Citroen C3 Aircross Preview 2025: Price, specs & boot space

If you want to pack a lot of practicality into a relatively compact footprint, the Citroen C3 Aircross is well worth a look. If the seven seats are of use to you, there's not much else that can compete at the expected price tag, but if you don't really need the third row, it's worth noting this is a hotly contested area of the market. The C3 Aircross is going to need to put on a strong performance to otherwise elevate itself from the masses. 

The main choice from launch will be between a petrol and electric version of the Citroen C3 Aircross. Which is "the best" is going to come down to the kind of driving you're going to do because we're not anticipating a great deal of price difference between the 1.2-litre, 100PS petrol and the electric C3 Aircross. 

Our preference would probably be the electric one. Citroen's 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine isn't the most refined, so the EV is going to be the more relaxing thing to drive. Only the smaller battery pack is available initially, though, so if you're likely to be covering great distances, the EV won't be ideal. It's the same story if charging at home will be difficult or impossible for you.

As Citroen is part of the expansive Stellantis Group of brands, there's another car sitting on the same Smart Car (not to be confused with that Smart car) platform - the new Vauxhall Frontera. It too can be specced with seven seats, and given the prolific nature of platform sharing within Stellantis, it wouldn't be a surprise to see other brands like Peugeot producing other mechanically similar alternatives to the C3 Aircross. The new Fiat Grande Panda also uses the Smart Car architecture, but it's smaller than the C3 Aircross and only available with five seats. 

Away from Stellantis, the expected low price of entry for the C3 Aircross combined with its ability to seat seven pitches it against the Dacia Jogger. Until now, it's been unchallenged when it comes to the transportation of seven humans for not a lot of money.

It's a very different body style to the C3, though, being more of an estate crossover. Closer to the shape of the C3 Aircross is the Mercedes-Benz GLB, which also seats seven, but being a car from a premium brand, it's considerably more expensive than the Citroen, with the cheapest weighing in at over £37k.

Ignoring the seven-seater angle for a moment, there are plenty of compact SUV rivals for the C3 Aircross, including the Skoda Kamiq and Volkswagen T-Cross.

We can't be sure exactly how the C3 Aircross will fare in this regard until we've spent some time with it, but our experience with other Stellantis products around this price point suggests there may be some cheaper-feeling materials dotted around. However, we're not expecting any major build quality complaints. 

All Citroen C3 Aircross derivatives get a 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system which is angled towards the driver, although only Max-trimmed versions get navigation with it. In any case, many drivers will prefer to use the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and beam their preferred mapping app onto the display. 

There are two USB-C sockets in the front row, another pair in the second row, and a single socket in the third row on seven-seater versions. On Max-trimmed cars, you don't need to plug your device in at all if it has wireless charging capability, as there's a 15W charging mat in the centre console.

Exactly how much clobber you can chuck in the C3 Aircross' boot depends on whether or not you've specced the seven-seater. If you have, and all seats are up, you'll have a mere 40 litres to play with. That's not a huge surprise - squeezing a third row into such a compact car is going to lead to compromises. With the third row folded away, there's 330 litres of capacity.

This pales in comparison to the five-seat model, which can take up to 460 litres of luggage in its boot. The second row is also 65mm further back, meaning it'll be noticeably roomier back there than in the seven-seater. Drop the second row, and there's 1,600 litres of load space to play with. Plenty for an Ikea shopping spree.

From launch, the range will be very simple, comprising one petrol option and one fully electric, but other derivatives are on the way. 

On the petrol front, there's a 100PS, 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine which is hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox. If you want an automatic, you'll need to wait for the 136PS Hybrid 136, which combines that same 1.2-litre engine with a small electric motor and a clever dual-clutch gearbox. 

The fully electric C3 Aircross uses a 44kWh battery and a 113PS motor. There will be a version with a larger battery pack joining later in 2025, substantially increasing the range of the car. 

The 44kWh battery currently available has a range of 186 miles, Citroen says, although this hasn't had WLTP (Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure) approval just yet. In any case, official figures like these need to be taken with a pinch of salt for any EVs. Even in optimal conditions, around 150 miles of running is going to be a stretch. 

If that's not enough for you, a larger battery C3 Aircross will be joining the range later in 2025. Citroen says this one will have a range of "over 250 miles". Again, in the real world, it probably won't go that far - around 200 miles is a more realistic expectation.

The C3 Aircross hasn't yet been tested by Euro NCAP, nor any other vehicles on the Smart Car platform, but we'd be surprised if the Citroen didn't come away with the full five-star rating, just as its predecessor managed. 

You certainly get plenty of safety technology, along with six airbags. There's lane-keeping assist, a driver alert monitor, speed limit sign recognition and blind spot detection, plus a head-up display that'll help keep your eyes on the road. 

Being such a new car and one on a brand-new platform, it's difficult to tell how reliable - or indeed not - the new Citroen C3 Aircross will be. For what it's worth, we've heard of a few different problems with the outgoing C3 Aircross, including high oil consumption and glitches with the infotainment. 

Citroen does seem to be improving in the reliability stakes, but the brand hasn't covered itself in glory in the most recent HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index, where it placed fifth from the bottom of the chart of least reliable manufacturers. It wasn't the worst-placed Stellantis brand, though, with Fiat and Peugeot even lower. 

The standard flat rate of £190 will apply to both the petrol and electric-powered C3 Aircross models. While EVs have long been exempt from paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), they'll be liable for the same yearly fee as combustion cars from 1 April 2025. 

Choosing which C3 Aircross to go for shouldn't be too difficult a decision, as there are only two trim levels to choose from. The entry-level Plus trim comes with the 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system, all the safety gizmos mentioned further up this page, rear parking sensors with a camera, electric windows all round, Advanced Comfort Seats, LED headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels. 

Go for the Max, and you get an extra sense of snazziness in the form of 3D LED rear light clusters, a white or black roof (this will depend on which colour you pick) to give a two-tone look, wireless phone charging, blind-spot detection icons on the mirrors, front parking sensors, an electrochomatic interior rear-view mirror (this darkens automatically to reduce glare), and best of all, a winter pack including heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a heated windscreen. Toasty.

Other than the seven-seater option, we're not yet sure what extras will be available on the configurator.  We do at least know which colours you'll be able to pick from - there are six, and they're as follows: Perla Nera Black, Mercury Grey, Elixir Red, Monte Carlo Blue, Polar White and Montana Green.