Styling
There is absolutely nothing externally to denote this is the 'lowlier' 30kWh Urban Range variant of the e-C3, when compared to either its 44kWh Standard Range electric sibling nor any other model of the
current-generation C3 family (save for the fact the electric ones preface their boot badges with the little 'e' graphic).
This means it has the same, chunky, crossover-esque looks inspired by the
Oli Concept, but despite its tall stance, 17-inch wheels, roof rails, black-plastic lower-body cladding and 'faux' skid plates, it's not an SUV - that job is left to the C3 Aircross and
e-C3 Aircross relations in Citroen's portfolio instead.
The e-C3 supermini remains good-looking, though, especially in the smart Bright Blue finish (£645) of the test car, but it's still going to lose a battle of pure showroom star appeal if you range it up against the retrotastic aesthetic delights of the
Renault 5 E-Tech or, perhaps more pertinently, the Citroen's own distant cousin in the form of the Fiat Grande Panda.
Interior
Again, there's nothing in here that immediately gives the game away that this is the Urban Range you're sitting in. Unless you focus on the battery gauge when driving, of course, and note how the percentage remaining is depleting even faster in here than it would be in the e-C3 Standard Range.
This means we, and we suspect a lot of people who sit in the Citroen, will be impressed by how the manufacturer has managed to make a cabin which is obviously built down to a careful cost nevertheless look so cheerful and inviting. The double-deck dash design, superb Advanced Comfort seats with their interesting upholstery pattern, and the light-and-shade finishing to the fascias with splashes of coloured trim mixed in all serve to detract from some rather bog-basic plastics employed in widespread areas, the simplistic graphical appearance of the high-set 'head-up' display instrument cluster and 10.25-inch infotainment screen, and of course the most cringeworthy aspect of the C3's cabin of them all - the 'happy tags'.
Yes, we know Citroen is only doing these to inject a sense of fun into the basic interior of the e-C3. Yes, we know some people will love 'em. And yes, we know we're being gigantic curmudgeons by grumbling about what are, at the end of the day, nothing more offensive than four small red fabric labels sporting various uplifting two-word slogans upon them. But we've got a two-word slogan of our own for these items, and we'll leave you to work out what completes the sentence 'the happy tags in the Citroen e-C3 Urban Range can just about...'. Ahem.
Also, the e-C3 is a most curious EV in two chief respects. One, in its more entry-level specifications, like this one, it has a manual handbrake and not an electronic item. And two, despite the lack of a combustion engine, you still have to start it up by turning a key in an old-fashioned 'ignition' barrel. Most bizarre, and yet strangely charming, in its own way.
Practicality
Once more (with feeling), there are no changes here from 44kWh e-C3 Standard Range to 30kWh e-C3 Urban Range. This means the same 310-litre boot at the back, some 60:40 split-folding rear seats, plenty of useful storage cubbies and solutions, and a couple of Isofix positions on the outer chairs of the rear bench. The even better news is that rear passenger space is really, really good in the e-C3. We happened to sit in the back of it for large portions of the test-drive loop, and we were perfectly comfortable in the second row, despite the fact we're of a, um, substantial build, shall we say? Furthermore, major kudos to the little slot-like pockets at the tops of the front seatbacks, which are handy for holding a smartphone or similar device in place.
Performance
We're going to sound like a stuck record here, but aside from the smaller battery, there are no other obvious alterations in the shift from Standard to Urban Range. Beyond their electrical capacity differences, both e-C3s use the same 83kW e-motor driving the front wheels through a single-speed reduction gear, and there's no detuning of this mighty propulsion unit for the newbie. It has access to the same ginormous outputs of 113hp and 124.5Nm. That half-a-torque is well worth noting, you know.
Naturally, we're being facetious, but in truth a small, lightweight EV like this doesn't need 600 horsepower and the sort of torque that would uproot fully grown oaks in order to just get about the place smartly. Interestingly, despite the fact the Urban Range is about 78kg lighter than the Standard Range e-C3, due to the weight loss brought about by its 'missing' 14kWh of battery, Citroen claims exactly the same 10.4-second 0-62mph for both electric versions of its supermini hatch.
And yet, despite the fact the clue as to where the Urban Range is designed to be used is in its name, the 30kWh e-C3 is surprisingly adept out on the motorway. It's super-quiet at speed for a bargain electric like this, while it felt perfectly capable of buzzing up to 110- or 120km/h indicated on Marseille's fast-flowing A55 route heading towards the airport. Those are indicated speeds of 68-75mph, from a car with a stated maximum velocity of a mere 82mph.
But enough prevaricating. You want to know what the range of the e-C3 Urban is. Well, it's just 130 miles, WLTP. This compares to the Standard Range's claims of 201-202 miles, depending on which spec it is in. Citroen is of course saying this car has been designed to 'democratise electric motoring' for those who only need a runaround for almost exclusively city driving, but we all know that even 130 miles is going to be tricky to attain without a severe amount of right-foot restraint.
To that end, the French outfit draws attention to the e-C3 Urban Range's 186-mile city-cycle driving distance. We, in turn, will tell you that over a 90km route including crawling right through the middle of Marseille's manic congestion, clambering up and down a vertiginous road to the Mediterranean coast for lunch, and then cruising along some urban/extra-urban motorways at higher pace to catch a flight home, it turned in an indicated 17.5kWh/62.1 miles. That would empty a full battery in just 106 miles, and more like 85 if you started with 80 per cent showing on the gauge. It did better in the labyrinthine confines of Marseille city centre though, where slow-speed manoeuvring got it to 14.3kWh/100km on the trip computer - which would result in the quoted 130 miles combined figure from a full battery, and something like 104 miles from an 80 per cent kick-off.
Charging will be an issue, though. Unlike the 44kWh Standard Range, the Urban Range e-C3 does not have 100kW DC top-up powers. In fact, it doesn't even have DC charging at all as standard. You get a 7.4kW AC speed from the factory, must stump up £360 if you want to increase that to 11kW, and it's a £440 splurge if you do want DC connectivity - and that'll only give you 30kW at its most rapid pace. So despite its comparatively tiny battery, charging times are fairly drawn-out: for a 20-80 per cent cycle, at 7.4kW AC you'd need nine hours 30 minutes, for the 11kW AC upgrade that time comes down to two hours 50 minutes, and the DC option will reduce it yet further to 36 minutes. Yet that last time is ten minutes more than the 44kWh would take to do the same thing at 100kW.
Ride & Handling
Aside from the near-80-kilo weight difference between the two e-C3s, nothing has been changed with the suspension for this Urban Range (look, even we're sorry by this stage, saying the same thing over and over again; apols). While the newcomer is a little lighter on its feet than the pre-existing Standard Range, it's not as if this sub-1.35-tonne kerb weight makes the 30kWh Citroen a delight in the corners. It still has ultra-light steering with little meaningful feel coupled to way too much body roll for any sort of roadholding shenanigans, as this manufacturer long ago abandoned dynamic acuity to worship at the altar of ultimate comfort.
Brilliantly, the Urban Range is an exemplar of those latter driving manners. Its supple suspension and not-too-big wheels make it a fabulous companion for disgracefully pockmarked city streets, while we've already said it was way better on the motorway than it has any right, or need, to be. About the main complaint is that its torsion-beam rear suspension can produce quite a sharp 'thump and bounce' response to hitting large transverse ridges in the tarmac at more than 40mph, but this behaviour is exacerbated in the back seats; those sitting up front are better isolated from such unseemliness.
Value
The whole point of the Citroen e-C3 Urban Range is that it's supposed to be one of the most affordable ways of getting into an EV that's a little more palatable (and a whole lot safer) than something like the
Dacia Spring. Thus, even without the government's electric-car grant factored in, the Urban Range should kick off at £19,995, but with that £1,500 lumped into the equation then it comes down to just £18,495.
That figure makes it cheaper than the £19,050 100hp petrol C3, which would ordinarily be the entry point to the line-up, and it's also £2,100 less than the equivalent Standard Range 44kWh model. However, to keep the costs down, the Urban Range is the only one of the four powertrains available in the supermini's family - the remaining option we've not yet mentioned being the 110hp hybrid - which
isn't available in higher Max specification.
Despite this, as a Plus the 30kWh car will still come with the 17-inch alloys, a two-tone exterior paint scheme, LED exterior illumination with auto intelligent beam headlights, rain-sensing wipers, electric windows all round (although the French examples we were in had 'keep-fit' winders in the back) with powered door mirrors, the 10.25-inch infotainment with wireless smartphone mirroring (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), manual air-conditioning, cruise control with a speed limiter, and various key ADAS features as standard, among more. It's not exactly thin on the ground when it comes to equipment, then.
Verdict
As long as you really are going to use this new addition to the Citroen C3 and e-C3 family primarily in built-up areas, there's nothing glaringly bad about the 30kWh Urban Range to put you off this likeable French hatch. Those looking to venture further afield on a regular basis will of course be better off with the 44kWh Standard Range, sure, not just because of the increased driving scope but also due to its faster 100kW DC charging and quicker replenishment times - yet, oddly enough, the Urban Range can excel out of its comfort zone if you do need to make short journeys on motorways from time to time. Therefore, as long as the happy tags don't drive you to the brink of distraction, you ought to be more than satisfied with the great-value EV proposition the e-C3 Urban Range presents.
