The Citroen C1 is a city car from the famous French brand. It was first launched in the mid-2000s, in a joint venture with sister company Peugeot and Japanese giant Toyota which had their own versions - the Peugeot 108 and Toyota Aygo.
The second-generation Citroen C1 lasted right up until 2022. Its budget position in the range has been taken by a super-affordable version of the Citroen C3.
Rivals to the Citroen C1 include the excellent Volkswagen Up, the cheap to run Ford Ka+ and the reliable Hyundai i10.
The C1 was offered in an increasingly diverse range of colour and trim combinations, so shopping for a used Citroen C1 is fun. It also makes an excellent first car. If you’re interested in buying one, take a look at a Citroen C1 for sale on heycar to discover just what’s on offer.
The Citroen C1 has long proven a popular city car, thanks to keen prices and its ultra-reliable nature. The little engine is mechanically very robust and major problems are rare, meaning they just keep on running.
There is a three-door model, but it was outsold by the five-door version. By the end of its life, the Citroen C1 was only available as a five-door hatchback – with the choice of regular hard-top or the open-top Airscape. The latter’s huge folding canvas roof gives a real sense of open-air motoring.
A very space-efficient car, the Citroen C1 is surprisingly roomy inside, with decent headroom and legroom front and rear. The price you pay for this is a tiny boot that measures less than 200 litres with the seats up. Many owners take advantage of the 50:50-split rear seats to easily open up more space.
The Citroen C1 has just enough power, and performance feels eager because it weighs so little. It’s also highly manoeuvrable and light electric power steering makes easy work of it, too. Factor in excellent fuel economy in everyday driving and the Citroen C1’s appeal for motorists on a budget is clear.
It’s not the most refined car on the market but it doesn't feel particularly downmarket. It’s also more capable than you’d think, even at motorway speeds. Handling is fun, the ride is OK and the sheer simplicity of the Citroen C1 makes it a particularly unintimidating car that’s perfect for new drivers.
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With only petrol engines to choose from, there’s not much to consider when it comes to making a selection here. The base Citroen C1 Touch model is available in three-door form only, but we'd opt for the five-door models for their greater practicality.
The Touch will be the cheapest Citroen C1 for you due to its sparse equipment list, while the Feel model brings with it air conditioning, the 7-inch touchscreen system, DAB, Bluetooth, larger 15-inch wheels and seat height adjustment for the driver, making for a much more pleasant environment - as does the smarter seat trim.
Above that is the Citroen C1 Flair model, which gains some further useful items like heated door mirrors and a reversing camera, but the majority of models available will be the middle Touch trim.
A 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine was the only option available in the Citroen C1 towards the end of its production life. It comes with a five-speed manual transmission. Citroen did offer an ‘automated manual’ gearbox called ETG for a while, but customers didn’t like its rather jerky operation. Before that, there was a bit more choice in which engine you could have.
Here are the engine options available with Citroen C1.
Citroen C1 VTi 68: The entry point to the C1 range when it was launched in 2014 has 68hp that, coupled with stop-start tech, delivered a combined economy of 74.3mpg and 88g/km Co2 emissions. This engine could be had with a five-speed manual or automated ETG transmission.
Citroen C1 1.2 PureTech: The three-cylinder 1.2 PureTech was shared with a number of Citroen models and has 82hp for nippy performance. From rest to 62mph took 11.0 seconds. A manual gearbox was standard and it provided a claimed combined consumption of 65.7mpg and 99g/km of CO2.
Citroen C1 VTi 72: It produces 72PS and does 0-62mph in 14.0 seconds. It doesn’t have a turbocharger, so peak torque of 93Nm is not produced until 4,400rpm. It averages up to 58.9mpg while CO2 emissions start from 109g/km. Engine stop-start, called ‘S&S’, is standard.
The Citroen C1 had a frequently-changing model line-up, with regular changes in the trim levels offered. Here, we’re looking at the most recent model range, which was offered in five-door hatchback or five-door Airscape open-top guises.
Citroen C1 Touch models were the starting point for the range and came with steel wheel with plastic covers. Inside, there's a 7-inch touchscreen for the infotainment that works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Cloth upholstery covers the seats and there are two Isofix child seat mounts in the back seats.
The Citroen C1 Feel built on the Touch with air conditioning, DAB radio and a height adjustable driver's seat.
Choose the Citroen C1 Flair and it has a more upmarket air than other trims thanks to 15-inch alloy wheels, reversing camera, electrically adjusted door mirrors, and rear privacy glass.
The Citroen C1 Urban Ride has a good level of standard equipment, with the all-important air-con, plus a colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The Citroen C1 Shine has extras such as alloy wheels, chrome door mirrors and a rev counter. New-car buyers had the option to fit automatic climate control and keyless entry.
Other trim levels available during the Citroen C1’s lifetime include Sense, the sporty looking Furio, and Feel Edition, along with several special edition models with unique specifications over the years.
The Citroen C1’s exterior dimensions are:
Length: 3,465mm
Width: 1,615mm
Height: 1,460mm
Ground clearance: 120mm
The Citroen C1’s boot space is:
196 litres
780 litres with rear seats folded
If you really want to maximise the cost-effectiveness of the Citroen C1, choose a car registered prior to 1 April 2017. Thanks to the engines' sub-100g/km carbon dioxide emissions, you'll pay zero road tax at current rates. For cars registered from this date onwards, every C1 comes with annual road tax cost of £180.
The Citroen C1 is a fairly affordable car to insure. It doesn’t boast the absolute lowest ratings, but most models fall into a reasonable group 6 (out of 50), which should keep annual premiums in check. Airscape models are likely to prove a little pricier, due to their opening canvas roof. Later Urban Ride and Shine models were surprisingly categorised into group 10 for insurance, which could prove pricey for young drivers.