Citroen C4 Motability Review | Citroen e-C4 Road Test (2023)

This quarter the electric Citroen e-C4 is £1995 Advance Payment for the 'Shine Plus' trim (down from £2295). Prices for the ICE versions of the Citroen C4 have also come down, with cars now starting from £295, down from £795 (section updated January 2023).

Citroen C4 Motability Advance Payment OffersCitroen e-C4 Motability Advance Payment Offers

"This car", says Citroen CEO Vincent Cobee, "is Citroen to the core", this third generation C4 model's task being to return the brand to credibility in the Focus and Golf-dominated family hatch sector. The last C4, launched in 2010, wasn't particularly Citroen and wasn't particularly successful either, selling mainly on low price - and towards the end of its life not even on that. In 2017, Citroen tried to replace it with an evolved family hatch-orientated version of its C4 Cactus crossover, but that didn't work either.

This third generation C4 plays the crossover card too in terms of some aspects of its visual appeal, but unlike with the outgoing C4 Cactus, in ordering one, you won't feel you're being forced into an SUV rather against your will. Instead, this C4 plays to the things people tend to like about Citroen - innovative design, a distinctive feel and exemplary ride quality. Plus there's an all-electric e-C4 version too.

What this third generation C4 does beyond any doubt is to confirm that the delineating line between family hatch and compact SUV design is being ever more blurred. Which many Motability drivers in search of a compact hatch will think to be no bad thing. Citroen says the crossover cues aren't for crossover purposes. The higher-than-Focus-class-average 156mm ride height is there to offer a high vantage point and better all-round visibility. The matte black-finished wheel arches aren't for arduous tracks but to prevent supermarket car park dings. And there's plenty of signature Citroen design, with stylishly-shaped lights and chromed Chevrons that stretch across the car's width. Plus, there's and an air intake grille featuring a pattern first seen on the brand's recent 19_19 concept car.

Inside, the dash gets the kind of big 10-inch centre touchscreen that's in current vogue. And a fully digitalised instrument binnacle. Thankfully, unlike with the old C4 Cactus, the climate controls are separated out from the screen on the centre stack. Six interior colour schemes are on offer, all aimed at making you feel as 'if you're in your living room'. For the rear seat, the brand claims best-in-class knee room and offers a wide range of storage compartments.

There's also a decently-sized 380-litre boot. A two-position floor means that with the panel in its highest position, there is no lip to get any heavy objects over, a feature that many Motability customers will find useful.

If you were buying this car for yourself, pricing sits in the usual £21,000-£28,000 bracket common to Focus class family hatchbacks these days. At launch, for the petrol and diesel variants there are four trim levels - 'Sense', 'Sense Plus', 'Shine' and 'Shine Plus', with the top three of those also available to e-C4 customers.

All C4 variants get the brand's Advanced Comfort seats, which offer extra support and can be enhanced with optional heating and massaging systems. Various interior colour scheme packages allow you to personalise the cabin. And wheel sizes range from 16 to 18-inches, with the e-C4 featuring an exclusive 18-inch 'Crosslite' alloy wheel design.

The freshly designed 10-inch digital dashboard and instrument binnacle comes as part of the standard package, as does wireless phone charging and 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring connectivity. They've also launched 'Citroën Smart Pad Support', a clever retractable support system in the dashboard that allows a tablet device to be securely mounted, allowing the passenger to enjoy content from the device in comfort.

A nice optional touch you might well want to consider is a full-HD camera built into the rear view mirror which can take photos or video stored on a 16GB memory card. Safety-wise, there's no fewer than 20 different driver assistance features, including Highway Driving Assist and a 'level 2' semi-autonomous drive system incorporating Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist.

New for the C4 range this time round is an all-electric version, the e-C4, which uses a 50kWh battery powering an electric motor and developing 134hp. It can make 62mph from rest in 9.7 seconds and go on to a top speed of 93mph, but the more important stat is this model's ability to cover a WLTP-rated range of 217 miles on a single charge. To boost this capability, the car can recover energy when decelerating or braking. And there are three drive modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport' - that can vary the level of engine power and the energy draw from the air conditioning to boost driving range.

The e-C4 is fitted with an 11kW charger, which can charge from empty in around 7.5 hours using a 32amp home wallbox. It also has 100kW fast charger, which can achieve an 80% charge in around half an hour using a public fast charger.

A free home charging wall box is now included with all 100% electric Motability cars, including the new Citroen e-C4.

All the ingredients for a strong showing are here as this third generation C4 nods to the two currently trending themes of crossover style and electrified power. Yet it delivers them within a family hatchback package that Motability customers in this segment can be comfortable with - quite literally, thanks to the Progressive Hydraulic Suspension set-up.

The French carmaker thinks this sector is ready for change and this car delivers it without getting carried away with innovation, as its C4 Cactus predecessor rather did. And it's obviously significant that within the range lies the brand's first credible full-electric model. Ultimately though, what really matters is that what we have here is a proper Citroen - with all that means. Thank goodness for that.