The Citroën C3 is going electric, its price will raise eyebrows for many

For the first electric version of its flagship city car, Citroën has chosen to cut prices in a competitive market. still too often inaccessible for many households.

Citroën has kept its promise. Its C3, sold at more than 5 million copies worldwide since its birth in 2002, will arrive on the market from electricity to an unbeatable price. For the chevron brand, whose sales are losing momentum (-14% in 2022), the commercial success of its small fourth-generation city car is essential. Its strategy of cutting prices follows from this.

Presented at the beginning of autumn, the new C3 will be anything but a copy and paste of the new C3. of its predecessor. With its new look, with less rounded curves, the brand's best-seller now looks like a model. a mini SUV (4m01 length). Inside, although more spacious, its equipment is nothing revolutionary. But that’s not what Citroën wanted to surprise. It is through its prices that the manufacturer intends to attract attention. It is no coincidence that Citroën has revealed the entry price of its new ë-C3 on the day of its presentation, is rather rare in the automotive world.

Soon the cheapest electric car on the market? The new ecological bonus will favor it

So, what will be the price of the first electric C3, expected on our roads in the first quarter of next year? In the basic You finish, the ë-C3 and its 44 kWh battery for an estimated autonomy of 320 kilometers will be sold for 23,300 euros. For comparison, the Dacia Spring, the cheapest car on the market. electric, today costs 20,800 euros. The new Fiat is worth 10,000 more (30,400). With the ecological bonus, from which the C3 will still benefit in 2024, the Citroën city car will move to 2024. 18,300,euros, and even at 16,300 euros for households with the lowest income.

The new ë-C3  should also be one of the big winners from the upcoming entry into force of the highly anticipated "environmental score", which will define the vehicles   eligible for the ecological bonus from January 1, 2024. Because if the city car, manufactured in Slovakia on the side from Trnava, will always be affected by the bonus, this will not be the case for everyone. And in particular the Dacia Spring, assembled in China, whose buyers will no longer benefit from government aid in a few weeks. The C3 could therefore well become the cheapest electric city car on the market. And by being eligible for the bonus, the electric city car will be offered under social leasing, at a reduced price. 100 euros per month. Enough to attract a new clientele, interested in 100% electric but until then slowed down for budgetary reasons.

And Citroën will go even further very soon. In 2025, a more urban ë-C3 will be equipped with a smaller battery for an autonomy announced at 200 kilometers. Here too, the manufacturer has already done so. revealed its price: 19,900 euros excluding bonus. With the state bonus, electricity will then be accessible for less than 15,000 euros.