Citroen C4 Review 2024

If you want a car that'll stand out in a car park of Volkswagen Golfs and Vauxhall Astras, the Citroen C4 is a great choice. It's grown up since the old C4 Cactus but it remains a quirky alternative to mainstream family hatchbacks. While there are more practical alternatives on the market, the Citroen C4's excellent ride quality and supportive seats make it our pick for buyers seeking a car that puts comfort over driving dynamics.

The Citroen C4 competes against all the usual family hatchbacks… cars like the Ford Focus, Skoda Octavia, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf. But it’s also bordering on SUV territory, particularly aiming for the same market as the Renault Arkana, Toyota C-HR, Mazda CX-30 and Kia XCeed.

You may also want to consider the Skoda Karoq, Peugeot 3008 and Vauxhall Mokka, while the C4's coupe-SUV appearance means it's arguably a cut-price alternative to the BMW X4 and Mercedes GLC Coupe.

You're not going to mistake the Citroen C4's interior for a more expensive alternative, but it's just as good as you'd find in something like a Ford Focus. The textured dash looks (and feels) a bit scratchy for our liking, but there are soft-touch materials aplenty on the door cards and elsewhere in the cabin. The glossy black plastic on the centre console lifts the interior, while touch points like the climate control toggles are pretty smart. Overall, the interior of the C4 feels much better than we're used to from the French brand.

That said, you’ll find a few disappointingly flimsy finishes lower down in the car – things like the door bins and the glove box – but the cabin feels like it’ll wear well over time.

All Citroen C4 models come with a 10-inch media system perched high up on the dashboard. It's usefully positioned for glancing at while driving without being too distracting, and we're pleased to say it's not entirely reliant on touch operation. There are a couple of physical shortcut buttons, plus a well-finished toggle for the volume, although we’d still like to be able to navigate it through a rotary controller similar to that used in the Mazda CX-30.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the range, meaning you can use the C4's media system to access apps on your phone. This is great for using Google Maps, for example, or playing your favourite Spotify playlists. If you want built-in navigation, though, you'll need to look for one of the two higher trims, which brings with it Real Time Traffic info and Speedcam speed camera alerts.

The widescreen display looks smart, while the graphics are clear enough and it responds quickly to inputs. Some of the sub-menus aren’t the most logically laid out, but you’ll soon learn your way around it.

With 380 litres of luggage space, the Citroen C4's boot isn't particularly big, but it is usefully square. Access is fairly high, like in an SUV, but a height-adjustable boot floor means you can avoid an annoying lip for lifting things over. The rear seats split 60/40 but they don’t drop entirely flat… still, there’s quite a lot of space with them lowered.

Space for rear passengers is pretty good. Three adults would feel a bit cramped but there’s a reasonable amount of room for two. Headroom is fine although foot and legroom is a bit limited – not helped by a lump in the middle of the floor.

The C4’s at its best in the front. There’s loads of space, with a generous amount of adjustment in the steering wheel and driving position. You'll need to hunt out a top-spec model if you want electrically heated front seats.

You'll find a useful amount of storage areas, too. There's a tray for playing your smartphone, cup holders in the centre console and more room under the central armrest. The door bins are big enough for a water bottle, too.

Although the electric Citroen e-C4 is tempting for its low running costs and excellent eco-credentials, a lot of buyers will be after a C4 with a petrol engine. The only one on offer is the brand’s peppy little 1.2-litre PureTech motor, which is available with three different power outputs: 100PS, 130PS, or 136PS for the hybrid version. The 155PS iteration has been dropped from the current range.

The PureTech 100 is available exclusively with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the PureTech 130 is offered with a choice of six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission. The range-topping PureTech 155 was solely paired with the eight-speed auto ’box. The Hybrid 136 e-DSC6 uses a dual-clutch six-speed automatic transmission.

We’ve sampled the PureTech 130 with both the manual and automatic gearbox. It's a good engine - peppy enough to keep up with traffic or join a motorway without any fuss. The manual transmission is inoffensive, although its change is a little stodgy compared to rivals like the Mazda CX-30. We rate the auto, though – it's not easily flustered and suits the car's more relaxed nature.

The Citroen C4 Puretech 155 is noticeably peppier, although it does start to highlight the limitations in the car's soft suspension setup, so it's an intriguing option for used buyers. You'll feel the car pitch up under heavy acceleration, which is quite amusing in a childish kind of way.

There was also a diesel: a 1.5-litre BlueHDi unit available as a 110PS manual or a 130PS auto, though it is no longer available and is a rare sight in the used market.

The almost universal move towards smaller, turbocharged petrol engines in cars like the Citroen C4 isn’t a good one for noise levels. The C4's 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engine is no thrummier than alternatives like Volkswagen's 1.0 TSI or Ford's 1.0 EcoBoost, though, and it's certainly refined enough at low revs. Pick up the pace and it makes quite a characterful noise which shouldn't cause any great offence – if you do want silent running, look at the electric Citroen e-C4 instead.

On the move, you’ll notice a fair bit of wind noise from outside of the car – not helped by the C4’s SUV-like dimensions compared to conventional hatchbacks like the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf. The standard 18-inch wheels create a bit of a rumble, too, but nothing that can't be drowned out by the radio.

There’s plenty of standard autonomous safety kit fitted across the Citroen C4 range, designed to prevent you from being in a crash in the first place. This includes a standard safety pack, with Active Safety Brake ready to apply the brakes to prevent a collision. There’s Lane Keeping Assist, which nudges the steering if you stray from your lane on the motorway and Driver Attention Alert which will tell you off if you’re not paying enough attention.

Citroen’s Connect Box Emergency and Assistance System is standard – giving you a big red ‘SOS’ button to contact the emergency services, while in-crash braking will prevent further collisions during an incident.

Shine models came with the Safety Pack Plus, which adds features like a Driver Attention Alert and an Active Safety Brake system, assisted by video and radar with night-time and cyclist detection built in. The Max model comes with the Advanced Safety Pack, plus adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection.

Insurance groups for the Citroen C4 start at 14(out of 50) for the base You model and go all the way to 22 for the Hybrid versions. The others sit in groups 18 to 19, so none are pricey to get cover for.

The cheapest Citroen C4 bought new for road tax is the Hybrid that costs £185 for the first year. Choose the C4 with a manual gearbox and it will demand £220 from your bank balance for a year's road tax to begin with, while the automatic 130PS model raises that to £270.

This is irrelevant if you’re buying a second-hand or nearly-new. After the first year, all petrol and diesel C4 models cost £180 a year to tax. This is a flat rate which’ll also apply to alternatives, except for hybrids – which are eligible for a £10 discount.

Citroen simplified the trim range for the C4 to three versions in 2024, comprising You!, Plus, and Max.

The You! comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, automatic headlights and wipers, and electric windows all-round. You also get a 5.5-inch driver's instrument display, 10-inch infotainment screen, Urban Grey upholstery, air conditioning, keyless entry and ignition, and cruise control.

The Plus builds on this with a reversing camera, Citroen's Smart Pad Support to hold an iPad or tablet for the front seat passenger, driver's head-up display, and sat-nav with Real Time Traffic updates and Speedcam warning.

At the pinnacle of the present ranges sits the Max trim with wireless phone charging and uprated stereo. It also has Alcantara upholstery, front parking sensors, high beam assist, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot detection.

The Citroen C4 was previously available in four trim levels: Sense, Sense Plus, Shine and Shine Plus.

Entry-level Sense models came with LED headlights and 18-inch alloy wheels as standard. Inside, there’s a 10-inch touchscreen display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as DAB radio. 

Safety equipment includes Citroen’s Standard Safety Pack with video-assisted Active Safety Brake, Speed Limit Information, Lane Keeping Assist and Driver Attention Alert and Forward Collision Warning. Additional standard specification includes an electric parking brake, rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control and Citroen’s Connect Box Emergency and Assistance System. For improved comfort, all Sense models come with Citroen’s Progressive Hydraulic Cushions suspension system and Advanced Comfort seats.

Sense Plus added a head-up display, navigation (with TomTom Live services) and a clever tablet computer holder for front-seat passengers. LED interior lighting, auto-dimming rear-view mirror and two USB sockets are also standard. To assist with manoeuvring tight spots, Sense Plus models also come with a rear parking camera, while there are also electrically folding door mirrors and an alarm – the latter a strange omission on the basic car.

The Shine trim level offered dark tinted rear windows and keyless entry/start, as well as a host of driver-assist systems. These include the Safety Pack Plus (Active Safety Brake with video and radar technology), Speed Limit Information and Extended Traffic Sign Recognition, Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Blind Spot Detection. 

Topping the range was the Shine Plus model with its premium sound system and opulent Hype Black interior ambiance. Black leather and textile upholstery is standard as well as electric driver’s seat adjustment and heated front seats. A wireless phone charger is standard, as well as four USB sockets. The C4 Shine also comes with Highway Driver Assist, which uses cameras to adjust the speed and direction of the car within its lane.