Who’s It For?
The new Citroen C-Zero is a dinky all-electric car that looks a lot like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, a car on which it’s based. It costs £20,495 to buy, is well-suited to the towns and cities and barely costs anything to run.
Commuters won’t mind that it develops just 64bhp, while its range of 93 miles should be fine if your main need is a car to get you to work and back.
It was built with Mitsubishi’s blessing, and although it’s hard to tell them apart from its Japanese counterpart, it gets Citroen badges and a different name. [vc_single_image image=”52613″ img_size=”article-image”]Electric Motor and Handling
The C-Zero is a purpose-built city car that’s not a whole lot of use outside the city limits. Its range is capped at just 93 miles, but it’s useful for short trips to work and back.
Its electric powertrain develops a very modest 64bhp – the exact same as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. 0-62 is dispensed within 15.9 seconds, but while that figure is hardly inspiring, the C-Zero feels nippy when covering the 0-30mph sprint.
This burst of pace, however, soon tails off, and the C-Zero isn’t made for longer trips. That said, because all its power is available from rest, the car feels lively enough and can be taken out onto the open road. In traffic, it’s especially useful.
Handling is okay, but it’s let down by vague steering. Body lean is an issue, and this will put drivers off from approaching bends with too much enthusiasm.
The Citroen C-Zero comes with a fully automatic gearbox as standard, and it works well in stop/start traffic. All drivers need to do is put the transmission into “Drive” mode and the car starts up in near silence. The Cabin
The C-Zero closely resembles the Mitsubishi i-MiEV from the outside, with only the appearance of Citroen badges distinguishing the two cars. Inside, it looks a lot more like a conventional city car than an electric car.
- Comfort – Its cabin is comfortable enough, and drivers and passengers alike should feel very relaxed in and about the city
- Space and practicality – The C-Zero sports a high roof, which means headroom is excellent, both upfront and in the back. On the other hand, this is also a super narrow car, which makes it difficult to turn your head. This narrowness also means the Citroen is tight inside and it can be hard to even move. Space for four people, however, is decent, especially on shorter trips.
- Insulation – The electric motor makes absolutely no noise, which creates a very relaxed atmosphere.
- Load Capacity – The boot has a load capacity of just 166-litres, which can be considered small in this class. Split-folding rear seats are standard, and they reveal a lot more space. Expect a small boot opening, too.
Costs
Price: 20,495
Buyers’ biggest concerns will lie with the cost and lifespan of the batteries.
- It will take buyers seven hours to fully recharge the car from a household electricity supply. The C-Zero can keep going for 93 miles on a single charge, but this all depends on how you drive, as well as the conditions. Moreover, if the air condition and main beam are both turned up, the batteries will deplete a lot quicker.
- 80% of the battery can be charged in an hour.
- Citroen are offering the car on a 4-year, 40,000 mile contract. This will cost £299 per month, and that excludes VAT. The deal is offered in the hope that it eases the concerns buyers have over the cost of the car.
- The plan also includes the leasing of the car and batteries. Maintenance, full servicing and a two year warranty are included, too.
- The C1 city car is much cheaper to lease, with prices starting out from £119 per month.
Need more information? Check out our full review of the Citroen C-Zero here, including comparisons with its closest rivals. 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
