Citroën C3 Aircross (2025) Review

Introduction

Citroën is gradually modernising its fleet, taking its somewhat dated, bulbous cars of yesteryear and giving them a makeover.

The C5 Aircross has recently had just that. Now it’s the turn of the smaller sibling, the C3 Aircross – Citroën's smallest SUV – now being overhauled for the mid-2020s.

It may seem unthinkable that cars can become so dated so quickly nowadays. Still, with a wave of electric vehicles reshaping what the modern car looks like over the past few years, Citroën's range has taken a brutal hit in terms of its contemporariness.

The old C3 Aircross wasn’t bad, but it was boring to drive and was designed at a time when the French manufacturer's reputation for reliability was on the floor. Time, then, for the second-generation model to hit the roads.

It isn’t identical to the standard C3, despite sharing some of its parts; however, the C3 Aircross is effectively a slightly stretched and slightly raised version of its smaller supermini sibling.

The redesign also includes several interesting features, including an optional extra to convert it to a seven-seater. Additionally, there's now an all-electric version called the e-C3 Aircross, although we'll be focusing on the combustion-engined model here.

Things seem to be looking up for Citroën as a brand, suddenly. We hope the C3 Aircross takes it another step forward, rather than a step back.

At A Glance

If you’ve seen any of Citroën's newer vehicles, then you'll instantly spot that the C3 Aircross is continuing in a similar vein.

Although it hasn’t completely abandoned its roundedness, it’s far squarer in its profile than its predecessor, with a more aggressive front end that’s imposing without being ostentatious.

The front is flatter, with a steep drop from the front of the much more level bonnet, which, when viewed from the side, extends horizontally away from the windscreen. The grille is essentially a perforated panel positioned between the headlight arrangement, which consists of several LED strips. A larger lower grille sits further down, coloured in silver, with a black lower centre, housing two fog lights on the top-of-the-range model.

Around the sides, there's cladding around the wheel arches and the bottom of the doors, as well as a couple of creases in the largely smoothly shaped sides.

At the back, the taillights again adopt a modular design, featuring a unit on either side that contains two LED strips flanked by a main LED block on each side. These two sides are connected by a horizontal bar that spans the tailgate. Lower down, there’s some shapeliness to the rear, including more silver bodywork right at the bottom.

Overall, this is a notable step forward for the C3 Aircross, bringing it into the modern era with gusto.

Key Features

The C3 Aircross is available in just two trim levels.

The Entry-level Plus comes standard with 17-inch alloys, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, a projected head-up display, electric windows, automatic air conditioning, LED daytime running lights, rain-sensing wipers, and electric folding wing mirrors. You also get rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, plus three USB charging ports.

The range-topping Max trim adds side and front parking sensors, an electric parking brake, improved centre console storage, and provides a heated windscreen, heated steering wheel, front seats (in leather-effect textile), and front fog lights. You also get a black roof, an additional USB charging port in the front, a wireless phone charger, satellite navigation, 3D LED taillights and an auto-dimming interior mirror.

Power comes in two forms. There is a standard petrol version, comprising a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 100PS, paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. Alternatively, the same engine can be connected to a small electric motor, making it a full hybrid, which produces 136PS and features a six-speed automatic transmission.

Performance & Drive

We are testing the Hybrid 136 in the more expensive Max trim. Zero to 62mph is taken care of in 10.1 seconds, which is perfectly acceptable for a car like this, and it’s reasonably good at getting up to speed.

Admittedly, given we’re driving around in the seven-seater version, we can imagine the performance taking quite a hit if it were fully loaded. The automatic gearbox, which is mandatory in the hybrid, is reasonably smooth, though.

In hybrids, the electric motor often helps with acceleration off the line – and that’s the case here. However, although the performance is satisfactory and there's more torque compared with the standard petrol version, you still have to put your foot down to feel like you’re making rapid progress. As a result, when venturing onto a motorway and accelerating from 40 to 70mph, you quickly end up feeling like the C3 Aircross is giving all it can provide, with little else left in reserve.

Engineless driving is possible, albeit for very short distances, but that’s all that’s needed in the stop-start traffic of the morning commute or school run. You won’t need to request much power before the engine kicks back in, though, and when it does, the transition between engine off and engine on isn’t the smoothest we’ve come across, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

The 100PS petrol, by comparison, manages 0-62mph in 10.6 seconds – which isn’t much slower than the hybrid, considering the latter has more clout. It is enough for driving around town, and, given that the hybrid costs over 15% more at entry-level, it’s worth considering whether the extra poke of the hybrid offers value for money, especially since it's only available in the range-topping Max trim.

Aside from its lack of hybridity, the primary difference between the petrol and the hybrid is that the petrol model comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. There is no rev counter, though, so that’s one thing worth bearing in mind if you’re used to referring to it when driving a manual car.

As for handling and ride comfort, Citroën now focuses its suspension setup on the latter. As a result, Citroens are cars to waft along in, soak up lumps in the road, and iron out potholes with little more than a barely noticeable bump.

The C3 Aircross, though, is a little bit odd. Yes, it's fitted with Citroën's Advanced Comfort Suspension, but how it performs depends on the type of road surface you're on, as well as what you expect the car to do, given the driving situation.

At lower speeds, it feels sufficiently comfortable, helped by light steering that makes navigating the tight, 90-degree turns of a town centre feel effortless. At higher speeds, though, the ride comfort degrades on rougher road surfaces.

If anything, the suspension is springy enough to make the body feel like it’s wobbling about. Furthermore, if you’re driving along a poorly surfaced motorway, you’ll notice the steering barely weights up, which makes it extra sensitive, further contributing to the wallowing. This means it takes the body a while to settle back down again after tackling lumps and bumps. So, it’s perfect over smoother roads, but can be tiring to drive on imperfect surfaces, especially at high speeds - although it's still an improvement over the outgoing model.

As for throwing it into a bend, the latest C3 Aircross isn’t built for such pursuits, but it did better than we expected, controlling lean around corners reasonably well and outperforming several challengers. Again, though, the light steering offers little assistance in terms of aiding your confidence when cornering at speed, with minimal feedback through the wheel.

The petrol version will offer marginally better cornering performance due to its lower weight (it’s 111kg lighter than the hybrid we’re driving), but, in truth, you probably won't notice the difference.

Running Costs & Emissions

The 100PS petrol returns up to 50mpg, emitting 136g/km of CO2. That compares with the hybrid’s superior figures of up to 57mpg and 121g/km of CO2, despite its additional muscle.

Neither of those figures is bad for a seven-seater (should you opt for it) – although road tax is £440 for the first year in the hybrid, and £195-a-year thereafter (subject to annual increases).

Citroën is on the up as far as reliability is concerned. Despite that, you still only get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty – although you’re here to lease – so that won’t bother you. Still, it’s always useful to know these things!

Interior & Technology

The Citroën C3 Aircross’s cabin draws inspiration from its predecessor, but it has certainly been modernised.

Like the outgoing model, there’s a vertical outer air vent on each side of the dashboard. However, the centralised ones look more traditional, now sitting beneath, rather than above, the infotainment touchscreen.

The steering wheel is now much squarer, with a flat top and bottom, and features only two horizontal spokes, giving it a bolder appearance than before. There is also piano black plastic around the gear selector, while a nice mix of dark and lighter colours creates a welcome contrast that's often missing in competitors.

You will find a light grey fabric on the dashboard, which effectively divides the dashboard into two sections. Those who are used to Citroën's centralised, digitised speedometer readout will now find it positioned in front of the driver. The readout, though, is actually projected, so Citroën is within its rights to call it a head-up display. Although it appears in a gap at the top of the dashboard, rather than on the windscreen, it's not a head-up display in the traditional sense.

The infotainment screen is bigger but looks similarly bordered as before, now perched on the dashboard, floating rather than being largely integrated, as its predecessor was. As for the system itself, the 10.25-inch touchscreen is responsive to touches, swipes and prods from your fingers and thumb, and offers a simple and reasonably intuitive menu layout. However, it looks noticeably dated compared with the likes of Renault's system, which is Google-derived, Android-based, and far superior.

At least the air conditioning controls remain as physical buttons, sitting beneath the centralised air vents on the dash, near to where it meets the centre console.

The build quality seems okay, although there is a sense of cheapness to the cabin, which is reflected in the flimsy-feeling plastics in certain areas.

Overall, the interior isn't bad – and certainly looks appealingly bright, a step forward from the outgoing model.

But it’s still nothing that can’t be matched, or even outclassed, by plenty of rivals.

Practicality & Boot Space

Citroens tend to be built for comfort, so it’s no surprise that the seats in the C3 Aircross feel thick, soft and absorbing.

Although this is the entry-level Citroën SUV, the driving position is pleasingly high for such a small car, which enhances forward visibility, further aided by the relatively thin windscreen pillars.

The back is unusual in that, although the rear pillars are enormous, the rear windscreen wraps around the corners of the car, so the pillar actually sits further out around the sides than in most vehicles.

This helps with rearward visibility. While rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are included on both trim levels, our top-of-the-range Max test car also comes with front and side parking sensors as standard.

You won’t be struggling for headroom or legroom if you’re in the front seats, and the cabin is sufficiently wide to avoid a shoulder-barging contest with a front-seated passenger. Rear headroom is fine, too, despite the modest slope in the car’s roofline.

Legroom, however, depends on the model you choose, with both five- and seven-seater versions available.

Our vehicle is a seven-seater, offering sufficient legroom for those seated in the middle row. However, both the five - and seven-seater versions, lack the width to truly accommodate three adults in the rear without feeling cramped, although it’s doable.

In terms of boot space, the C3 Aircross barely has a boot if you’re in the seven-seater with all the seats in place. Yes, this is a problem in all seven-seaters, but you can at least get a coat or the kids' school bags in there. In the Citroën, though, you’d literally struggle to fit anything fatter than an umbrella in it - it offers just 40 litres of space.

With the rear two seats folded down, you get 330 litres of storage, which still isn't great – by comparison, you'll get 460 litres in the five-seater version.

Capacity expands to 1,470 litres in our seven-seater version, and 1,600 litres in the five-seater, if all but the front seats are folded down in a 60:40 split. The boot floor is also adjustable between two positions.

The C3 Aircross offers a civilised amount of storage space, including generously sized door bins and a large glove compartment, although the centre console cubby isn't exceptionally spacious.

Safety

Citroën is yet to have a new C3 Aircross put through its paces by crash-testing experts Euro NCAP.

The old model earned a five-star rating in 2017, but the criteria have changed considerably since then, so it wouldn't be comparable with the new one when it is eventually tested.

The larger, similarly styled C5 Aircross was recently tested but only earned a four-star rating, scoring 80% for adults, 85% for children, and 62% for safety assists.

In the C3 Aircross, all models come equipped with video-assisted automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, departure detection, hill start assist, driver attention alert, speed limit information, and cruise control. The Max trim, which we’re testing, also adds blind spot detection.

Options

There are only a couple of optional extras on the C3 Aircross.

Monte Carlo blue (a sort of greyish light blue) is the default colour, while solid white, as well as metallic shades of black, grey, dark green, and premium red, command an extra fee, which gradually increases as you progress through the list.

The seven-seater version can be selected from the options list.

You can also choose a spare wheel – but that’s about it.

Rival Cars

The new Citroën C3 Aircross’s main competitors include the Renault Captur, Vauxhall Frontera, and Dacia Duster.

Dacia’s Jogger is also another option to look at, while the MG ZS, Skoda Kamiq, Volkswagen T-Cross, Nissan Juke and Ford Puma are all worth shortlisting, too.

The Jogger and Frontera are the only other seven-seaters on this list.

Verdict & Next Steps

Overall, the Citroën C3 Aircross has plenty going in its favour.

It is reasonably cheap, looks nice, has a pleasant interior, and, if you opt for the seven-seater version, there are few cheaper vehicles to lease with that many seats.

The French SUV is also practical (unless you're trying to do a shopping trip with six other passengers), has reasonably good performance and is pretty well equipped, with a largely comfortable ride.

However, numerous competitors offer a more engaging driving experience; the interior, while nice, is still outclassed by many foes, and the powertrains don't feel outstandingly well-refined.

Overall, if value for money is what you're after, then the C3 Aircross offers it in abundance, but it's still not enough to make it a class leader.

Where to next?

View latest Citroen C3 Aircross lease deals - from just £191.58 per month inc VAT**.

Call us on 0118 3048 688 or hit the green 'Enquire' button for more details.

Looking for a great leasing deal? Check out our incredible range of Special Offers and Lease Deals. 

New Hatchback? Read our latest Reviews and find the right model for you.

Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive Leasing Guides.

Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest Car Leasing News.

**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Citroen C3 Aircross.

**Correct as of 17/11/2025. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 24 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12 monthly payments, or £2,298.96 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.