Citroen C5 Aircross long-term test: what’s it like to live with an award-winning SUV? 

The Citroen C5 Aircross won the Family Values trophy at the Carwow Car of the Year Awards in 2026, and for good reason. It’s spacious, comfortable, well-equipped and very well-priced.

And now I’ve got the pleasure of living with one for six months to see what it’s like for the long haul. I’ll be using this car to ferry my son around, take long road trips to visit family and potter around the potholed streets of North London. Let’s start by getting acquainted with my new car.

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Living with a Citroen C5 Aircross: everything you need to know about this car

This Citroen C5 Aircross is the Max version, and that means it’s the poshest and best-equipped model you can buy. It also has the plug-in hybrid engine, so the starting price is £38,885. You can save an average of £3,000 on a new C5 Aircross through Carwow at the time of writing.

It uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine paired with an electric motor, and combined they put out 195hp. It’ll also do up to 62 miles on electric power alone according to official tests, but I’ll be seeing how close it gets to this figure in reality over the coming months.

I’ve got loads of toys to play with as well. This C5 Aircross has a 360-degree parking camera, adaptive cruise control, a 13-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

My car is also finished in white metallic paint with a contrasting black roof, adding £945 to the price, as well as a detachable tow bar for £700 and a puncture repair kit at £20. This brings the total cost of this car to £40,055.

For that sort of money you could also have a Peugeot 3008 or a Kia Sportage, and the equivalent Jaecoo 7 is around £5,000 cheaper. So why did I go for the Citroen?

Why am I living with the Citroen C5 Aircross?

If you go back a decade or so, Citroens were cheap cars which had a bit of a stigma attached to them for being cheap-feeling and a bit naff to drive compared to the equivalent Volkswagen or Ford. Now though, things have changed dramatically.

Citroen is still selling affordable cars, but they feel much more posh inside and drive just as well as, if not better than the alternatives.

The latest C5 Aircross is a perfect example. When Mat Watson drove it late last year, he was really impressed with the high-quality interior and the amount of space on offer. He also loved how comfortable it was, and these plus points combined with the low price tag made it a shoe-in for a Carwow Award.

So now it’s time to see how this car handles everyday life – from short urban hops to long-distance slogs.

First impressions of my Citroen C5 Aircross

I’m a few weeks into my time with the C5 Aircross, and so far, so good.

Pairing my phone to the infotainment system was a pretty straight-forward affair, and the portrait touchscreen looks good as well. I like the way it flows into the centre console. That said, my old Citroen e-C3 and e-Berlingo had proper climate control knobs, whereas this car has them in the touchscreen. It’s not as easy to use on the move.

Fitting my son’s child seat in the back was also made easy by the wide-opening doors and generous legroom, although the fiddly zips covering the ISOFIX points were a bit of a faff to undo, and the anchors themselves aren’t the easiest to locate. Thankfully, I don’t have to take his seat in and out much.

The 360-degree camera makes it much easier to park on my tight street in London, especially with the chunky rear pillars blocking the view over my shoulder.

I like the way this car looks as well. The chunky black cladding and bluff nose give it presence, and the way the rear lights jut out the side of the car is cool as well.

But the main thing I’ve noticed is just how comfortable the C5 Aircross is around town. I thought my old e-C3 handled bumps well, but compared to this it feels like being thrown down the stairs. It’s a really relaxing car to drive.

I’ll be reporting back after my first month with the Citroen C5 Aircross once it’s had a chance to settle into family life, so stay tuned for updates.

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