Living with a Citroen e-C3: range anxiety is starting to dampen my spirits

This is my Citroen e-C3 – a small electric hatchback which I’m using as a family runaround for six months. While it’s ideal for the short urban trips I make most days, I do need to venture further afield from time to time.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

The Stebbing test: a nervous debut for my Citroen e-C3

My first outing in the Citroen e-C3 was a baptism by motorway miles, necessitated by a 10-mile running race I had entered in Stebbing, Essex. The round trip from my home in Edgware, North West London, clocked in at 100 miles.

Having started with 180 miles of indicated range — just shy of the claimed 198 miles — this initially felt like light work. That assumption soon evaporated. Hitting the M25, I quickly noticed the battery percentage dropping at an alarming rate, far outpacing the actual distance covered.

The anxiety set in. Halfway through, the journey became less about the race I was heading to and more a desperate calculus of battery life; should I switch off the heating? Is my phone charging unnecessarily?

I checked the charging infrastructure around Stebbing before setting off, and fast chargers were pretty thin on the ground. This only heightened the tension, especially with a strict timetable to collect my son post-race. I spent the entire outbound leg constantly flicking between the road ahead and the rapidly declining range dial. The result of the first 50 miles? I arrived with just 90 miles of range left – exactly half of what I started with.

After completing the race (and smashing my PB), the elation was immediately replaced by a sobering realisation: I needed that remaining range to deliver me home. It was then I recalled the ‘C’ button on the gear selector, which boosts the regenerative braking effect when you lift off the accelerator.

Engaging this on the return leg provided a noticeable boost, especially over the final 15 miles as I transitioned onto the A and B roads. This mode seemed to regenerate an extra five to ten miles of range, enough to ensure a safe, albeit relieved, arrival at my local slow charging station.

The Great Bentley Run: learning to live with range anxiety

Planning for my next half marathon race in Great Bentley, a daunting 160-mile round trip, and I wasn’t prepared to gamble on the e-C3’s single-charge capacity again. Instead, I engineered a stopover with my sister in Braintree. Setting off with approximately 180 miles of range, I implemented immediate conservation measures: no heating and the ‘C’ button engaged.

Despite this, the experience was unsettlingly familiar: the range depletion was arguably quicker than the Stebbing run. For a relatively modest 54-mile journey to Braintree, 100 miles of range vanished, leaving me with just 80 miles remaining.

With an evening of relaxation sacrificed, the search for a rapid charger began. Gridserve proved the saviour. I squeezed in a 45-minute fast charge, pushing the battery back up to a comfortable 135 miles. That buffer proved sufficient, and I completed the final leg of the journey the following day, arriving home with approximately 35 miles to spare. The e-C3’s long-term test is already proving to be a masterclass in range management and forced charging stops.

In defence of the little Citroen, these trips were made in the depths of winter when the colder temperatures wreak havoc on an electric car’s real-world range. I still have the e-C3 until May, so it’ll be interesting to see if I can get more miles from it as we head into some warmer weather.

It’s not all bad: the things I like about the Citroen e-C3

When I’m not tackling motorway journeys, the Citroen e-C3 is a great little runaround. For starters, I think it looks miles more stylish than my old boxy Citroen e-Berlingo, and the baby blue and white paint job is fab as well. I also quite like the interior design, especially the funky square steering wheel.

It’s comfy on the potholed streets of London. I’m impressed by how well this small car soaks up the bumps.

For a dinky hatchback the Citroen is surprisingly spacious inside. Getting my son’s child seat in the back is easy, and the boot is big enough for the weekly shop. Obviously it’s not as practical as the e-Berlingo, but the smaller dimensions do make it easier to park on my tight street.

If you’re after a small car which you pretty much exclusively use in and around town, and you have easy access to charging, the Citroen e-C3 is a great choice. But with my semi-regular motorway slogs I’m starting to question if this car suits my lifestyle.

The good news is you can get this car with petrol and hybrid engines, the latter of which will do a whopping 59mpg. So if you like the look of this car, but cover longer distances, that’s the one I’d recommend.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on Reddit, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos. You can also subscribe to our WhatsApp channel to get the latest news sent straight to your phone.