put the ë-C3 Urban Range through its paces in the sunny south of France testing it on a spaghetti-like network of motorways, the cobbled streets of Marseille and a rather narrow (and often quite hair-raising) mountainous dirt track through a national park. The little Citroën coped admirably in all conditions. It has the same 113 horsepower you’ll find in the Standard Range model, so its perfectly nippy around town and has enough oomph to inspire confidence on motorways too. It’s relatively small size and light steering makes it easy to manoeuvre which we were very grateful of as we squeezed our way past oncoming traffic along a single-track road.

The route was approximately 50 miles long and we still had 56 per cent of charge left in our battery when we finished. The favourable warm weather helped the car to average around 4 miles/kWh suggesting despite the petite battery you could see a range of up to 120 miles if you drive on a mixture of road types during a typical British summer. This isn’t far off the official combined WLTP range of 130 miles but expect this to drop significantly in the winter. For those keeping within urban areas the official range for city driving is up to 186 miles which could be over a week’s worth of school runs and shopping trips.
If you do regularly travel further afield and need to top up on the go, adding DC charging capability to the ë-C3 Urban Range commands an additional cost. Even with this option selected, the ë-C3 Urban Range will only accept up to 30 kW of power, making public charging frustratingly slow. For higher-mileage users we’d recommend upgrading to the Standard Range car which should be easier to live with.

The sub-£20,000 list price for the ë-C3 Urban Range is certainly compelling, particularly once the £1,500 Electric Car Grant has also been deducted. While it may not be the outright cheapest electric car, it definitely feels more solid and substantial than the Dacia Spring or Leapmotor T03. However, the jump in price to the Standard Range ë-C3 is so small we expect most people will upgrade for the peace of mind the extra range and charging capability it brings.

The BYD Dolphin Surf Active offers a very similar package to the ë-C3 Urban Range with comparable range for the price. However, the Citroën is more comfortable taking on faster roads and it has a much brighter interior. Meanwhile, upcoming models such as the Honda Super-N and Renault Twingo offer retro-inspired motoring, but they are both less spacious than the ë-C3.