Citroën readies new £25k C3 EV

Affordable electric supermini with 180-mile range will take on cheap Chinese arrivals

- STEVE CROPLEY

Citroën will pitch itself headlong into the affordable EV market this October with a battery version of its revised C3 that will cost "below €25,000" in France and hit the UK market at prices around £25,000.

There will also be new ICE-powered models in the wider C3 range, but Citroën has insisted that the ë-C3 will become the lead offering in its B-segment hatchback range.

This represents a bold attempt by the Stellantis group to start addressing the issue of affordable EVs. Until now, European manufacturers have concentrated on high-value EVs while Chinese manufacturers make rapid progress with the bigger-scale, low-cost EVs that the market will ultimately need.

The ë-C3, which Citroën said will be "fully equipped" as standard with niceties such as air conditioning and electric windows, is claimed to be based on a platform that's "BEV-native".