Citroën C3 Aircross review
With its quirky looks and focus on comfort, the Citroën C3 Aircross is a small SUV that stands out from the crowd.
Author: Charlie Harvey
16th Dec 2025 – 8 mins read
If you’re looking for a small SUV with a big personality, the Citroën C3 Aircross is a fantastic place to start. It swapped the boxy MPV shape of its predecessor, the C3 Picasso, for a fun, crossover design when it launched in 2017. It's a car that prioritises comfort and practicality above all else, making it a wonderful choice for families who want something a little different. With its chunky styling, endless personalisation options, and a cabin designed to feel like a lounge, the C3 Aircross is all about doing things its own way. It might not be the sportiest car to drive, but if you value a relaxing ride and a brilliantly versatile interior, you’ll find a lot to love. It’s a breath of fresh air in a very competitive market.
Pros
- Fantastically comfortable ride
- Very practical and spacious interior
- Funky, eye-catching looks
Cons
- The driving experience isn’t very exciting
- Infotainment screen controls everything and can be slow
- Entry-level models feel quite basic
Interior
Dashboard & tech
The interior of the C3 Aircross is just as quirky and charming as the outside. You’ll find funky air vents and colourful highlights that brighten up the cabin. The centrepiece of the dashboard on most models is a seven-inch touchscreen, which controls almost everything from the radio to the air conditioning.
Having everything on one screen makes the dashboard look clean and uncluttered. However, it can be a bit slow to respond and having to go into a menu just to change the temperature can be a little distracting when you’re driving. The good news is that most models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can easily connect your phone and use your own apps for music and navigation.
Comfort
This is where the C3 Aircross truly shines. As part of Citroën's 'Advanced Comfort' programme, the car has been designed to be as relaxing as possible. The seats are wide and soft, almost like your favourite armchair, and the suspension is tuned to glide over bumps and potholes with ease. It creates a wonderfully cushioned ride that few rivals can match.
The 'lounge-like' feel makes it a brilliant car for dealing with Britain's less-than-perfect road surfaces. Whether you're on the school run or a long motorway journey, the C3 Aircross remains a calm and comfortable place to be.
Quality
The cabin feels well put together, with a focus on durability. You’ll find lots of hard-wearing plastics, which are perfect for withstanding the demands of family life. It might not feel as plush as some of the more premium German rivals, but the clever design and fun use of colour stop it from feeling dull.
The overall impression is one of cheerful functionality. It’s a space that’s designed to be lived in, not just admired. Everything feels solid enough, and the unique design touches give it a character that’s often missing in this class of car.
Practicality & boot space
Interior space
For a car with a relatively small footprint, the C3 Aircross is impressively spacious inside. The cabin feels light and airy, especially if you find a model with a panoramic sunroof (though be aware this does eat into headroom slightly). There's plenty of legroom and headroom for adults in the back, making it a genuine family-friendly option.
The C3 Aircross is full of clever touches. Top-spec ‘Flair’ models feature sliding rear seats, which is a brilliant feature. You can slide them back for maximum legroom or forward to create a huge boot, giving you fantastic flexibility.
Boot space
Practicality is a huge strength. In its standard setup, the boot offers a very generous 410 litres of space. With the rear seats slid forward, this expands to a massive 520 litres, which is more than you’ll find in many larger SUVs.
Folding the rear seats down opens up a van-like 1,289 litres of space. All versions also come with an adjustable boot floor. You can set it high to create a flat load area that’s level with the bumper, making it easy to slide heavy items in, or drop it to its lowest position to maximise the available height. It’s a brilliantly thought-out and versatile boot.
Driving
Driving experience
The C3 Aircross is all about comfort, not speed. The driving experience is as relaxed as the ride. The steering is light and has a pleasing amount of weight, and the car is very easy to drive around town.
It’s not a car that enjoys being thrown into corners. The soft suspension that makes it so comfortable also means there's a fair amount of body lean if you’re too enthusiastic. But that’s missing the point of this car. If you drive it in a sensible, relaxed way, it’s an incredibly pleasant and easy-going companion. Some drivers might find the clutch and gearstick positioning a little odd at first, but it’s something you quickly get used to.
Performance
There’s a good choice of efficient petrol and diesel engines. The entry-level 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine with 81bhp is fine for city driving, but it can feel a bit sluggish on the open road.
The most popular and best all-round engine is the turbocharged version of the 1.2-litre PureTech, which produces 108bhp. It’s got enough punch to feel comfortable on the motorway and is available with either a manual or a smooth automatic gearbox. There’s also a more powerful 128bhp version for those who want a bit more zip. For high-mileage drivers, the 1.6-litre BlueHDi diesel engine is an excellent, economical choice.
Running costs
Fuel economy & CO2 emissions
All of the engines available in the C3 Aircross are very easy on the wallet. The petrol engines can all officially achieve economy figures in the 50s (mpg), with the 108bhp 1.2-litre version being particularly impressive.
As you’d expect, the diesel models are the most frugal. The 98bhp 1.6-litre diesel can officially return over 70mpg, making it the perfect choice if you cover a lot of miles. Low CO2 emissions across the range also mean that road tax is affordable. Insurance groups are also reasonable, varying from 6 to 20.
Value for money
The C3 Aircross is very competitively priced. Even the entry-level models come with a decent amount of kit, including cruise control and automatic lights. It represents great value on the used market, too. Because the model has been so popular, you can now find nearly-new examples with a significant saving on the original list price, making it a fantastic used buy.
Reliability & Warranty
The engines used in the C3 Aircross are well-proven units that are used across Citroën, Peugeot, and Vauxhall models, so they have a good track record. From new, Citroën offers a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, so any car younger than that will still have some manufacturer cover remaining, giving you extra peace of mind.
Safety
Safety features
The Citroën C3 Aircross scored a full five-star rating when it was tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, making it one of the safest cars in its class.
All models come with important safety features like speed limit recognition and lane departure warning as standard. It’s a bit of a shame that autonomous emergency braking (which can automatically apply the brakes to avoid a collision) isn't standard on all models, but it is fitted to top-spec ‘Flair’ versions from 2018 onwards, which is worth looking out for.
Trims & Engines
Trim levels
The C3 Aircross comes in three main trim levels, plus some stylish special editions.
Touch: The entry-level model comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth, cruise control, and automatic lights. It’s quite basic and misses out on alloy wheels and the central touchscreen.
Feel: This is a much better starting point. It adds the seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with alloy wheels and stylish grey bumper protectors.
Flair: The top-spec model is very well equipped. It adds sat-nav, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, and the fantastic sliding rear seats. It’s the one to go for if you want all the clever features.
Engines
You have a choice of efficient petrol and diesel engines.
1.2 PureTech (81bhp): A non-turbo petrol engine that’s best suited for town driving.
1.2 PureTech (108bhp): This turbocharged petrol is the sweet spot in the range, offering a great mix of performance and economy. Available with a manual or automatic gearbox.
1.2 PureTech (128bhp): The most powerful petrol engine, giving the C3 Aircross a surprising turn of speed.
1.6 BlueHDi (98bhp): The super-economical diesel option, perfect for long-distance drivers.