Citroen eC3 Review: City-Friendly Performance And Refinement — 7 Things Discovered

Electric cars are getting popular but at the affordable end, options are scant. Until now that is with Citroen leapfrogging other carmakers to quickly make an affordable EV hatchback version of C3.

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The C3 is a stylish hatchback that has impressed us with its turbo avatar especially but the electric version will get more eyeballs and that will elevate this new brand amongst Indian car buyers. But is the eC3 any good? Read on.

The eC3 is slightly heavier than the petrol C3 while it gets one 29kWh battery pack which gives an official range of 320km. The single motor develops a modest 57bhp and 143Nm with the top speed being similarly capped at only 107 km/h. That said, the actual driving performance is much more pleasant with a linear acceleration while not being slow at all. We had a short drive but enough to state that it is a pleasant city-based car with a focus on stop-go traffic. As a city car, you'll like it and since it does 0-100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, you won't be bored at all.

There are two modes on offer but eco is strictly suited for when you are running short of charge and with no charging station in sight but it does not sap power so much so that you avoid using it at all. The electric eC3 is also having excellent refinement with no motor noise at all and overall NHV is also good.

There is regenerative braking on offer with it being natural although it is fixed and with the weight gain, the crispness has been dulled a bit but it is still a fun hatchback. There is also a change in ground clearance now with some reduction but again it is still a high-riding hatchback with ground clearance similar to crossovers.

The eC3 has an air-cooled battery instead of being liquid-cooled and is suitable for a smaller battery size like the one on the eC3. Citroen has tested the car at various temperatures and while liquid-cooled is used by other cars, air-cooled EVs are less heavier.

The C3 was purpose-built to be an EV from the start and hence has not been tweaked extensively to be changed which means there is a spare wheel and that is a relief while space is nearly as good as one on the hatchback while the interior gets a C5 Aircross style gear selector along with connected car tech on board now.

Being DC fast charge capable, you would be able to juice up the eC3 in just 57 minutes up-to 80 percent but most owners will use a regular AC charger at home which is much longer at 10 hours plus via a regular 15 amp plug point.

The eC3 retains the same looks as the petrol car minus the charging flap and some badges but the C3 was good-looking in the first place. While some glaring omissions continue to be there in the equipment list, the performance is good enough along with the superb ride/handling balance. If priced well, this will make the Citroen brand a larger share of the EV space for now. (All Images Credit: Somnath Chatterjee)